Parish Profile Introduction The Church of the Good Shepherd is an evangelical, charismatic church that is part of Portsmouth Diocese as well as the New Wine Network. The parish has about 4000 people living within its boundaries and the church seeks to serve the community as the basis of its outreach and evangelism. The parish is in the deanery of Havant, and is part of a partnership of Anglican parishes (5 including us) of St. John's Purbrook; Christchurch Portsdown, St. George's Waterlooville and All Saints Denmead. The Partnership is a diocesan initiative encouraging churches to work closer together to use our resources for mission. Essential to this appointment is the establishment of a cluster consisting of the three parishes of Crookhorn, Portsdown and Purbrook. The newly-appointed priests-in-charge at Crookhorn and Purbrook and the current Vicar of Portsdown will be licensed to minister in all three parishes, with the expectation of equivalent cross-parish involvement of staff and volunteers. All clergy will need to be committed to being part of a common local vision, building collaborative relationships between the parishes and encouraging ministry to be shared and developed throughout the cluster. Crookhorn is quiet estate about 5 miles north of Portsmouth, perched on the top of Portsdown Hill and south of Waterlooville. It is a 50/50 mixture of Council and private housing built in the 1970s. The local community contains a predominantly white British working class cross section of people, of whom the majority are families. In social housing terms, Crookhorn estate is regarded as a very desirable place to live. Community facilities within the parish include a small shopping precinct, one primary school, one 'special needs' school, Southdowns FE College, a doctors surgery and pharmacy, a community centre, Children s centre, two sheltered housing communities for the elderly, a public golf course and a pub. Parish Profile Page 1 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
There are good transport links, with bus routes to Portsmouth and many other areas, easy access to the A3(M) and M27 motorways, and 2 main line railway stations within a couple of miles. The Vicarage is a modern detached, four-bedroom house alongside the church. There is a good-sized study and two small gardens, very convenient for the church with ample parking. Vision & Values We seek to be a loving church that is passionate about reaching our community for Christ and growing people in the purposes of God. We are committed to an outward facing model of church life and to reach out to the parish. Our vision statement is Encountering God: Bringing Transformation, and we aim to see this worked out in individual lives, in our church family, and in our local community. Our Beliefs Over the past few years, we have concentrated on a set of Core Values. The idea is to be growing in all of these values, and for them to define what we seek to be as church. There are some areas that we currently fulfill, and other areas where we have not yet! One word that is not mentioned within the core values is Prayer. We see prayer as the thing that weaves its way through every aspect of these values. They are: Welcome: We believe that everyone matters to God and so they matter to us. Therefore we will be a place where everybody including the hurting, depressed, frustrated and confused can find love, acceptance, help, hope, forgiveness, guidance and encouragement. Mission: We believe that God has commanded us to go and tell the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people. Therefore we are an outward looking church, expressing Jesus in our local area, our country and the world. Giving: We believe that we have received from God greater than we can ever give. Therefore we will choose to sacrificially give our time and resources. Gifts: We believe that every believer has a significant role to play in God s work. Therefore we will aim to help everybody to discover and use the gifts and talents God has given them. Fellowship: We believe that discipleship happens best in small groups. Therefore we meet together to encounter God, support one another and have fun together; encouraging and enabling each other to follow Christ and be transformed into His likeness. Parish Profile Page 2 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
Church Leadership The aim of the leadership structure is to provide clear vision for the church in these times of challenge and opportunity. At present all aspects of church life and vision are overseen by the PCC leadership team, comprising 13 elected members in addition to our assistant curate (SSM), who meet at least every 2 months. The PCC is the single leadership team in the church, with co-ordinators appointed to all aspects of church life. It offers great support to the vicar, to the church and all its activities. The following roles make up the team: Pastoral Co-ordinator Services Co-ordinator Fabric Co-ordinator Deanery Synod Rep Deanery Synod Rep Outreach Co-ordinator Secretary Strategy Co-ordinator Safeguarding Officer Communications Co-ordinator Treasurer Prayer Co-ordinator Ministries Co-ordinator Discipleship Co-ordinator. We consider that our small groups are a key part of church life. All members of CoGS are encouraged to be a committed member of a small group. We currently employ a number of staff: Office Administrator (3 days a week) Book keeper (1 day a week) Children s worker (0-11's) (1/2 time) Catering manager (2 days) Assistant Catering manager (2 days) Each of these staff have regular meetings with their PCC Co-ordinator, and take responsibility for key areas of church life. (more info on website: www.cogs.org.uk). Buildings & Facilities Our building was constructed in 1978 as a multi-purpose, adaptable centre. It has been extended a couple of times, and the capacity of the main hall / Parish Profile Page 3 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
