HOUSE FOR DUTY PRIEST Benefice of Newport Pagnell with Lathbury & Moulsoe The Big Thank You Service for Local Emergency Services 1
Contents 3 Introduction and Mission 4 Mission in our four churches 5 Strengths and Weaknesses 5 Ministry Team 6 Looking to the Future 7 Description of Role - outline Person specification - outline 8 Our Benefice 9 St Peter and St Paul s St Luke s 10 All Saints, Lathbury St Mary s Moulsoe 11 Social Geography, Issues and Concerns, Worship, Occasional Offices 12 Finance, Church Life, Schools & Young People, Choir, Sunday Club 13 Events, Organisation 14 Housing 15 Deanery Information 17 Diocesan Information 18-24 Appendix 1 Role Description 25-26 Appendix 2 Person Specification 2
The Parish of Newport Pagnell is on a journey to becoming more open to mission and ministry within the community. We are seeking a House for Duty priest to join us on that journey and help us realise our vision. We are looking for a priest who is excited at bringing the Gospel to our Benefice in a way that nurtures all that is currently good but will bring new ideas to complement and extend our mission. We want a supporting and positive soul who is motivated by the love of Christ to do what they can to bring heaven to our piece of earth. We will do our best to support and encourage such a priest to reach their own full potential and look forward to growing together spiritually. The following information is an overview of who we are and where we are at presently but with the right House for Duty Priest in place, we shall have exciting times ahead! Mission The Parish of Newport Pagnell has been undergoing a process of change since 2008 from a traditionally minded church community to a church which is more open to mission and ministry within the community. The following four key priorities were set: A Praying church: in public worship and in private and corporate prayer we strive to be a church energised by God's presence and discerning His purposes for our church and community. We are currently exploring how we pray with each other during the week in addition to our prayer circle initiatives. A Welcoming church: an inclusive church where strangers are received as friends; no one is excluded, ignored or forgotten; and everyone feels cared for and at home. A Communicating church: ensuring that people within and without the present church community are aware of our life and activities; always seeking opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ. A Nurturing church: enabling people at every stage of the Christian life - children, young people and adults; seekers, beginners and the committed to have opportunities to discover faith, to grow in faith and deepen Christian discipleship. Using our four priorities we aim to reach out to the unchurched, to put the church at the centre of the community and to introduce people appropriately to the Gospel. 3
Each church within the Benefice is different and has its own distinctive methods of achieving our mission aims: St Peter and St Paul the introduction of Community Services has gone some way to encourage non-regular church goers to attend. Services such as Harvest, Advent, Mothering Sunday are non eucharistic and family friendly and have seen a growth in attendance. Also, a recent Thank You service for all local emergency services was well attended and well received by the town as was the Pause for Thought inter-active exhibition in the period between Ascension and Pentecost. St Luke s is already a well-used church building by the community with many groups using it for a range of activities such as Pre-School, Brownies and dance/fitness classes. Regular Healing Group Meetings attract attendees from across the area from different church denominations. All Saints Lathbury although the village is small the villagers support the church, particularly on festival days and also use the church for special events such as flower and art exhibitions to encourage the strong sense of ownership and fellowship within the village. St Mary s Moulsoe the church is strongly supported by the farming community and Plough Sunday, Rogation and Harvest are all key to the congregation but they are willing and keen to diversify as illustrated by their recent Pet Service. Congregations from all our churches are encouraged to participate in parish bible study groups and prayer initiatives. 4
