Diocese of Worcester Stewardship Officer Application pack

Diocese of Worcester Stewardship Officer Application pack

Welcome to the Diocese Jonathan Kimber, Director of Ministry and Discipleship: Bishop John: Thank you for showing interest in this post. I believe it to be a one full of potential at a creative moment in a diocese where exciting things are happening. This is an exciting diocese, and post, because; we are developing creative new patterns of ministry in these changing times: though there are fewer stipendiary clergy than in the recent past there are now more people offering licensed and authorised lay ministry than ever before; we have a dynamic and mission minded Bishop s Staff team committed to working with lay and ordained colleagues throughout the Diocese to join in God s mission; differences in churchmanship are not divisive in a diocese which has a genuine family feel to it; we are implementing, after much reflection and consultation, an imaginative Kingdom People vision which seeks to envision our people in their core task of proclaiming the Kingdom; the 5th Kingdom People characteristic is Devoted to growing deeply in discipleship, offering our time and talents and money to God." what s more, stewardship is one of four key areas which we will prioritise in the coming years, within our Kingdom people vision; We want to appoint as Stewardship Officer someone who will; share our passion for a generous and hospitable Church, rooted in the scriptures, open to the Spirit, steeped in prayer and worship, with a heart for mission; bring energy, insight and wisdom to the task of growing further a culture of committed generosity across the churches of the diocese; see and communicate Christian stewardship as an integral part and privilege of a life of discipleship; be an effective and proven initiator and team player, ready to collaborate with others in all aspects of ministry; care deeply about her/his own continuing vocation and be passionate about encouraging others in theirs; bring skills and passion in areas we have not yet imagined. It follows, of course, that the Stewardship Officer will need to be a person of faith, imagination and resilience, with a vision for the future of the Church and its ministry in this time of change. S/he will need a deep faith, a passion for mission, a strategic mind, an instinct for collaborative work and a love for people. Such a person will find this post stimulating and fruitful and will be happy in a diocese where we are wanting to play our part more effectively with God s mission, for the sake of the Kingdom and the gospel.

Role and responsibilities The Stewardship Officer is accountable to the Director of Ministry and Discipleship, and a member of the Ministry and Discipleship Team. S/he will also liaise closely with the Diocesan Secretary, the Assistant Diocesan Secretary, and the Archdeacons of Dudley and Worcester in discerning and deciding priority areas of work. This post is a crucial one in fitting the Church for God s mission in the Diocese of Worcester at this point in its history. The area of Stewardship has been identified as one of four key priorities over the coming years, within the diocesan Kingdom People Vision (see page 6). Stewardship is an integral part of the call of Christ to live as his disciples. Stewardship encompasses our time, our strengths and weaknesses, our relationship with the whole created order, and our handling of our financial resources. The Stewardship Officer will focus especially on finance, but with this emphasis deeply embedded in, and arising from, a much broader vision of living as Christ s disciples. The three other areas identified as key priorities are: discipleship, buildings, and engagement with children and young people. All four of these priorities interrelate with each other. The Stewardship Officer, through her/his enabling, encouragement and impact, will make a vital contribution both to the fruition of these priorities, and also to the continued flourishing of the mission and ministry of the whole diocese. Main purpose of the role To enable us in the Diocese of Worcester to offer a clear and compelling vision for Christian giving, promoting a culture of generosity, and offering resources to support churches in the development of Christian stewardship. Key tasks: In the context of our Kingdom People Vision, to: promote a greater understanding of the principles of Christian giving, as one important strand of the diocesan Kingdom People vision, leading to further growth of a culture of generosity; get alongside local churches, in all their diversity, inspiring, equipping and resourcing their financial stewardship both theologically and practically; regularly accept invitations to preach in support of PCC s stewardship programmes, or to encourage them; support and further develop good practice in parish stewardship programmes, through training and consultancy; gather and make accessible a range of effective and appropriate resources that can support and energise a culture of generous giving. This would include the national Giving for Life materials adopted by the Diocesan Synod; play a part in training PCC officers, particularly Treasurers, in developing PCC budgets that are mission focused and aimed at growing the Church; evaluate the national Parish Giving Scheme and report to the Diocesan Mission, Pastoral & Resources Committee on its suitability for use within the Diocese of Worcester. If implemented, lead on its roll out to parishes, and on ongoing support; take the lead in promoting the national Legacy Giving materials; assist in the ongoing promotion of the Parish Buying Scheme to PCCs; engage in local and national networks of stewardship officers, and offer professional advice in this area to the Bishops, Archdeacons and diocesan officers; liaise with Archdeacons and Diocesan Secretary as to priorities for supporting particular PCCs; work with other diocesan officers to complete the implementation of the Fairer Shares system for Parish Share launched in 2015; share with other Ministry and Discipleship Team members in developing the policy and practice of the team, engaging fully throughout the Diocese and with the wider church; continue to engage in their own professional development and spiritual formation