worship area is 250. The church has excellent new toilets (including disabled), kids/youth areas, office, storage, Kitchen, Café Lounge and prayer / quiet room. The building is used every day of the week for a variety of church & community activities. The main hall is a very flexible worship area with a sunken baptistery for immersions. Finances Annual income in 2012 was 130,000. We have always managed to pay our full commitments to staff, diocese and fabric. We are committed to giving away at least 10% of all we receive and support a number of different individuals & organizations in the UK and abroad. Last year's accounts are appended. The PCC are keen to pay all reasonable expenses incurred by the incumbent. These are normally paid monthly, in arrears. Including books & materials relevant to ministry and cover expenses for conferences and retreats. Worship We have an informal and outsider-friendly approach to worship seeking to be creative and open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We use mainly modern songs for our musical worship and the small groups are involved in prayers & readings. We use 'thematic' and 'bible' series as a basis for our preaching which is a central part of our church life. There is a large music group, no choir and full video projection. We don't robe for services. Sundays Our main time together is at 10am on a Sunday morning where we average about 160 (adults & kids). We have a Sunday evening service at 7pm once a month, with attendance of 30-40. This is currently being relaunched under the title Encounters to be an experiential, open service with the aim of growing the depth, impact and attendance. For three years (to 2011), a communityfocussed Fresh Expressions congregation ( the Gathering ) ran on alternate Sunday evenings, providing a meal and an interactive discussion on God s impact on our everyday lives. Prayer Fundamental to church life we often feel we need to grow more in this area. We have a weekly prayer meeting and there are various individual prayer groups throughout the church that pray for specific areas and needs. Recently, there has been a drive to reinvigorate the prayer life of the church, resulting in a new weekly prayer meeting, the advent of a prophecy group and a week of prayer at the start of a new term. Parish Profile Page 4 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
Outreach We are passionate about reaching out to our local community as well as our friends and family. About 40% of our church family live in the parish and our primary focus has always been on the parish itself. Each small group, for example, 'pastor' two or three roads each and offer prayer & practical support to the residents. Our outreach has been expressed in a number of ways: Community help projects 'Something for Nothing' offering free practical help to local people eg. painting, gardening, clearing rubbish, litter picking etc. Every two or three years we hold a Parish Great give away, like a jumble sale, except that everything is free. This is well supported, both by the donors and the hundreds from the local community who come along. Community Contacts good relations with local pub, community centre, police and schools. Café Trio open 2 days a week as a place to drop in, chat, have a coffee and or a meal. Toddlers Tuesday & Wednesday groups with over 70 parents & tots. Events designed to specifically underpin Men s ministry and to begin an affiliation to CVM (Christian Vision for Men). Mixed events dinners (e.g. Valentine s), outdoor events (e.g. Harvest) All our initial outreach has led in the past to regular Alpha (and more modern equivalent) courses which have brought a number to faith in Christ. We are also passionate about raising the profile of Men s ministry and recognise this to be a key factor in introducing new families to the church. Discipleship We are a church which is committed to helping our people become fully devoted followers of Christ applying biblical principles to their daily lives. Small Groups these are fundamental to our church life. At present we have 170 adults in 14 small groups. In addition to the usual discipleship activity these groups help with Sunday duties. We also have a number of small groups for our young people. A number of the Small Groups have run, or plan to run, the Freedom in Christ course. HTB Marriage courses; run over ten weeks. These have proved very popular and really useful in the past for newlyweds, those intending to marry and many who have been married for many years. The people running these courses have also visited Uganda and Pakistan to run hugely successful marriage course there. We have also run two successful courses in the parish based on the Laugh Your Way to a Successful Parish Profile Page 5 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
