Full-time Incumbent St Barnabas, Crewe

Introduction

Full-Time Incumbent of St Barnabas, Crewe

In consultation with the Bishop of Beverley, the Bishop of Chester is seeking to appoint a full-time incumbent to the parish of St. Barnabas, Crewe.

St Barnabas’s is a parish of the Society of St. Wilfrid and St. Hilda and is seeking to appoint a male priest who is dedicated to the continuation of the Catholic tradition which has been well established in the parish for many years.

The parish are praying for a priest who is committed to developing mission across the parish, with an emphasis on the centrality of the Mass as the source and foundation of all their mission and ministry in Christ’s name.

The focus of mission in the parish is:

• To build upon and develop the foundations laid over many years by the long-serving and dedicated former incumbent.
• To reach out to the 13,000 people who live in the parish, spreading the word and teachings of Christ in a way that enables the Church and parish to grow and flourish in God’s name.
• To establish new links with the two primary schools within the parish.
• To maintain and grow the parish’s involvement within the deanery.

The parish is praying for a priest who will:

• Encourage all of the laity to participate fully in the Church ministry.
• Empower the laity to recognise their talents and to live out their faith in their everyday lives.
• Have a demonstrable commitment to fostering a strong and effective safeguarding culture in the parish, who will work closely with the Safeguarding Officer & Wardens to maintain a safe place to worship, meet and pray for all.
• Develop close links with other Christian bodies and other faiths in the town, while firmly maintaining our Catholic tradition.
• Nurture young people in the faith,
• