Perham is known for his work on church worship. He served on the Church of England Liturgical Commission from 1982 to 2001, being one of the principal architects of its Common Worship services. He has lectured and written about worship consistently throughout his ministry. Perham was a member of the House of Lords and of the House of Bishops’ Standing Committee. He served on the working party reviewing the Church of England's teaching on human sexuality. He has been a strong advocate of the role of women in the church as priests and bishops. He was Bishop Protector of the European Province of the Society of St Francis between 2005 and 2014, Chair of the Governing Body of Ripon College, Cuddesdon and of the Retired Clergy Association. He was President of Affirming Catholicism from 2001 to 2014. Within the Diocese of Gloucester, Perham was the president or patron of a number of local organisations, including GARAS, GEAR, Cheltenham YMCA, the Star College and Emmaus Gloucester. He hosted the quarterly "Bishop's Breakfast", which brought together many of the civic and community leaders in the county. He was Pro-Chancellor and Vice-Chair of the Council of the University of Gloucestershire until December 2015. Allegations and retirement In February 2014, Perham announced that he would be retiring as Bishop of Gloucester on 21 November 2014, after 10 years in the position, but in August 2014 he 'stepped back from his ministry' while allegations of sexual abuse in the 1980s were investigated. Perham received widespread support and affirmation throughout this time, from people inside and outside the church and in October 2014 the Metropolitan Police concluded that there were no grounds for action. In May 2015, the Church of England safeguarding committee announced that Perham had been approved to continue ministry in retirement. A farewell service of thanksgiving and celebration to mark Perham's time as Bishop of Gloucester took place at Gloucester Cathedral on 13 June 2015 after having been postponed because of the allegations. Over 1000 people attended. He discussed his long ministry, and the effects of the false allegations, in an interview with the BBC's Richard Atkins in June 2015. In the General Synod that July the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered a tribute to Perham's ministry; it received a prolonged standing ovation. The Church Times reported, on 17 July 2015, that the archbishop was "glad to thank Bishop Perham wholeheartedly for his ministry