Strengths and Weaknesses The two more rural churches at Moulsoe and Lathbury have small but dedicated congregations but have seen some church members die or move away from the parish. This has affected the size of the congregations as we struggle to keep numbers up in two small rural villages. When encouraging the congregations to be involved with activities going on at St Luke s and SS Peter and Paul s in Newport town it has to be recognised that Lathbury and Moulsoe are distinct parishes and communities outside Newport Pagnell town itself. It is very positive that both of these congregations are willing to embrace imaginative forms of worship and involvement within their local community village life. The parish church of SS Peter and St Paul is well run in terms of keeping the essential bureaucratic day to day business ticking over. The Parish of Newport Pagnell has a Parish Administrator who works every weekday morning. There is a great need for more spiritual teaching and getting to know each other better and a very small minority are reluctant to fully embrace positive change. Finding ways of reaching out to this group is something of a challenge and we hope that our new House for Duty priest will help us build bridges with those who have found the changes difficult. Happily, the majority of the congregation is on board with the direction that we sense God is leading us. Inward focussed church politics has been disruptive over the last few years but many people are beginning to be more open to the Holy Spirit in worship and to look outward to the community. Ministry Team The Clergy and Lay Ministry team (CaLLM) comprises the Rector, Nick Evans and two LLMs plus another LLM who occasionally helps with evening services. The Benefice is also fortunate to have the assistance of two retired priests who help to cover services. There is also a strong team of lay leaders, who fulfil many different roles across the church communities. The Benefice of Newport Pagnell also operates within the deanery of Newport, which seeks to support ministry in parishes across the deanery by working collaboratively. The Parish of Newport Pagnell works well with the other churches in the town, and is part of Churches Together in Newport Pagnell (CTNP - Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic and URC), which is also committed to working collaboratively in areas of mission. 5
Looking to the Future We are hoping to develop the faith base of the congregations so that they have the confidence to reach out more effectively to the unchurched in the community. There is a good response from local residents we arrange special new family services for the community. This now needs to be steadily built upon since there is much good will towards us from the community. We are also looking at ways of developing the inside of the church building to make it more user friendly for local community groups. This will give us access to new people and encourage people to use their local church as a resource. Examples of this would be using the church for orchestral concerts, mother and toddler groups and other civic events. This is an exciting development which is in an early stage of consultation and research. This enables us to further our mission priorities of welcome, nurture, prayer and communication. 6
Description of Role (see Appendix 1 for more details) In order to realise our vision and priorities, our new House for Duty priest will work in collaboration with the Rector and ministry team in those areas which are considered priorities for the parish namely our mission priorities mentioned earlier. We hope that the particular giftings of the HfD priest will contribute to this. The role involves standard Sunday duties and two flexible working days with appropriate holidays. The role is chiefly: To support and build on the developments being made in the Parish in terms of encouraging outreach to the community with particular emphasis on our key priorities To take a lead in generating ideas as to how to encourage spiritual growth at all age group levels. To share with the Rector the conducting of weddings and baptisms, and other occasional offices, across the benefice. To develop your own talents and gifts as appropriate. Our new House for Duty Vicar We are hoping that our new House for Duty Vicar will be: (see Appendix 2 for more details) enthusiastic, with energy and motivation for working with people of all ages and comfortable with a range of different worship styles. thoughtful, flexible and not afraid to give a view when things are challenging in parish life. appropriately confidential, loyal and committed to working as a supportive colleague for the Rector, ministry team and PCCs. someone with a good sense of humour! someone with a pastor s heart who is inclusive irrespective of race and gender and who recognises the validity of women s ordination. experienced or interested in being involved with other forms of worship and activities that have the potential to inspire children and families to want to connect with the Christian faith. 7
Our Benefice The Parish of Newport Pagnell has two churches, the historic (circa 1320) Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, located at the top of the town s High Street and the daughter church of St Luke s on the western side of the town. The Benefice of Newport Pagnell includes the small parishes of All Saints, Lathbury (population c. 150), which has a monthly service and St Mary s Moulsoe (population c 250), which currently has two services each month. This is an inclusive group of churches regardless of ethnicity, sexuality and social background. 8
