Vicar - Heywood St Luke and Hopwood St John

Overview

                      Vicar of Heywood, St Luke and Hopwood, St John

Introduction

St Luke Heywood and St John Hopwood

Heywood is a diverse and vibrant town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. The PCCs of St Luke’s and St John’s are looking for a priest who will help them to engage effectively in the town and work together for the common good.

The new priest will help them

• to grow as disciples of Jesus
• to create a sense of team working both in and across the two parishes
• to build relationships with both the primary and secondary C of E schools
• to foster links with the town of Heywood, developing opportunities for mission and service
• to support and encourage the development of joint working across the emerging Heywood and Sudden cluster

Main Responsibilities

Role Description signed off by: The Archdeacon of Rochdale

To be reviewed 6 months after the commencement of appointment

1. Details of Post

Role Title:                              Vicar

Name of benefice:                 Heywood, St Luke and Hopwood, St John

Deanery:                                Heywood and Middleton

Archdeaconry:                        Rochdale

Initial point of contact on Terms of Service: The Archdeacon of Rochdale

2. Role Purpose

General

i. To exercise the cure of souls shared with the bishop in these parishes in

collaboration with your colleagues

ii. 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.

iii. To work to advance the Kingdom of God through servant leadership,

collaboration and example, and with particular regard to the current

diocesan mission priorities

a) for growing churches

b) for increasing giving

c) for serving the wider community

d) for nurturing vocations

e) To share in the wider work of the deanery and diocese as appropriate,

for the building up of the whole Body of Christ

Specific

1. To work with the two PCCs to develop their MAPs and a sense of shared mission and purpose
2. To develop the churches’ profile and role in the town
3. To foster discipleship and spiritual growth within the two churches
4. To develop effective links with the church primary and secondary schools
5. To encourage a sense of team working both in and across the churches

3. Key contacts

Generic

The Wardens and PCCs

The Deanery Chapter, Synod and Mission and Pastoral Committee

The Staff at Church House

Specific

St Luke’s C of E Primary School

Holy Family College (joint RC/CofE Secondary School)

Heywood Town Council and local businesses

Supportive

The Area Dean of Heywood and Middleton         Rev'd Frances Guite

The Archdeacon of Rochdale                               Ven Cherry Vann

The Suffragan Bishop of Middleton                       Rt Rev'd Mark Davies

4. Role context and any other relevant information

The two parishes of St Luke and St John are two of five C of E churches serving the town of Heywood. Future plans see these churches working more closely together, with St Aidan’s Sudden, as a missional community to make new disciples and to serve the communities of Heywood and Sudden. Small steps have been taken to develop areas of joint working with neighbouring parishes, including joint services, a group exploring prayer and a partnership newsletter. The new parish priest will be expected to support, encourage and develop these joint initiatives with energy and enthusiasm.

The Ideal Candidate

Person Specification for the post of Vicar of Heywood and Hopwood

Spirituality and Tradition

Applicants for the post should

1. be Eucharistic in their spirituality
2. be flexible and open to new forms of worship and various forms of music
3. be a person of vision and prayer

Experience and understanding

Applicants should be able to demonstrate the following:

1. experience in helping congregations grow in their discipleship
2. experience of working effectively in C of E schools, including secondary schools
3. experience of town centre ministry
4. an understanding of how to establish a culture of collaborative ministry

Skills and competencies

Applicants should be able to demonstrate:

1. Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
2. Skills in helping to create and shape vision
3. Competence in worship that engages with people of all ages
4. Skills in developing partnership working with local authorities and businesses

General Attributes

Applicants should

1. Have vision and energy
2. Have a pastoral heart
3. Be personable and approachable
4. Be enthusiastic for growth

For more information about this application process, please use this link

About us

DIOCESAN STATEMENT OF NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS

Vicar of Heywood St Luke and Hopwood St John

The Diocese of Manchester extends over most of Greater Manchester and Rossendale and is characterised by the extraordinary diversity of communities and cultures. The vibrancy that this gives to life makes it a joyful and hopeful place to pursue God’s mission. The overall vision of the Diocese is to establish

            A worshipping, growing and transformative Christian presence at the heart of every community

And we firmly believe there is an opportunity to do so at this point on our journey of faith.

Our Mission Goals are to be a “Church for a Different World” which is

• Growing – growing new disciples in missionary church communities which are younger, more diverse, active and spiritually engaged
• Nurturing – increasing vocations, nurturing new and existing disciples, increasing financial giving
• Serving – present for all, speaking and acting prophetically for justice, supporting pastorally especially the vulnerable, deprived and excluded

Guided by this vision, the Diocese is engaged on a process of strategic planning for the future, shaped by our vision to become Church for a Different World. The Fit for Mission programme is the tool by which we seek to make this vision a reality. It is led by a Steering Group that includes the three bishops and others with specific gifts in this area.

The Bishop has to resolve to appoint in the Diocese only clergy who have a clear sense of calling to the particular post and are committed, under God, to the Diocesan vision, and its values, inspiration and goals. We believe that mission and ministry are property undertaken collaboratively, working with neighbouring parishes, specialist and sector ministries, and ecumenical and wider community partners. Clergy will be expected to work collegially with other ordained ministers and lay people to encourage and sustain the wider mission and ministry of the church. Clergy and parishes are expected to undertake a process of “Mission Action Planning”.

Clergy are expected to encourage and enable the gifts and ministries of all God’s people and especially to help individuals explore and possible call to ordination (including Ordained Local Ministry), Reader Ministry or Authorised Lay Ministry.

Education is a major factor in the life of the diocese and its mission to young people. There are almost 200 church schools and a growing number of academies. Unless there is very good reason otherwise, where there is a Church School in the parish the minister of that parish is expected to carry out conscientiously the role of ex officio Governor, as part of a wider ministry in the school, although the minister is encouraged not to act as Chair of Governors. In the case of benefices with several schools no member of the clergy should act as Governor of more than two schools.

We are committed to promoting the well-being of clergy, and in 2018 survey 87% of all the clergy who responded either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, “I enjoy ministry in the Diocese of Manchester.”

It is normal for a priest to have a ministerial interest wider than the benefice itself that take something in the region of 10% of their working time.

Except where required under the terms of the House of Bishops Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests 2014 we are committed to ensuring that the Diocese does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of criteria unrelated to their ability to function as a priest in the benefice.

All ministerial appointments in the Diocese are subject to enhanced DBS Disclosure and we are obliged under the requirements of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to request documentation which will satisfy its requirements of proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

DEANERY

Heywood and Middleton Deanery comprises eight benefices at this point in time and the current thinking is for this to become six in the coming years: three in the Middleton group of churches and three in the Heywood group. The Deanery clergy work well together and have established regular residential times away for sharing, mutual support and resourcing. Vocations are actively fostered and there is a growing number of Authorised Lay Ministers in the Deanery as well as Self-supporting clergy and Readers. 

The two parishes of St Luke and St John are part of a wider, informal, Heywood and Sudden mission partnership with four other churches that are working to develop joint initiatives and the sharing of resources.

The incumbent of St Luke and St John will be expected to build on the links with local businesses and the civic authorities in the town and take a lead in raising the profile of both churches. There is a considerable amount of new housing going up within the benefice, and St Luke’s C of E primary school and the joint RC/C of E Secondary School are prime opportunities for mission.