Rector of The Stottesdon Benefice (House for Duty)

Overview

The Bishop of Hereford, working with the parishes, is seeking to appoint a House for Duty Rector for the parishes of the Stottesdon Benefice (Stottesdon with Farlow, Cleeton St Mary, Silvington, Sidbury, and Middleton Scriven) in the Bridgnorth Deanery of the Diocese of Hereford.

Closing date for applications: 28th February 2024

Parish Visits for shortlisted candidates: 19th March 2024

Interviews: 20th March 2024

For an informal conversation about the parishes and the role, and about life as a member of the clergy in the Diocese of Hereford, please contact the Archdeacon of Ludlow, The Ven Fiona Gibson, 01588 673571 or Fiona.Gibson@hereford.anglican.org.

This post is subject to Enhanced disclosure from the DBS.

Introduction

Thank you for downloading and reading this profile – we’re delighted that you have. The words you will read and the pictures you will see capture the heart of this Benefice of six parishes in the northeast of our diocese. The profile is the fruit of much prayer and hard work and we hope that, as you prayerfully read it, you will sense whether God is calling you to come and serve Christ here among us.

The parishes are in good heart. Following the retirement of their most recent Rector, who was also the Rural Dean of Bridgnorth, the difficult decision has been made to reduce the post from 0.67 to House for Duty, but the parishes have accepted this reality with good grace and a determination to work more collaboratively among themselves and with their new Rector.

We look forward to meeting you!

Main Responsibilities

The role is a flexible and multi-faceted one, working with the PCCs on the following:

+ spiritual and practical leadership of parish congregations and wider communities

+ capacity building  -  guide, lead and develop parish officers and lay leaders

+ work alongside and closely support leaders in our two Primary Schools

+ explore spiritual and numerical growth through community engagement

+ identify and provide or facilitate pastoral care and support to all in need

+ work up an outline, prioritised maintenance plan for Benefice buildings 

+ review and co-ordinate Benefice-wide sustainability/organisation improvements

The Ideal Candidate

We believe that these characteristics will help define our new Rector: 

+  a sense of empathy, humour and humility

+  an understanding of rural traditions and the countryside, or a commitment to learn

+  a caring, prayerful disposition

+  a facilitating rather than a directing leadership style

+  an openness to and advocacy of new ideas and innovation

+  a team player and a team builder in equal measure

About us

Whilst bustling Birmingham and the West Midlands are just 40 miles to the east, the Benefice is in a very ‘different part of the world’ - with the two physically and culturally separated by the River Severn, an ancient boundary which, even today, has few bridges into southern Shropshire. To the west, we are bounded by the Clee Hills (the highest in the county and rugged enough to feature on Hereford’s Mappa Mundi); beyond are the historically much-fought-over Welsh Marches, with imposing castles and lively market towns.

As in many parishes, the rural idyll must be tempered by the realities of rural life in the 21st century, challenges from which our churches are not immune.

We are ready to embrace and meet these challenges, understanding that our new Rector will be House for Duty and so offering us Sundays plus two days (or equivalent) per week.

The Rector will be actively supported by our volunteers and their helpers:

• MINISTRY:  we have a recently-commissioned lay Local Worship Leader and two Wardens who are developing worship-leading skills through the current vacancy. A small cadre of retired clergy from nearby towns have supported the delivery of a modified pattern of Sunday services – and they seem likely to be available as we move forward.
   
• ORGANISATION:  managing vacancy clergy cover, and this recruitment process, has challenged the PCCs to work more collaboratively and several new Officer-volunteers have come forward to support this very welcome development.  A facilitated ‘core team’, drawn from each PCC, has been formed to drive the Parish Profile process. 
   
• PCC members have grown, through the Vacancy Consultation process, in their appreciation and understanding of the shared financial and existential challenges facing the Benefice as an entity.