St Peter and St Paul s St Peter and St Paul s is the parish church of the Benefice and is used for civic events in north Buckinghamshire. It has 3 services most Sundays; a said communion, a sung Eucharist and a choral Evensong (which once a month is held at St Luke s). In addition, on a Wednesday morning there is a said communion followed by coffee and chat with healing prayer after the service as requested. This has become a very popular service and a good way of getting to know each other better. At the sung Eucharist service, the normal congregation is between 50-100, and there is a Sunday School twice monthly. On certain Sundays (e.g. Mothering Sunday, Father s Day, Harvest, and Advent) the sung Eucharist is replaced by a non-eucharist Community Service and on these festival days St Luke s congregation joins with St Peter and St Paul s for a combined worship. Choral Evensong has an average congregation of about 20 each Sunday, some of whom come from other churches from outside the parish. The church is open every weekday morning for private prayer and for visitors to enjoy the building. St Luke s St. Luke's has a church family of about 30 people, all of whom are regular attendees and so engender a supportive and loving congregation. The church is welcoming with a lively atmosphere and, encouraged by our organist, we sing a mixture of old and modern hymns and sometimes engage the congregation in singing rounds with the choir. We have a Eucharist service every Sunday morning and a joint Evensong together with St Peter and St Paul once a month. We also take part in the Community services such as Harvest and Advent. St. Luke's has been recently redecorated and refurbished with a new floor and new seating. 9
All Saints Lathbury The church offers one service a month. The current arrangement allows a mixture of festival services (harvest, carols, Easter etc) and communion services. The regular Sunday worship is attended by about 14 people on average, but the festival services can attract 50 or more. The villagers very much value the church and have shown great commitment to its preservation, having raised over 60,000 in the last two decades towards its restoration. The church plays an important part in many aspects of village life, and villagers respect the position of the church within the social structure of the village and wish to see it well maintained and available for weddings, baptisms and funerals. Because Lathbury is such a small community the challenge is to make the church appeal across the population whatever people s spiritual backgrounds. The PCC is committed to retaining the identity of All Saints as a rural church serving the needs of Lathbury and acting as a focal point for the village. In the longer term, it is hoped to enhance the involvement of the church in village life through better utilisation of the church premises for various activities. St Mary s Moulsoe Moulsoe lies some four miles from Newport Pagnell and St Mary s church is located right at its heart. At present the church offers two services a month; one being communion and the other a family service. While in many respects a commuter community, the village nevertheless still has four active farms in and around it, representing a long tradition that we aim to reflect in our services. Plough Sunday, Rogation and Harvest are all particularly well attended, along with the other major festivals. A sense of community is important to us and, along with refreshments after every service, we hold traditional events at key points in the year that have an even wider appeal within the village, such as our popular Lent Supper, Summer Lunch and Harvest Supper. 10
Social Geography Newport Pagnell is an historic market town in North Buckinghamshire, in the Diocese of Oxford. It is an historic coaching town, located on the river crossings between Oxford and Cambridge, London and Leicester. The town was famous for lace making, mustard and Aston Martin cars. With the M1 motorway and advent of Milton Keynes New Town, Newport Pagnell has grown to a town of 16,000 people. Despite its growth since the 1970s, the town has maintained a strong sense of community: good primary and secondary schools, easy access to the M1 motorway, London by train, jobs, shopping and leisure facilities in Milton Keynes, and being surrounded by pleasant countryside makes Newport Pagnell a very desirable place for families to live. Most of the children of the people who moved to the town in the 1970s and 80s want to continue living here. Issues and Concerns Over the next few years there will be new housing developments in Newport Pagnell so extra lay and ordained help will become increasingly necessary along with developing ways of ministering into the town s future influx of new residents. We need to find ways of more effectively ministering and being a presence in the town s various annual pageants such as the annual carnival and themed days which are very well attended by the public. It is also important to develop more fully inroads into the five schools in the parish. It is difficult for the Rector to minister effectively to all five schools without help! Worship The benefice has four churches three of which are in close proximity to each other. Two churches are rural with small congregations and have their own PCCs. The worship at all four churches can be described as eucharistically centred (incense at the parish church is not a sign of us being high church!). All the congregations are generally open to new ideas and creativity in worship. As a development from our prayer and nurturing priorities there is a growing healing ministry here so it is important that the candidate for the post supports this exciting area of growth. Occasional offices 2015 2016 2017 Baptism 37 31 27 Weddings 21 18 18 Funerals 34 29 29 (YTD) 11
