Hello! We are a newly formed group of parishes who are seeking a flourishing future and want to seek it with you. With your help, we hope to move to a shared vision across our four parishes. We are praying that you are the right person for us and we want to convince you why you should apply for this role.
Each of our churches has a committed congregation who know and love our communities. We want to reach out with Jesus’ love to grow the churches and deepen our spirituality. We are all different, and we hope to preserve that distinctiveness while recognising that we offer more variety and opportunities together for those willing to work with us.
We are in the beautiful countryside between York and Easingwold, known as the Vale of York. The Parish of Alne has churches in Alne, Aldwark and Tollerton supported by one PCC, while the churches in Skelton, Shipton and Newton are a benefice with separate PCCs. Together we minister to twelve villages and hamlets of varying sizes which are close to the River Ouse, the East Coast main railway line and the A19. The city of York is not far away, the market town of Easingwold offers good local amenities and easy road and public transport links.
Agriculture, heritage and tourism are important in our villages, and we have mixed populations of settled long-term residents and more recent arrivals, many of whom are young families, who are largely commuters, wanting traditional village life and community.
What we offer:
- A warm friendly welcome with fellowship, joy and laughter
- Beautiful, well-maintained church buildings
- A broad range of worship styles and music, including a Celtic Café Church and live streaming of Sunday services.
- Support from our PCCs and volunteers and an enthusiastic congregation in all our churches and willingness to come together to share our resources.
- Local ministry support: one PTO and one SSM priest, a lay reader, an ALM and Dedicated administrative assistance.
- A Community Café, “Hot Spot” (a warm place in church with lunch) concerts quiz nights, and events to encourage outreach to the community.
- A changing demographic, with more families moving into the area and a willingness to find ways to engage with them.
- Four Primary Schools that welcome the input from members of the church who share collective worship in school and help us deliver the RE curriculum.
- A clergy house in Skelton with accommodation for family life if required
- Relatively stable finances
We want to:
- Work with people of all ages, but especially the numerous new families
- Create and enact a vision for growth through new initiatives and maximising the use of the church buildings
- Be visible and accessible within our villages
- Encourage prayer and the study of God’s word
- Appreciating the different worshipping styles and needs of the individual congregations yet being united as one strong family.
We are looking for a Rector who is:
- Committed to helping us to grow in faith and expand our reach in each of our communities through inspiring teaching and preaching
- Creative in shaping and driving engaging projects that will attract people of all ages, but especially younger people and families, so that they become more involved and encouraged to contribute their own ideas.
- Nurturing towards our church communities, respecting our traditions and encouraging a wide range of worship styles
- A caring leader with a pastoral heart, who will encourage and inspire their ministry team in living out our faith in our daily lives
- Able to communicate well through a variety of means including social media
- Someone who is flexible, approachable and perceptive; who takes an interest in attending community groups and events.
The Diocese of York
The Diocese of York, led and guided by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, takes in much of North and East Yorkshire. As the largest diocese in England, geographically, the area is very diverse, featuring a multitude of needs and opportunities. This includes the bustling urban centres of York, Hull and Middlesbrough, the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors National Park, and the incomparable Yorkshire Coast; as well as areas of deprivation in some of our urban and smaller rural and coastal communities.
Our mission and ministry relies on thousands of people - lay and ordained, volunteer and paid. Our diocesan teams provide a wide range of support services to our mission and ministry, including lifelong learning for ministry, the care of church buildings, and safeguarding. Together, we are striving to be a people who are ‘Living Christ’s Story’. We want to be a simpler, bolder, humbler church which in its diversity reflects the communities it serves. We are bringing renewed focus and fresh energy to achieving our aims:
- Becoming more like Christ
- Reaching those we currently don't
- Growing in discipleship, influence and numbers
- Transforming our finances and structures
Our approach is aligned with a commitment to the best of our parochial inheritance and to the poorest communities, and to the financial realities we face.
Under current immigration rules, it is not generally possible for us to appoint clergy who are not already eligible to work in the UK.
Appointment is subject to a satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure.
This vacancy is advertised in association with Patrons CPAS
Closing date for applications: Midnight on Sunday 19th May 2024
Interviews: the afternoon of Tuesday 11th into Wednesday 12th June 2024
For further details and to apply CLICK HERE