Parson Cross Interim Pioneer Minister

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1 The geographical area Parson Cross Interim Pioneer Minister The interim minister will work in the area encompassed by the geographical parishes of: St Cecilia & St Bernard, Parson Cross St Leonard, Norwood St Paul, Wordsworth Avenue Together these parishes form the S5 Mission Partnership; there is still work to do to incorporate the missional communities in the partnership and to strengthen joint working. The Interim Minister Role in Parson Cross This is the approximate boundary of the 3 parishes combined. The total population is considerable The area is characterised by a high incidence of multiple deprivation, though it also has an increasing number of newly built private properties. It is predominantly residential, though there are shops, including a large Asda. It is served by a number of schools. In addition to the Anglican churches, there are Methodist, Roman Catholic & Pentecostal churches. The Methodists have pioneer presence, including the Parson Cross Initiative (with foodbank, etc.). There is also an Anglican BMO (St Philip s) based at the clergy house in Wordsworth Avenue. We are looking at an initial three-year interim role focused on the following key tasks: To discern the future of St Paul s Wordsworth Avenue To call together, form and equip a small team of people to start a fresh expression of church in the Parson Cross area To build good missional outreach in the community, including schools To work with local leaders and diocesan officers in shaping a permanent pioneer post in the S5 partnership area To work with colleagues in the area to shape and establish the Mission Partnership To build the network of relationships between the existing churches; Anglican, Methodist and the St Philip s missional community

2 Further details on each of the above bullet points: The future of St Paul s The congregation meeting on a Sunday morning has dwindled to very small numbers and, with the strategic decision not to appoint a new Incumbent, the very real questions of sustainability and future viability need to be addressed. With the exception of some work among children, the church remains closed for much of the week and seems to have little impact on its local community currently, with occasional offices also low in number. The Interim Minister will be made priest-in-charge of St Paul s to enable him/her to have authority to work with the congregation towards change. He/she will provide pastoral support and strategic leadership, but will not be expected to simply slot in as de facto Vicar with all the associated expectations. The Interim minister needs to have the capacity and freedom to function in a distinct way, bringing challenge and fresh approaches to mission and ministry across the whole area of the S5 mission partnership. The focus of input here will be to consider how the church needs to change, including its worship content/style, to become relevant and accessible to the community. To call together, form & equip a team to create a Fresh Expression of Church The missional community operating as part of the St Philip s BMO has shown that a fresh approach to church can make an impact in this area and draw people into discipleship. St Philip s had the support of a small group of lay people willing to move into the area to form the core of a new congregation. None of the other neighbouring churches probably has the capacity currently to do this alone. So we envisage the interim minister working to call out from the wider deanery a few people who feel called to work with him/her to start something fresh. It is likely that the initial focus will be on building relationships in the community (the next bullet point) in order to listen to the context and then develop an appropriate fresh expression of church. It will also involve building relationships and the vision for fresh expressions of church with clergy and other partners in the deanery To establish outreach work in local schools/community There are 10 primary and 2 secondary schools in the area. Currently church involvement is limited. Many of the schools in these neighbourhoods have struggled in recent years with considerable stress on staff and governors. Their performance is often well below the city average. This is a significant area of opportunity for an Interim Minister: to develop relationships with local schools to discern and develop mission and ministry opportunities. TARAs (Tenants And Residents Associations), community self-help groups, and a significant number of nursing homes also offer other possible avenues of community engagement.

