Bishop appoints cathedral's first ecumenical canons

Dr Martyn Atkins and the Reverend Paul Maconochie will be welcomed to the cathedral at a special service early next year.

Ecumenical canons are given their own dedicated seat in Sheffield Cathedral and also become members of the greater Chapter, which meets regularly to discuss the relationship of the cathedral to the city, the diocese and the wider community.

Dr Croft said: "I am delighted that both Martyn and Paul have agreed to make history by becoming the first ecumenical canons of Sheffield Cathedral.

"Martyn is of course a Yorkshireman and this appointment underlines the seriousness of our relationship with the Methodist church, while Paul has great knowledge of our local area and celebrates our contacts with the Baptist church across the diocese. They will both bring particular gifts to the role and I look forward to seeing them from time to time."

Dr Atkins is a Methodist minister, general secretary of the Methodist Church and secretary of the Methodist Conference.

The author of several books, he spent 12 years at Cliff College in the Peak District running postgraduate programmes in mission, evangelism and related subjects and has also completed a PhD in theology.

In earlier appointments he served in Leeds and Shipley as a circuit minister and also as the chaplain and head of religious studies at Edgehill College, a Methodist independent school in Devon.

The Reverend Maconochie, meanwhile, is a Baptist minster and the senior team leader at St Thomas' Philadelphia in Gilpin Street, Sheffield.

He has been involved at St Thomas' since 1992 and is also a founding member of the Order of Mission, a multi-denominational religious order recognised by the Church of England.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Cathedral's revamped website also went live last week and includes features such as a blog and an online shop.

Peter Bradley, dean of Sheffield Cathedral, said: "Our 21st-century cathedral is now available at the click of a mouse."