Finance The parish is solvent and pays its full Parish Share. We support a variety of local and international charities giving 5% of our income annually. We encourage the normal planned giving schemes and when in receipt of specific generous gifts, we use these to support activities that further our mission goals. Expenses incurred during the course of ministry are fully reimbursed. Church Life The Parish has a strong and active Mother s Union which is supportive of the parish goals. There are Discovery Groups (house groups) for adults (about 30 members) and occasional adult Christian initiation groups (confirmation or exploring Christianity). Quarterly baptism preparation meetings are held for the parents of annually forty infant baptisms; and two Marriage Preparation meetings for the current twenty weddings each year. These are all supported currently by the clergy and LLM team, but there is scope for the HfD priest to be involved by providing mentoring and resourcing, as time permits. Schools and Young People There are good relationships with the town s primary schools. The clergy take occasional assemblies and welcome school visits to the parish church. There is also a good secondary school in the town, with scope to develop relationships. The Bridgebuilder trust, based in Milton Keynes (see www.mkbt.org.uk) is active in the schools of the town. One of our local lay leaders is a member of the team providing occasional school assemblies and faith related activities. The Rector is involved in local school assemblies when time permits. There are a number of Scouting and Guiding groups in the town, some of which use St Luke s church and several pre-schools, one of which also uses St Luke s. Choir We have active adult choirs at St Peter and St Paul and also at St Luke s. They are affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music and use their 'Voice for Life' training scheme. The choirs participate individually and collectively at services and also in parish events such as Finding the Nativity when they are our angels! Sunday Club Sunday Club, for children aged 3-12 years, runs through the year on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, except for half-term, Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays. Typical activities include Bible stories, projects and craft activities. There are sometimes additional activities, such as the annual pantomime visit. 12
Events Regular social and fellowship events take place throughout the year such as Harvest Safari Supper, Quiz Nights, Christmas Bazaar, Fuchsia Flower Show, Photographic Exhibitions and Christmas Tree Festival Organisation The Parish of Newport Pagnell consists of St Peter and St Paul s in the town centre and St Luke s which is on the western edge of the town and have a combined PCC. St Mary s Moulsoe and All Saints Lathbury have their own individual PCCs. 13
Housing A four bedroomed, family sized, 1980s detached house is provided for the House for Duty priest. It is adjacent to riverside walks and only a few minutes walk from the Parish Church and High Street. Downstairs accommodation comprises a spacious lounge, a study, kitchen diner, utility and downstairs toilet. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, one of which is ensuite and a family bathroom. There is a garage, off-road parking and an easy to maintain garden. The house had double glazing and is well insulated. It is owned by the parish. In addition to the house, for which Council tax and water rates will be paid by the parish, full expenses of office will be paid. A telephone line and broadband are provided at the house which is paid by the parish, this includes reasonable personal use. The postholder will be responsible for heating, lighting, cleaning and garden upkeep. 14