Person Specification General The person appointed will be: a practising Christian, lay or ordained, as an active communicant member, in good standing, of a Church recognised by Churches Together in England, and who will be fully committed to the aims and approach of the Church of England; able and willing to talk on stewardship and generosity during acts of worship (or willing to be trained to do so); empathetic and committed to the Kingdom People process and vision; committed to the importance of Christian giving, and keen to develop their depth of understanding around Christian generosity; someone who is willing and able to relate to and value all traditions in the Church of England; appreciative of the voluntary and vocational nature of those who engage in the Church s mission; prepared and willing to work outside normal office hours, including evenings and week-ends as necessary, for which time off in lieu will be offered. Interpersonal skills and qualities The person appointed will: be an engaging, inspiring and effective trainer and consultant; be able to relate confidently and appropriately to people in a wide range of roles, including congregation members, PCC treasurers, clergy, fellow diocesan officers and senior diocesan staff; tailor their approach as appropriate to the wide variety of settings within the Diocese, including rural multi parish benefices, areas of urban deprivation, and some relatively affluent towns, appreciating that no single approach will fit every context; someone of good self-awareness and emotional intelligence, with broad understanding and sympathy.

Person Specification cont. Management and Experience Administration and skills Communication The person appointed will have: strong oral communication skills: in public presentations, in smaller groups, and in one-to-one discussions excellent written communication skills: in direct communication, in creating stewardship material, and in writing for publicity purposes an ability effectively and persuasively to address and overcome concerns, misgivings and myths about Christian stewardship. The person appointed will: be able to plan strategically, implement plans, motivate others and manage change; be experienced in church or voluntary sector fundraising, ideally including a track record of enabling increased giving in a local church setting; have experience of parish life and organisation in lay and/or ordained roles; be competent and confident at interpreting statistical information on giving and attendance data, backed up with solid financial acumen; be familiar with church life in a range of socio-economic contexts, or willing and able to quickly gain such familiarity; travel regularly, widely and flexibly in both the rural and the urban parts of the Diocese. A current driving licence is essential unless suitable alternative arrangements can be made. The person appointed will: enjoy working in collegial relationships, learning and sharing; be creative, entrepreneurial, energetic and self-starting, but also a collaborative team player; be competent with IT, including the use of software such as Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint; handle their own administrative tasks (the Ministry & Discipleship Team Administrator will provide support on event organisation but not general secretarial support); develop a range of networks, within and beyond the Diocese, as necessary, appropriate and helpful; possess a well-developed capacity to identify key issues, rather than be swamped or distracted by detail.

