Vicar for the Parish of St Paul's with St Mary's, Wooburn Green, Deanery of Wycombe

Overview

St Paul’s is an active parish church about 30 miles west of London in a pleasant ‘commuter belt’ community.  We are praying for a new leader who can move us from being a Welcoming Church to being an Inviting Church.

Introduction

Our vision is:

 ‘To grow together in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ sharing his truth and blessings’

Having spent time looking at our missional aims, and the opportunities we have to live this vision in our church and beyond, we have split this into three key areas, Spiritual & Fellowship Growth, Congregational Growth and Giving Growth. This has driven all the plans we have put in place and also aligns with the Diocesan vision to be a more contemplative, compassionate and courageous church.

Over the past few years our ministry has focused on two main areas –

• All member ministry
• A ministry of welcome

Our church is a relaxed, friendly and growing Christian community, we do not take ourselves too seriously and enjoy being in each other’s company for both worship and fellowship.   While we do not currently robe for services, we do cherish the church traditions. We place great value on liturgy, following the lectionary each week, and singing a mixture of traditional hymns and more recent worship songs with our worship band. Visiting clergy have described our congregation as ‘being vibrant’ and we have a wide range of ages attending.

Main Responsibilities

We are seeking someone who can work with us, and help us as we –

• Look for new and innovative ways to Invite in people of all ages who do not currently worship with us,
• Look for new and exciting ways to Invite current members of our church into a deeper relationship with God,
• Look for new and exhilarating ways to Invite the Holy Spirit to inspire us and move within our church family.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who –

• Can support and mentor continued growth in our lay ministry
• Is compassionate and approachable and values all ages and backgrounds
• Is keen to engage with the local community, churches and schools
• has a good sense of humour – we don’t take ourselves too seriously
• Who is an enthusiastic and engaging leader, who sees us just as we are, is excited by us and can see a way to take us further

About us

We have many strengths to offer, including –

• A warm, friendly and supportive congregation, who welcome all ages and backgrounds
• A strong sense of All-Member ministry and lay involvement
• An active children’s ministry led by a dedicated group of parents
• A desire to see the God’s work growing in Wooburn
• An experienced Parish Administrator, Churchwardens and PCC members who are ready and waiting to support our new leader
• Excellent transport links to London and the Thames Valley and Chiltern Hills countryside on the doorstep.
• A four-bedroom vicarage about ½ mile from the church with views over open countryside.

To get to know us in more detail, please download and read our full Parish Profile.

For an informal conversation about the role please contact the Archdeacon of Buckingham, the Venerable Guy Elsmore.

Email: archdeacon.buckingham@oxford.org or telephone 01865 208266

Closing Date for applications: Thursday 12 November 2020
Interviews:  Thursday 3 December 2020

Enhanced DBS dicslosure required.