Deanery Information The Deanery of Newport sits in the north east corner of the Diocese of Oxford and is bounded by deaneries in the dioceses of Peterborough and St Albans. The population of approximately 32,500 is split one third, 10,900 people, across our rural communities with 19 churches, and two thirds, 21,600 people, in our two market towns of Olney and Newport Pagnell with three church buildings. The deanery has 5.5 stipendiary clergy covering 7 benefices, two of which are held in plurality. As part of the Borough of Milton Keynes, there is an increasing demand for the provision of new housing in an area earmarked for major regional housing and employment growth. PLAN:MK, a draft 15 year building programme of 40,000 new homes, contains several proposals, one of which includes the potential creation of two small garden towns within the deanery of up to 20,000 new homes. The deanery will work together with the neighbouring Milton Keynes Deanery to consider an active response to current and future housing developments with informal and formal structural changes, in addition to accommodating the evolving nature of our mission and worshipping communities. The current challenge remains the balancing of areas and churches that are investing and maintaining dynamic growth, alongside those which are struggling to sustain their shrinking church communities. As we respond to this, the deanery continues to explore ways of sharing resources and gifts, with established and new programmes of mission at the local level. As a Group Ministry, the deanery is home to diverse traditions, representing almost the full range of the Anglican spectrum. This is fully respected and reflected in locally held benefice plans for mission, and supported by a strong commitment to shared deanery working wherever there are common interests and needs. These have seen past and ongoing successful joint ventures including: prayer and healing events, after school clubs and youth cafes, schools work, memory clubs, biennial regional children s education events with Scripture Union, holiday bible clubs, mission weekends, lectures, prayer walks, house groups, wedding fairs, Grave Talk events and many others. We believe there is much to build on here for the future. The deanery encourages shared leadership roles, with deanery-wide specialisms and/or roles assisting in the day-to-day operations which includes an established vocations advisor, a marriage surrogate and an officer for retired clergy from amongst the ranks of the Deanery s clergy. A model of formal and informal support exists between priests and benefices with shared ministry addressing mission plans, roles and cover for vacancies, holiday and sickness. This includes mutual support for benefices in terms of filling vacancies and developing sustainable ordained and lay ministry patterns for the future. These are underpinned thorough the encouraging, enabling and releasing of our membership and congregations to minister fully to their communities as part of our living faith and will remain a fundamental and critical element for the next 5-10 years of our Deanery Plan. We are excited by the opportunities and resources here that are so clearly present, and working relationships are friendly and mutually supportive. 15
Our Deanery Chapter meets formally ten times a year and also enjoys gathering socially on an increasingly regular basis! Attendance at Chapter is good and it is hoped that whoever is appointed to serve within the Deanery will take a full part in our shared life. We look forward to working with you. The Revd Canon Gary Ecclestone SSC Area Dean Tim Edwards Lay Chair 16
Diocesan Information The Diocese of Oxford serves the mission of the Church in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The Diocese comprises more than 600 parishes, with over 800 churches, serving a diverse population of more than 2 million people located in all types of settings. Due to the size and complexity of the Diocese, we have three Area Bishops who exercise considerable strategic & pastoral oversight for their Archdeaconries. The Bishop of Buckingham is the Rt Rev d Alan Wilson who has been the Area Bishop since 2003. With the appointment of the new Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, a new common vision is emerging for the Diocese of Oxford The vision addresses what kind of church we are called to be A Christ-like Church. What are the marks of a Christ-like Church? To be the Church of the Beatitudes: Contemplative Compassionate Courageous It also asks what we are therefore called to do together. This is currently a work in progress, but is likely to cover some of the following strategic priorities: Make a difference in the world Support and grow the local church Establish new churches and congregations Serve our schools Renew discipleship and ministry These priorities will be supported centrally by resources, training, conferences, workshops, and much more. The diocese is inviting benefices and their priests to share a vision rather than demanding a response. It wants all its priests to flourish in ministry and to deepen their enjoyment of God. Alongside the emerging diocesan vision, the priorities and principles for the Buckingham Archdeaconry are set out in our Buckingham Mission Action Plan (see http://www.oxford.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/bucks-archdeaconry-plan- 0515.pdf) It is expected that all clergy appointed into the Archdeaconry of Buckingham will want to commit themselves to the Diocesan vision and Archdeaconry MAP and their strategic directions. 17
