Elizabeth Oldfield on stepping down as Director of Theos. 26/03/2021

This summer will mark my ten year anniversary as Director of Theos. It will also be the moment I have chosen to step aside and let someone else take on the reins of this precious, much needed organisation. I’ll still be around hosting The Sacred, which we have big dreams for, and as an informal cheerleader and friend to the team who are a collection of the smartest, kindest, most thoughtful humans you could meet.  

I’m not leaving this job in a way which follows an “approved path”, namely by jumping into a bigger, flashier role, or having an already polished new project to point you to. I am stepping aside because I have led Theos for a decade, and believe deeply that healthy organisations should resist becoming too associated with a single person. The mission of Theos – to make a case that faith in general, and Christianity in particular, is a gift not a threat, a friend not a foe, especially amongst those least likely to believe this – is very close to my heart, and I am excited to see who shows up to lead it into the next decade. It is a fabulous job and I have loved every minute.   

For myself I feel a strong intuition (in my language, a strong sense from God) that I should resist the pull of status and safety, and instead sit for a while and see what emerges. This past year has been bruising for many of us, and I want to plot a next season in which I can be as useful and fruitful as possible in a world facing such complex challenges. The longer I am part of “public conversations” the more I think what matters most in life is who we are, what character we are developing, rather than the details of what we do. So I will be attending to my soul, and hope to have conversations with many of you as I figure out my next steps. 

The advert for the next Director of Theos will pop up in the next few months, and I hope you’ll share it far and wide. If you’re a praying sort, please do hold the team, and our mission, in your prayers.  

Elizabeth  

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