The Diocese of Worcester The Diocese of Worcester consists of Worcestershire and the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley together with a few parishes in Wolverhampton, Sandwell and northern Gloucestershire. The population of the diocese is approximately 880,000 (Split between 566,500 in Worcestershire and 313,500 in Dudley). There are 172 parishes, 280 churches and 100 Church Schools and we have partnership links with the dioceses of Peru, Morogoro in Tanzania and Magdeburg in Germany. In 2015, the Diocesan Board of Finance has a budget of 8 million. Our Diocesan Synod has adopted an imaginative Kingdom People vision. This is a vision for a Church which enables its people to be: Deeply rooted in prayer and study of the scriptures Renewed and transformed by regular worship Equipped to witness to the gospel of love, compassion, justice and freedom Dedicated to helping children, young people and young adults to belong and be nurtured in faith Devoted to growing deeply in discipleship, offering our time and talents and money to God Resourced and released to minister to others Ready to engage with and serve our community Committed to making our buildings fit for purpose as a spiritual and community resource. The Kingdom People initiative aims to be a gift to the parishes and not an additional burden. It aims to provide a framework in which churches might flourish and grow rather than impose a blueprint of how every church should look. In 2015 a clear consensus developed that a primary focus, as we take the Kingdom People vision forwards, should be strengthening our engagement with children and young people. We have therefore begun planning to increase our support for parishes in their work in this area. Kingdom People: calling young disciples is a 1.75 million project that we are launching in 2016. The aim is to yield a significant and sustained increase in the capacity of many churches across the diocese to engage with children and young people, in order to enable them to respond to God s call to be disciples of Jesus. Any church taking seriously the call to engage with children and young people quickly realises that this issue is tied up with many others. While Kingdom People: calling young disciples should be our primary focus, it brings other issues with it, rather than seeming to render them unimportant. In particular, the broad areas of discipleship, of our buildings, and of our stewardship, have also been highlighted through consultation as deserving particular energy and encouragement over the years ahead. This post is being created because of this prioritisation of our stewardship. Ministry There is a broad range of Churchmanship within the Diocese of Worcester. The Diocese has around 120 full-time stipendiary clergy, plus around 40 Nonstipendiary and Ministers in Secular Employment. We are also blessed with a large number of retired clergy, who continue to provide ministry to parishes across our diocese. There is an extensive lay ministry in the diocese with 180 Licensed Lay Ministers (Readers) and a large number of Authorised Lay Ministers, who have completed a year s training course in areas such as worship, children s and youth work, evangelism and parish administration.

Key Relationships Director of Ministry & Discipleship Jonathan Kimber Ministry & Discipleship team members Diocesan Secretary Robert Higham Finance & Gift Aid Team Archdeacons of Dudley & Worcester Nikki Groarke & Robert Jones Communications Officer Sam Setchell

Other information Terms & Conditions a brief outline The Stewardship Officer will have a base in the Diocesan Office in the city centre of Worcester, as well as doing some of their work from home, and spending significant time visiting churches. Salary: 32,785 per annum plus a defined benefit pension scheme which is noncontributory on the part of the postholder. (For a lay or ordained person who is currently in stipendiary ministry with a provided house there would be the option of a house being provided and consequent reduction in salary. For existing members of the Church of England Funded Pension Scheme there would be an option to continue membership.) Hours of work: 35 per week, often involving evening commitments and Sunday work, as well as some Saturdays. The likely general pattern of work on other days will be agreed with the person appointed before taking up the post. A car loan scheme is available. The successful applicant will need to provide proof of right to work in the UK before taking up post. The postholder will be an employee of the Worcester Diocesan Board of Finance Limited. Appointment process Expressions of interest are welcome. They should be addressed to The HR Administrator The Old Palace Deansway Worcester WR1 2JE The HR Administrator will be happy to deal with general enquiries about the post (hradmin@cofeworcester.org.uk) and requests for an application form which should be returned by noon on Thursday 29th September. When completing it please bear in mind what we are looking for and try to give evidence for the things you say about yourself and your work. Tell us something about your motives and priorities in ministry, and explain what you feel you would bring to this post. Applications will be acknowledged by email. Shortlisting will take place on 4th October. Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held on 10th October. Candidates will be asked to give a talk of up to ten minutes on giving, as if to a parish church, having chosen for themselves an appropriate Bible passage or passages. They will also be asked to give a 15 minute presentation on Why Give?, as if to a Deanery Synod. Digital projection equipment will be available.

Ethos Statement The ethos of the Diocese of Worcester is as part of the Church of England within which those who hold licence as ministers are required to affirm their loyalty to the following declaration of inheritance of faith as their inspiration and guidance under God in bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in their care. The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church worshipping the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. In the Diocese of Worcester we have adopted the Kingdom People Vision, for us to be: Deeply rooted in prayer and study of the scriptures Renewed and transformed by regular worship Equipped to witness to the gospel of love, compassion, justice and freedom Dedicated to helping children, young people and young adults to belong and be nurtured in faith Devoted to growing deeply in discipleship, offering our time and talents and money to God Resourced and released to minister to others Ready to engage with and serve our community Committed to making our buildings fit for purpose as a spiritual and community resource. as the outworking of our ethos. The Worcester Diocesan Board of Finance Limited is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England (No. 271752) Registered Office at The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester, WR1 2JE. The Board is a Registered Charity No. 247778.