Board 2025

In recent years we’ve been discovering who we are as a community and growing our mission to our local parish on Donegall Street. We believe this next phase should build on that, with a focus on sustainability and our board have an important role to play.

We hope to move towards greater financial stability, developing our staff team and increasing income generation through giving, venue hire, grants and fundraising. We also continue the stewardship, investment and potential ownership of our building at 101 Donegall Street.

Structuring ourselves well as a church and charity will enable us to serve our community effectively for years to come.

2024: Review

Partnerships are vital to us and North Belfast Heritage Cluster, with its expertise in heritage sites and strategic planning, has been instrumental in supporting us. Over the past year, they have provided us funding for a Strategic Planning and Governance Review, that has assessed how we as a charity are structured and managed. This review was facilitated by experienced consultant Joe McVey (see FAQs below for Joe’s bio) and has been invaluable in helping our Board reach this stage.

2025> : Sustainability & Growth

The conclusion of the Strategic Planning and Governance Review has led to a number of recommendations and changes that might help us as we move forward. Our Redeemer Senior Leadership Team and Board of Directors have discussed these recommendations and settled on a model that frames governance as the “trellis that supports the vine.”

This involves:

  1. Expanding the size, skills and capacity of our board through appointment new board members

  2. Introducing more structures and systems to provide the necessary support for our ministry and protect and care for our people.

We believe these steps are essential for healthy growth and will serve us as a church well for this next season.

Expanding the Board

The Process

To expand our Board of Directors we propose the following open and transparent process of recruitment for new board members:

  1. Inform – Through this webpage and various Redeemer Family Meetings we aim to highlight the vision and the need for an expanded board, and provide opportunity for our community to discuss and query what is involved in the role.

  2. Discern – We hope and pray that individuals from our community with diverse backgrounds and skill sets will step forward to serve on the Board. We are looking to fill key roles such as Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary as well as those with expertise in areas like HR, law, finance, and architecture.

  3. Recruit – In the first half of 2025 we plan to conduct an informal recruitment process, overseen by an independent consultant Joe McVey (for bio see FAQs below). This process will include written expressions of interest, discussions with existing Board members, and input from members of Redeemer Central. We may also offer prospective members a “shadow” period to explore if the role is a good fit.

  4. Appoint – At the mid point of 2025 we hope to appoint the new Board members and introduce them to the Redeemer Central community.

  5. Support – Ongoing training and support will be provided to the board to ensure it is equipped to serve effectively.

What does a Board Member do?

You probably are wondering what a board member does. To help we’ve put together this PDF that contains info on the role and what is involved.

Joining the Board

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

If you would like to be considered for the role of a voluntary board member please click on ‘expression of interest’ and complete the form.

NOMINATE SOMEONE

If you know a trusted person in the community who would offer experience and skills in the role of a board member you can, with their permission, nominate them for consideration. Click ‘nominate someone’ and complete the form.

OFFER SUPPORT

If you do not feel being a board member is right for you, but you would still like to offer some of your skills and experience to help the new board team, please click on ‘offer support’ and complete the form.

 
 

We’d love to hear from you

If you have any questions or comments about the Community Updates 2025 you can submit them here. Thanks in advance for your participation.

You can also reach out directly to David Armstrong (SLT Team Leader) or Daniel Saunders (Chair of Board) and they would be happy to help. For questions & queries regarding the Redeemer Board Process please speak to Daniel Saunders (Chair of Board) or Joe McVey (Blueprint Development Consultancy) who is helping us with the recruitment process as an independent third party.

 

FAQs

  • You can read more about the current Senior Leadership Team and Board here

  • The North Belfast Heritage Cluster is a group of voluntary organisations that own or care for an historic building in the North Belfast area. Their collective goal is to deliver heritage-led regeneration. This simply means making better use of what people care about – the collection of historic buildings and the real stories connected to them – to support economic and social development in north Belfast. It is about using what’s special about the area to create a more confident sense of place.

    You can find out more about the cluster and those involved here: https://greatplacenorthbelfast.com/about-us/#northbelfastheritagecluster

  • In 2024 Joe McVey led the strategic planning and governance review of the Redeemer Central board and in 2025 he will oversee the expansion of our board process.

    Joe has extensive experience in regeneration and development across local government, private enterprise, and the community sector, with a strong focus on strategic planning, evaluation, and facilitation.

    Before founding Blueprint Development Consultancy, Joe established and led the Economic Development Section within Belfast City Council, Northern Ireland’s largest local authority. He played a key role in developing and implementing policies and strategies in economic development, tourism, arts and culture, and European affairs.

    Joe has also worked internationally as a development consultant in Nigeria, Russia, and Bulgaria. He holds an Honours degree from Queen’s University Belfast, along with a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Business Improvement.

    Actively engaged in the voluntary and community sector, Joe currently serves as Chair of Volunteer Now and the Community Arts Partnership and is a Trustee of the Building Change Trust. In June 2015, he was appointed as a Commissioner with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

    In 2010, Joe was awarded an OBE for his services to the voluntary sector.