3 To shape a pioneer post The interim appointment has the very real potential to prepare the ground for a pioneer post that can be viable and fruitful. A key task of the appointed Interim Minister is to scope out this role during the period of their appointment. If the Interim Minister feels called and has the right skills for the on-going role and wishes to be considered for it, they would be encouraged to apply. To work to develop the Mission Partnership A Mission Partnership document was produced when there was a minister at St Paul s Wordsworth Avenue. It represents a useful starting point but it did not include the missional community and there is currently no structure in place to help the churches to develop joint working, either missionally or pastorally. The Diocese is looking to appoint an interim Mission Partnership Development Worker (MPDW) as soon as possible to help with the burden of administration across this partnership. The aim is to free up clergy time for mission and ministry, and to support the process of establishing a formal Mission Partnership. This represents a timely opportunity to develop a much fuller Mission Partnership, with the possibility that the MPDW post could move from an interim to on-going basis. To build relationships with existing churches Fr Keith Ryder-West and the leaders of St Philip s BMO (recently appointed) are listed as key colleagues. The Diocese of Sheffield is committed to building a healthy blended economy of fresh expressions of church working alongside more traditional forms of church. The Interim Minister needs to operate in both these spheres. This will mean finding ways to contribute to the life of the parish churches across the area, possibly in terms of Sunday ministry but certainly in stimulating their missional life. Developing a good working rapport with the current missional community will be essential. Partly this will avoid any sense of competition but more positively there will be much to learn from them and they will be people who really understand the pioneering elements of the work you are trying to develop on the estates. The city of Sheffield has in place a Covenant between Anglican and Methodist churches to work more closely together. This is understood well at strategic level but not always reflected on the ground in local communities. In these communities there has not been much of a link, despite the fact that the Methodists have got some pioneering elements to their strategy. The Interim Minister needs to explore this.

4 Housing The parsonage linked to this post is St Cecilia's Priory (98 Chaucer Close, S5 9QE), a spacious four bedroomed house with a downstairs study extension, two reception rooms and a garage.

5 Role Description Details of Post Role Title: Name of Benefice: Deanery: Archdeaconry: Interim Pioneer Minister The S5 Mission partnership (Benefices of Sheffield St Paul Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield Parson Cross St Cecilia and Sheffield Norwood St Leonard) Ecclesfield Sheffield & Rotherham Role Purpose 1. To exercise the cure of souls in collaboration with the bishop and other licensed clergy in the mission partnership 2. To grow Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in this place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God's world 3. To represent the Church of England in the wider community 4. To support, encourage and resource colleagues in the deanery and diocese, as together we seek to realise our diocesan vision General Responsibilities 1. To fulfill the responsibilities of clergy as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct for the Clergy and other relevant legislation. 2. To watch over yourself. 3. To ensure that a high standard of worship, preaching and pastoral care is offered. 4. To develop the ministry of the laity such that all are using their gifts for the common good and to develop a ministry team. 5. To offer the gospel in a lively and engaging way to those who are outside the church 6. To offer a way for people to explore the Christian gospel for the first time leading to baptism and confirmation. 7. To offer clear pathways for young Christians to grow to maturity as Christian disciples.

6 8. To lead the church in responding to human need by loving service. 9. To participate in diocesan, national and international initiatives to transform unjust structures of society. 10. To seek at all times to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. 11. To encourage Christian stewardship of people s time, money and abilities. 12. To collaborate with Churchwardens to ensure the church building(s) serve the church s wider mission in the community. 13. To seek ecumenical cooperation wherever appropriate and possible. 14. To collaborate with the deanery in mission and ministry and cooperate in the implementation of the deanery plan. 15. To ensure full compliance at all times with the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy. 16. To explore opportunities for pioneer expressions of mission and ministry wherever appropriate and possible. 17. To fulfil the bishops requirement of full engagement with continuing professional development through Leading Well, Continuing Ministerial Development and diocesan events that aim to inspire and equip lay and ordained leaders. Specific Responsibilities 1. To discern the future of St Paul s Wordsworth Avenue in the context of the mission partnership 2. To call together, form and equip a small team of people to identify new mission opportunities and plant (a) fresh expression(s) of church in the Parson Cross Area 3. To build good missional outreach in the community, including schools 4. To work with local leaders and diocesan officers in shaping a permanent pioneer post in the S5 Mission Partnership area 5. To work with colleagues in the area to further develop and establish the S5 Mission Partnership 6. To build a network of relationships between the existing churches: Anglican, Methodist and the St Philip s missional community Key colleagues within the church (local, deanery, diocese and ecumenical) The Bishop of Sheffield and the Bishop of Doncaster The Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham The Area Dean and Lay Chair of the Deanery Chapter, Deanery Synod and Diocesan Synod together with church related groups. Church Wardens Fr Keith Ryder-West at St Cecilia & St Bernard Parson Cross and St Leonard Norwood The leaders of St Philip s BMO and the members of the Wordsworth Avenue Mission House Key partners in the wider community (individuals and organisations) Ecumenical colleagues Schools and Tenants and Residents Associations