Appendix 1 ROLE DESCRIPTION SECTION ONE: DETAILS OF POST Role title: Associate Priest for Newport Pagnell Benefice Type of Role: House for Duty Name of benefice: Episcopal area: Benefice of Newport Pagnell with Lathbury and Moulsoe Oxford Deanery: Newport Pagnell Archdeaconry: Buckinghamshire Conditions of Service: Please refer to Statements of Particulars document issued in conjunction with this role description Key contact for Clergy Terms of Archdeacon of Buckinghamshire This role falls within the Clergy Terms of Service formally known as Service: Tenure The Archdeacon of Berkshire is the designated person by the Bishop of Oxford to issue the Statement of Particulars for the post holder. Accountability: Priests share with the Bishop in the oversight of the Church. Whilst, as an office holder, the individual is expected to lead and prioritise work in line with the purpose of the role, they are encouraged to inform the Archdeacon and Churchwardens about any issues exceptional or otherwise that have the potential to affect ongoing delivery of ministry Additional Responsibility: N/A SECTION TWO: CONTEXT Wider Context With the appointment of the new Bishop of Oxford the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft a new common vision is emerging for the Diocese of Oxford The vision addresses what kind of church we are called to be A Christ-like Church. What are the marks of a Christ-like Church? To be the Church of the Beatitudes: Contemplative Compassionate Courageous 18
It also asks what we are therefore called to do together. This is currently a work in progress, but is likely to cover some of the following strategic priorities: Make a difference in the world Support and grow the local church Establish new churches and congregations Serve our schools Renew discipleship and ministry These priorities will be supported centrally by resources, training, conferences, workshops, and much more. The diocese is inviting benefices and their priests to share a vision rather than demanding a response. It wants all its priests to flourish in ministry and to deepen their enjoyment of God. Overall Pattern of Ministry for the Local Context The current incumbent believes in a more hands on approach to ministry than has previously been the case. This affects the current clergy role so that, as clergy, we are now more involved with secular and sacred parish events. In the past there has been a tendency for clergy to largely focus upon only leading services and having a closed rectory style within the benefice. The clergy are now more fruitfully involved in exercising much needed positive leadership and being a presence during parish activities within the church and wider community even if it is helping to put chairs and tables out as a sign of service to others! This has already encouraged a wider variety of people to play a more active role in church life. Encouragement of this process would help us to be more effective as a team in reaching out to those who frequent our busy High Street parish church. SECTION THREE: ROLE PURPOSE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES General: A. To exercise the cure of souls shared with the bishop in the Newport Pagnell benefice in collaboration with colleagues, including the praying together, the administration of the sacraments and preaching B. To have regard to the calling and responsibilities of the clergy (as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Code of Professional Conduct for the Clergy) and other relevant legislation including bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in your care instructing the parishioners in the Christian faith. preparing candidates for baptism and confirmation. 19
diligently visiting the parishioners of the benefice, particularly those who are sick and infirm. providing spiritual counsel and advice. consulting with the Parochial Church Council on matters of general concern and importance to the benefice. bringing the needs of the world before God in intercession calling your hearers to repentance and declaring in Christ's name the absolution and forgiveness of their sins blessing people in God s name preparing people for their death discerning and fostering the gifts of all God s people being faithful in prayer, expectant and watchful for the signs of God s presence, as he reveals his kingdom among us C. To share in the wider work of the deanery and diocese as appropriate, for the building up of the whole Body of Christ Key responsibilities specific to the local situation: Much of the below is basic ministry stuff but there needs to be more of it in this benefice before we can reach out more effectively. Our parish goals about how to be a more loving church have to start with how we treat and communicate with each other. We are wary of placing too many expectations upon a HfD priest who will have limited time to be effectively involved with everything. The key things are outlined below: Mission and Outreach The primary thing within this benefice is to build up the faith and knowledge of the congregation so that they feel more confident about sharing Christianity with others. Having the confidence to appropriately talk about our faith and share with each other would be a big step forward for some of our worshippers. Engaging with this task would be an important part of our ministry as a team. This will enhance our effectiveness at reaching out to grow the faith of the community. Getting people to church through imaginative events and services is something we tend to now do well but we need to consider what it is that we are teaching about God once they are in the pews! We already have the advantage of being in a very public position in the centre of Newport. There is a tendency for many at the parish church to be task orientated rather than mission orientated. 20