Marriage videos. 'Toolkits' courses on various areas of discipleship / men's / women's ministries. Prayer Ministry used in services for prayer & healing. Children / Youth Our aim for the next generations is to prepare our children to make a difference for Christ in their lives now and in the future. We have invested heavily in this area with a lot of help from lay assistants and children's workers. Sundays groups for kids aged 0 to 14 (around 70 Involved in this) Crèche (0-2 years) Little Gems (3-4 years) Rock Solid Juniors (RSJ's) (5-11 years) Yfront! (11-14 years) Midweek Micro-Fusion (5-7 years) Fusion (7-11 years) N:gage (11-18 years) midweek, Christian / not-yet-christian mix Schools work very involved in local primary and secondary schools & Southdowns College. 'Funky Fish' Puppets team used in church & schools. SWOT Analysis The findings of a previous Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis undertaken by the church leadership are as follows: Our Strengths Diverse range of gifted, committed people Large Lay involvement, including preaching Worship open and God centred New Leadership Structure Small groups 170 members Generous (10-20% given away) Holistic marriage, parenting, prayer ministry, debt advice The building does not look like a traditional church Our Weaknesses Discipling of new Christians Discipling Men Turnover of new Christians Reducing community impact 18-30's a major gap Communication Parish Profile Page 6 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
Older folk inadequate outreach Small parish Too much is done by too few All-age and evening services poorly attended The building is often not recognised as a church! Our Opportunities Improving church management Good relations with community and schools Improving relationships with local churches Encouraging gifted people in ministry Mentoring Our Threats Lifestyle consumerism Current financial climate Voluntary leaders overstretched Desired attributes for Applicants: Calling - The preferred candidate will: Have a passion for Jesus, Hold firm to the authority of the Bible, Be open to the Holy Spirit, Know clearly that God is calling them to the Good Shepherd. Have a heart for outreach and evangelism especially in relation to a working class setting like Crookhorn. Have a passion for Men s ministry and discipleship. Have a willingness to 'think outside the box' Personal Qualities - The preferred candidate will: Have a close personal relationship with God. Be prayerful in all things, able to discern God's vision and go for it! Be an enabler of people, willing to recognize gifts and ministries in everyone. Be prepared to be real, open and vulnerable. Be able to make the hard decisions. Be quick to apologise for mistakes and swift to put things right. Have a Sense of Humour! Gifts & Skills - The preferred candidate will: Be a person of vision & leadership who can build on what has been established Have experience of managing a combination of paid staff and a large number of volunteer workers Take this congregation of motivated people on to the next stage of their adventure! Parish Profile Page 7 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
Understand small group principles and help us to build a church that has better care, discipleship and able to reach out to the community and friends. Be involved in the development of the children's / youth work in conjunction with the respective teams. Help to release more people into leadership roles in all areas. Be able to teach and preach God's word with authority. Be able to nurture the prophetic and other spiritual gifts within the church. Strategic Thinking in the Deanery of Havant In order to encourage group and partnership working, the Havant Deanery has been divided into three main partnerships. In the Northern Partnership are the parishes of Blendworth, Chalton & Idsworth, Catherington & Clanfield, Cowplain and Hart Plain. The Central Partnership consists of the parishes of Purbrook, Portsdown, Crookhorn, Waterlooville and Denmead. The Central Partnership was created as part of the Havant Strategic Plan to encourage group or partnership working. Although different in church traditions and with a geographical spread there are links that hold the cluster together. One aspect has been the development of the Waterlooville MDA which affects Purbrook, Waterlooville and Denmead parishes. However, the bulk of the development which is coming on-stream much slower than anticipated, is centred in the parish of Southwick. Within the Central Partnership, the PCC at Crookhorn has expressed a desire to work more creatively for the wider church community and to engage more with neighbours. Also The Revd Andy Wilson (Vicar of Portsdown) has expressed an interest in a staffed cluster of Portsdown, Purbrook and Crookhorn working together for mutual benefits. The offers from Portsdown parish and from Crookhorn to work as a cluster are recognised as generous and spirit-led proposals. The current round of appointments therefore includes Appoint 1.0 post to Crookhorn Appoint 0.5 post to Purbrook Portsdown, Crookhorn & Purbrook parishes established as a Cluster Bishop Christopher has expressed the expectation that in order for this arrangement and these appointments to have clarity Parish Profile Page 8 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk
The Parish Profiles to be clear about the emerging expectations and commitments Representatives of all three parishes to play a part in the appointment process/es The formal Statements and Licences to name the parishes of the cluster There to be regular clergy/ministry team/wardens meetings in the cluster Parish Profile Page 9 of 9 www.cogs.org.uk