Part-time Incumbent All Saints', Weston and St Mark's, Shavington

Introduction

Part-Time Incumbent of All Saints’ Weston

and St Mark’s Shavington

The two main villages in the parish, Shavington and Weston (2 miles apart), are situated approximately 10 minutes from the centre of Crewe in the South of Cheshire, and lie 30 miles from Chester itself. The hamlets of Gresty, Basford and Chorlton, along with the Wychwood Park and Wychwood Village developments, also lie within the parish boundary. Junction 16 of the M6, and Crewe Railway station, are both a short distance away, providing easy access to all parts of the country.

Historically these has been rural communities, but housebuilding has characterised the recent past. Shavington in particular has grown considerably in recent years, with five new housing estates completed and a further under construction. The population of Weston village and its environs will more than double in the next five years in terms of houses and people. This growth in population provides a challenge to what was until recently a relatively small rural parish. But we are keen to respond to the opportunity!

Our vision can be summarised in our motto ‘Sharing the love of Jesus with all’. We seek to be a Christian community that encourages, facilitates and supports the growth of our Christian Faith.

We pray that, with God’s grace, we will work towards and achieve this goal by:

• Meeting regularly for worship and maintaining our church buildings as welcoming spaces for that purpose in each village.
• Welcoming and being available to all who wish to discover and develop their spiritual life and faith in an atmosphere of friendship and fun.
• Being actively involved as a Christian community in many facets of local community life.
• Developing Lay Ministry - especially pastoral support for the housebound and other members of the community.
• Continuing to strengthen links with the care home in the parish.
• Building on our existing House Groups as informal forums for faith-based discussion.
• Supporting our Children and Families worker and the work they lead.
• Developing our Community Cafés which have become important contact points between the churches and the local community.
• Rebuilding St Mark’s.

We are praying for an incumbent who will:

• Be passionate about their calling and excited about the opportunities for ministry this parish offers.
• Possess a deep, infectious faith and be a skilled communicator in word and deed.
• Provide strong, diplomatic and spiritual leadership, and engage with people of all ages at all levels within the community.
• Recognise, use and develop the skills, talents and energy of our church family and provide support and direction as we seek to live out our faith in our everyday lives.
• Work with us to strengthen our parish: refreshing and guiding our vision.
• Support our Readers and our Children and Families worker in their ministries.
• Have a well-developed sense of humour combined with calmness, empathy and integrity.
• Be able to manage a part-time role by being well organised and willing to delegate to others.
• Have a demonstrable commitment to fostering a strong and effective safeguarding culture in the parish.

We know that this is a tall order, but what better place to develop your skills in ministry than in this incredibly friendly, and supportive parish which is praying for an inspiring leader to journey forwards with us.

Might this be you?

In exchange for working part-time (3.5 days per week plus Sunday morning services) you will receive housing and 50% of a stipend.

Accommodation is currently offered in the four-bedroom vicarage: The Vicarage, 13 Cemetery Road, Weston, Crewe, CW2 5LQ

For a conversation about the post, please feel free to be in touch with The Bishop of Stockport, The Right Reverend Sam Corley, by email in the first instance: bpstockport@chester.anglican.org.

Completed forms should be returned to: deb.toole@chester.anglican.org, and also copied to The Bishop of Stockport: bpstockport@chester.anglican.org.

Closing date:     Wednesday      20^th August 2025 (midnight)      

Shortlisting:      Tuesday            26^th August 2025

Interviews:       Friday               5^th September 2025

The Diocese of Chester will not shortlist any candidate for posts if they cannot provide an assurance of a valid DBS and up to date safeguarding training.

About us:

The Diocese of Chester is in the province of York in the Church of England, part of the global Anglican Communion. For more information about our life, ministry and work please visit our website www.chester.anglican.org  We are linked with the Anglican Church of Melanesia in the Solomon Islands and the Dioceses of Aru and Boga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Diocese covers an area of 1025 square miles, approximately the old Victorian County of Chester, including parts which subsequently became absorbed into Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The Rivers Mersey and Tame approximately delineate the boundary with Liverpool and Manchester. There are areas of dense urban population, mainly in the north, stretching from Birkenhead to East Manchester. There are prosperous suburban regions of West and South Wirral, Chester and south of Manchester, with a mainly rural heartland, bounded by the Derbyshire Pennines and the Welsh Border. The overall population is around 1.6 million.

The Diocesan Bishop is Mark Tanner, Bishop of Birkenhead Julie Conalty and the Bishop of Stockport is Samuel Corley.

The Cathedral for the Diocese is in Chester.

The Diocese is divided into two archdeaconries: 

Chester covering the western half and Macclesfield the eastern, each with nine deaneries. There are 273 parishes, about 100 of which can be described as rural. Compared with many dioceses, there are few teams, and few multi-parish benefices. There are approximately 231 stipendiary clergy. The ministry of Readers and Pastoral Workers is important, with over 400 licensed. The role of self-supporting ministers is increasing, with over 80 in post at present.

Roughly speaking, the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield covers that part of the diocese to the east of the M6, plus the area around Crewe and Nantwich. The Archdeaconry of Chester covers the rest of the diocese to the west of the M6. Each archdeaconry has a broad mix of urban and rural parishes. The Archdeacon of Chester lives in Chester, and the Archdeacon of Macclesfield lives in Congleton. Both now work from Church House, Daresbury.