As clergy we need to extend more pastoral care to the congregation here. For many years many have been neglected due to previous patterns of ministry in the past. Our primary goal is to do little things well and to grow from there namely teaching people to pray, visiting them more as a sign of our care, identifying their talents and callings, and communicating more effectively with one another. We are involved with establishing prayer weeks and such events during which the church is open for the public and interactive spiritual activities take place. These are the sort of things that any clergy would be expected to be involved with here. Leadership and working collaboratively A willingness to be loyal to the Rector and team in the context of a market town is important and a HfD priest needs to have a good working relationship based on trust and providing a safe relationship in which to let off steam when necessary. Regular staff meetings and reviews with the Rector would be an important part of our sharing, communicating parish needs and feedback together. Also, there are good relationships within the deanery and where time permits for a HfD priest it would be good for mutual support and keeping up with diocesan news by connecting with the Newport Deanery chapter of clergy. There is an expectation that we work together with the lay leaders including LLMs and the wardens supporting each other and enhancing our faith together as pastors and with a sense of the prophetic in terms of our vision for the benefice. Worship and preaching Engaging sermons are an important part of ministry here. Dull sermons are poorly received! Similarly, when ritual happens the congregation appreciates it being done well although the HfD priest will have leeway to be appropriately relaxed and not over formal in the delivery of liturgy. The LLMs and Clergy all play our role across the benefice regarding leading Communion and Evensong worship. This can mean leading and/or preaching at least two services in the benefice on a Sunday. Pastoral Care The HfD priest would be part of a team that visits the housebound with the sacrament. This ministry is shared and is very effective. Our Lay ministers and clergy are all part of a system that is now co-ordinated and report back about specific needs that we or those visited have. The healing ministry during the week is another area that many have been trained for following a recent nine month course during which the theology and practice of healing was explored. Around 35 people attended from across the town s churches. Several people experienced profound emotional and physical healing during this and many are willing to pray together with the public and other congregation members. Members of the public now come for healing during the week. 21
Involvement with conducting weddings and wedding preparation is a key need here along with conducting funeral services and. Given the time constraints of a HfD priest then these tasks would be shared out accordingly with the Rector It is envisaged that the HfD priest would have his/her own pastoral support system too such as a spiritual director outside of our set up. It is important that our clergy are pastorally cared for too! The Rector and team will do all that they can to welcome and care for our new HfD priest. Stewardship and benefice organization The HfD priest would be part of exploring ways of making our four churches work better together as a benefice and sharing our talents and resources more effectively. Personal development and spirituality It would be expected that the HfD priest would have the opportunity for retreats and quiet days in order to grow and be with God. The parish has helped to fund these in the past. We recognise that the HfD priest has limited time available and will need to work out with the Rector the most effective way of ministering here and we can be flexible together in terms of the weekdays which are HfD working days. We will do our best to support any family which the HfD has and this aspect is also a healthy way of providing space for the priest s spirituality to grow. Over time, through reviews, prayer and discussion the talents of the HfD would be discovered and used for the benefit of the Gospel. Other responsibilities Participate in the Bishop s Ministerial Development Review scheme and engage in Continuing Ministerial Development Carry out any other duties and responsibilities as required in line with the benefice needs. Take care for their wellbeing including health and safety and building a good repertoire of spiritual and psychological strategies 22
