The Post
We have two friendly and supportive congregations at St Alban's and St Oswald's who are looking forward to welcoming a Team Vicar who will help us fulfil the hopes and prayers we have harboured for many years, both for our church families and the wider commun
ity. After a challenging period, we are looking for a priest who will enable us to build a new and exciting vision for our churches, bringing about change and engaging in mission to the people we serve.
Our new Team Vicar will have incumbent status and be the lead priest for the churches of St Alban the Martyr, Cheam and St Oswald, North Cheam (two of the three churches in the Cheam Team Ministry). The Team Vicar will also join in the wider mission and ministry across the whole parish alongside the Team Rector, who is based at St Dunstan’s, Cheam.
The Role
The role of a parish priest can be varied and wide-ranging, but we expect our new Team Vicar to:
Bring a feeling of stability back to worship, mission, and ministry at St Alban’s and St Oswald’s and help the churches to grow in confidence once again;
Be responsible for worship and pastoral care for St Alban’s and St Oswald’s;
Share funeral and marriage ministry across the parish;
Re-establish links with local schools and nurseries, in particular Cheam Park Academy and Cheam Fields Primary, as well as other local organisations;
Work with the Team Rector and wider parish to develop an agenda for change through a new parish-wide vision and Mission Action Plan (MAP);
Implement aspects of the MAP relevant to St Alban’s and St Oswald’s;
Take the lead on some parish-wide elements of the MAP;
Help to deepen relationships between the three team churches and work towards greater collaboration.
The person we are looking for should be:
Someone who has an inclusive understanding of church and faith and be comfortable ministering within a predominantly liberal catholic environment;
An accomplished communicator, who is challenging in their preaching and teaching, making sure that faith is relevant and responsive to the needs of those in the local community;
An organised and efficient time manager, who is able to prioritise commitments clearly, manage expectations, and is prepared to take difficult decisions;
Committed to high quality pastoral care;
Able to work collaboratively with the wider ministry team and people from across the whole parish;
Experienced in vision-building and Mission Action Planning;
Able to balance each church’s individual character whilst fostering a greater sense of common identity and cooperation across the whole parish;
Skilled in encouraging and motivating others as they learn and grow in their faith and nurturing of all aspects of vocation.
It would be desirable for the person we are looking for to have:
A proven track-record of enabling change in either a secular or a parochial context; Experience of building relationships with local authority schools and other institutions;
Interests related to ministry, academic or otherwise, beyond parish life and commitments;
Experience of social outreach and working with charities and other third sector organisations;
Experience of working within a team ministry.
Closing Date for Applications: Wednesday 25th March 2020
Visit to the Parish for shortlisted candidates: By Arrangement
Interviews: Tuesday 7th April 2020
More information about the role, including a full Job Profile and the application process, can be found on the Church of England's Pathways website - please use this link.