7 Statement by the Archdeacon on behalf of the Diocese: The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God s world. As a diocese we are committed to growing a mixed economy church, where good inherited parish ministry works imaginatively alongside pioneer ministry to effectively reach and disciple our everchanging contexts. Mission Partnerships have become key in this strategy, enabling a creative sharing of expertise so as to release resources to invest in new ways of working. This Interim Pioneer Minister post indicates an exciting development in the diocese s ministry to this significantly deprived part of Sheffield. Over the last four years the parishes of Parson Cross, Norwood and Wordsworth Avenue (comprising the S5 Mission Partnership ) have been served by one stipendiary priest working with a self-supporting ordained colleague (who has now moved away) and authorised lay leaders. In addition, the St Philip s BMO Mission House is situated in the parish of St Paul s Wordsworth Avenue, making good use of the Vicarage that wasn t required by the former selfsupporting priest. It is a key concern of this post that a strong partnership is built with this missional community for the good of the whole Parson Cross area. Given the challenges of the surrounding area and the relatively small sizes of the existing congregations, a stipendiary post has been created to work imaginatively with the existing stipendiary parish priest in developing a mixed economy approach to mission and ministry across the whole partnership area. The intention is to appoint a proven pioneer who is energized by the opportunity to plant new ecclesial communities that are contextually rooted in an area of multiple deprivation, giving fresh life and direction to the church s mission in this part of Sheffield. As we have been developing such a role, it has also become increasingly evident that there is also a shorter-term work to be done with the existing congregations, especially that of St Paul s Wordsworth Avenue, to help them better understand contextualized mission and discern the pattern of future ministry in the parish. As such, we have developed this role for an Interim Pioneer, with a specific three-year brief to do this work as well as shape, with others, the longer-term Pioneer role. Given that this Interim post is pioneer focused, there is no reason why the person appointed couldn t then be considered for the permanent post if they are suitable and so desire. As with any pioneer role, there needs to be an element of flexibility in how the ministry develops and so precise expected outcomes need to retain an element of provisionality. However, we would hope that by the end of the three-years a clearer shape for mixed economy mission to the S5 partnership area will have emerged, along with stronger links with the local community and the beginnings of viable and effective fresh expressions of church. If this is a vision that excites you and you are up for a challenge, then the post of Interim Pioneer Minister in the S5 Mission Partnership could be just for you! Review Date: Signature of Office Holder: Date: Signature of Archdeacon: Date:

8 DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD INTERIM PIONEER MINISTER THE S5 MISSION PARTNERSHIP (Benefices of Sheffield St Paul Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield Parson Cross St Cecilia and Sheffield Norwood St Leonard) PERSON SPECIFICATION CRITERIA ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Qualifications/Training Theological training to an appropriate level. Ordained Priest in the Church of England Specific pioneer training Driving licence Spirituality and Prayer Life A person who is passionate about their faith and sharing it in the community. Is led by the Holy Spirit and has a firm commitment to prayer. Sympathetic to/comfortable in the informality of missional community and formal Anglican liturgical worship Knowledge Experience Understanding of pioneer ministry & fresh expressions of church Awareness of the ministry challenges areas of multiple deprivation Willingness to learn new skills Proven track record as a pioneer Demonstrable experience of ministry in a variety of traditions Demonstrable experience of leading processes of change A good knowledge of Anglican traditions and willingness to work with them. Experience of working with residents associations and in schools Experience of working collaboratively across a group of churches 1

9 Skills and Abilities Personal Attributes An effective communicator Someone who can build a team; able to develop and inspire and encourage others Someone who will engage with schools, care homes and youth organisations Self-starter / entrepreneur Resilience to work in a challenging environment Passionate about building the church in discipleship, worship and prayer Willingness to work with other churches Approachable and personable with the general public A positive attitude to ecumenical work 2