SECTION FOUR: BENEFICE SUMMARY Benefice: Newport Pagnell with Moulsoe and Lathbury Patron(s): The Bishop and Christchurch College, Oxford ref Lathbury PCCs: SS Peter and Paul combined with St Luke s. Lathbury and Moulsoe have their own PCCs Churchwardens:4Currently 3 across the benefice Ministers: One plus two retired clergy who help on Sundays Benefice paid staff: The Rector and parish administrator Benefice unpaid staff/ volunteers (numbers) 2 LLMs Buildings: 4 Churchyard(s): 3 Church Tradition: Central/eucharistically centred Pastoral Reorganisation proposals: N/A For more detailed information, please refer to the Parish Profile. SECTION FIVE: KEY CONTACTS FOR THE ROLE Generic and specific to the role Groups & committees The PCC(s) Deanery Chapter Deanery Synod Deanery Pastoral Committee Ecumenical Churches Together in Newport Pagnell In the benefice Churchwardens Ministerial Colleagues Support structures Area Dean 23
Area Bishop Archdeacon Staff at The Diocesan Office with key responsibilities for various aspects of supporting SECTION SIX: OTHER This role description is issued alongside and should be read in conjunction with the following documents: The Ordinal The Canons of the Church of England Guidance for the Professional Conduct of Clergy Bishop s Licence Statement of Particulars issued to the office holder on successful appointment Diocesan Clergy Handbook Parish Profile Ministry Action Plans (MAPs) Any objectives discussed and agreed between the post holder and the supervising minister 24
Appendix 2 PERSON SPECIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS/TRAINING Essential Ordained priest within the Church of England. Have satisfactorily completed Initial Ministerial Education Willingness to engage in further training that enhances their pastoral skills within the benefice. EXPERIENCE Essential Engagement with and pastoral support for people of all ages Priestly ministry involving vision setting and working within a team Responsibility in a parish setting with proven people management skills. Our new HfD priest may have particular giftings which lead to specific responsibilities. Desirable Leading mature and relevant all age worship and be comfortable with a range of different worship styles. At ease with a liturgical tradition that is eucharistic but flexible Experience of doing forms of church in creative, engaging and imaginative ways Experience of small rural congregations that are generally reluctant to worship elsewhere within the benefice Active engagement with local schools KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES Essential Ability to preach well in a variety of styles and formats to a broad range of listeners with varying outlooks, ages and understanding Ability to identify and respond to opportunities for mission with individuals and appropriately at civic services and events. Experienced in of or interested in being involved with other forms of worship and activities that have the potential to inspire unchurched children and families to want to connect with the Christian faith. Ability to make and build on links with individuals and community organisations whose involvement with the Church is limited such as orchestras and uniformed organisations 25
Leadership skills including the ability to motivate, inspire and effectively coordinate volunteers Desirable Collaborative working especially with volunteers and other churches GENERAL ATTRIBUTES Essential To be willing to actually talk about God outside of Sunday liturgy in a way that connects our faith with people s lives To be able to pray with the team and parishioners in various settings in and outside church Able to work in sympathy with the Eucharistic tradition of the Benefice An appreciation of the opportunities provided by the Church s place within existing local secular structures and to develop links with those not actively involved in church life Evidence of a deep prayer life and ability to draw on a wide range of spiritual resources Having a pastor s heart who is inclusive irrespective of race and gender Recognises the validity of women s ordination and LLM ministry Be appropriately confidential, loyal and committed to working as a supportive colleague for the Rector, ministry team and PCCs Be thoughtful, flexible and not afraid to give a view when things are challenging in parish life. Have a good sense of humour! Desirable Other An ecumenical outlook and willingness to work with local churches and faith groups We have good ecumenical relations in the town with the Baptists, Methodists, Roman Catholics and the URCs. The church leaders pray together every week and we are involved with a number of joint outreach projects at Christmas, Easter and at other times of the year. An understanding of the ministry of Healing and/or the willingness to become involved A passion for learning and personal development. The ability to work to a Safeguarding Policy. 26