Rector of Much Woolton St Peter

Overview

St Peter’s is a lively evangelical church, with an electoral roll of 350. 

We are looking for a Rector who shares our desire to discern and embrace God’s vision for our church. S/he will be passionate about God and the Gospel; share our passion to build God’s kingdom in Woolton and beyond; nurture whole-life discipleship; minister to our all-age congregation; reach out to the community through the Hub; and embrace the many opportunities that being the parish church brings. 

We can offer you: a single church with an active community centre, in an attractive village/suburb setting, with a large all-age congregation and a great team of lay ministers, volunteers and staff. Buildings and finances are all in good order.

Is this the move you have been looking for? 

Woolton was incorporated into Liverpool in 1913 but there remains a strong village identity and a sense of local civic pride and belonging. Woolton is generally considered to be a desirable place to live with many amenities for all ages. It has excellent transport links with regular bus services and rail stations close by.

The Deanery of Liverpool South is currently embarking on the Diocesan ‘Fit For Mission’ process, aiming to make our structures work for us well and sustainably for the future as we work together in mission. You would be joining at a good time to be involved in leading and shaping this new way forward for our Deanery.

The rectory is a short walk from the Church, on Church Road, a desirable place to live. It is a spacious and comfortable four bed detached house built in the 1960s. There is a good-sized lounge / family room with separate dining room and kitchen and downstairs toilet. A study can be accessed internally or direct from the outside for visitors and is sufficiently separate from the living space to allow for quiet study whilst still allowing for other members of the family to live a normal life. Externally there is a garage, ample parking space, and a private and mature garden of manageable size to the rear.

Short Listing: Tuesday 4th April

Interviews: Monday 24th April

For more information on this vacancy please contact the acting Archdeacon of Liverpool the Revd. Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes on: miranda.threlfall-holmes@liverpool.anglican.org

Main Responsibilities

Some of the Main Responsibilities of this Role include:

• To fully support and encourage the church to participate in the conversations around Fit for Mission.
• Develop a collaboratively coherent vision plan for engaging with the community
• A compassionate use of occasional offices for both mission and caring for the community
• Develop new ministries within the church and community, especially the school.
• Encourage all people to live out their faith in their everyday lives – ‘whole life disciples’.
• Have a heart for children and older members alike, recognising their pastoral needs and strengthening the ministry to all ages and backgrounds.
• To build up, equip and release other leaders encouraging all to develop their skills for God’s work.
• To preach confidently and inspire the congregations.

The Ideal Candidate

Other Responsibilities include:

• Be committed to supporting and encouraging families in their faith through the various groups.
• have effective stewardship including increasing parish income encouraging the church family to be generous with their time, talents and money, looking at stewardship as a fundamental part of discipleship and to understand the realities of church finances
• To ensure that the commitment to safeguarding, along with others (safeguarding officer and the PCC,) is maintained and remains of paramount importance.
• Enhancing and develop the pastoral work and prayer life of the church.
• Supporting the church to work collaboratively with the Deanery including by engagement in chapter and synod.

About us

Being part of the Clergy Team in Liverpool Diocese

For many years we have been working to achieve growth in our diocese. We have used different ways to express this but the aim and direction of travel has remained the same – consistent with the whole of the Church of England. We have articulated a vision for this growth by saying
          we are asking God for a bigger church so that we can make a bigger difference:

                              more people knowing Jesus and more justice in the world.

In our diocesan vision we have identified four priority areas for our work in mission in this season:

Introducing people to God through Jesus Christ

Deepening discipleship, especially by means of our Rule of Life

Developing Christian leaders in every place

Working for justice

Like everyone entering a new role in the Diocese, you will accept the priority of these areas, and will measure your ministry by effectiveness in these areas. You will be supported and expected to be accountable (through the Ministerial Development Review as well as through regular meetings with your colleagues) for how they are being implemented within your area of responsibility.

In common with all clergy in the diocese, you will work together with others to:-

1. Establish a culture of invitation in evangelism within the local church.
2. Start new worshipping communities and maintain existing healthy worshipping communities that are accessible to all.
3. Establish a culture in the local church of expecting a deepening of discipleship and putting into practice the 6 disciplines of the Rule of Life. 
4. Develop prayerfully a strategy for mission and church growth and aligning it with the Diocesan strategy Fit for Mission.
5. Identify, train, release and support new Christian leaders and teams.
6. Encourage vocations by identifying the gifts of others and assisting people to seek God’s calling for their lives.
7. Develop the distinctive ministry of the local Church within the wider context of the Diocese, Deanery and local ecumenical setting by establishing and maintaining good collaborative working relationships with clergy and lay colleagues.
8. Lead your congregations both to pray for justice in the Church and the world and to recognize how, working with others, your congregations can work for more justice in the Church, your local communities, and the world.
9. Ensure that safeguarding, financial and other governance disciplines are followed.