Leadership Team

Revd Sue Shortman (she/her)

Sue Shortman is the Methodist presbyter with pastoral oversight of The Church at Carrs Lane and two other churches in the Birmingham Methodist Circuit. She joined the team on 1 September 2022.

Contact details:

sue.shortman@methodist.org.uk

0121 744 6175

Photo of Reverend Sue Shortman, one of the ministers at the Church at Carrs Lane
Sue Shortman (she/her)
Revd Cristina Cipriani (she/her)

Cristina Cipriani is a United Reformed Church minister at Carrs Lane.  Cristina was ordained and inducted on Saturday 21 July 2018, joining our team of ministers. She is also Minister at Digbeth-in-the-Field URC in Yardley.

Cristina’s interests are interfaith dialogue, the connections between psychology and theology and how the church can be a place where everybody is welcomed and feels safe.

Contact details:

minister@carrslane.co.uk

0121 643 6151

Cristina Cipriani (she/her)
Deacon Ruth Yorke (she/her)

Ruth Yorke is a Methodist Minister with The Church at Carrs Lane. Ruth helps the church with mission to the city centre and with student ministry.

Ruth joined our team to work with the church in developing its service amongst vulnerable people in the city, and she is excited to be amongst so many people who are passionate about serving others.

Ruth has many interests, including interfaith working and ensuring that we work towards making churches places of inclusion and safety for everyone. She has been involved in the early stages of the development of ‘positive working together‘, a Methodist Church approach to working well together in church life in the midst of our varying personalities, backgrounds and experiences.

Contact details:

ruth.yorke@methodist.org.uk

0121 643 6151

Deacon Ruth Yorke
Ruth Yorke (she/her)
Revd Elaine Hutchinson (she/her)

Elaine was inducted at The Church at Carrs Lane on 28 September 2020, having already been based at Carrs Lane for her role as Retail Chaplain in Birmingham City Centre. She joined the team of ministers, adding some church responsibilities (leadership, preaching) to her ministry as retain chaplain.

Contact details

chaplain@carrslane.co.uk

0121 643 6151

Elaine Hutchinson (she/her)
Elders

The church’s leadership team is called the Eldership. With the ministers, elders are trustees with responsibility for the Local Ecumenical Project. There are up to ten elders who are responsible for ensuring the fulfilment of the agreed guiding principles. They also have pastoral oversight of the whole life of the church.

Elders are called by fellow church members to serve on the Eldership. This happens through a process of nomination and authorisation by the Church Meeting. The period of service is three years, but with the possibility of immediate re-election for one further period of up to three years. On completion of their period of service, retiring elders are not eligible for re-election for one year. Their Call is recognised through promise-making and commissioning in worship.

You can contact the elders/trustees by email via clerk@carrslane.co.uk

Tel: 0121 643 6151

Serving Elders (2022)

Carrie Ambler, Elizabeth Cummings, Peter Cummings, Taiwo Makanjuola, Matthew Neville, Michael Richer,  Martin Stokes, Christine Tudor Jones (Church Safeguarding Officer), Peter Woodall (Treasurer).

The Elders’ Meeting has established committees with appropriate delegated authority which include:

  • Finance Committee
  • Worship Consultation
  • Property Oversight
  • Property Mission Group
  • Publicity Group
  • Pastoral Visitors’ Network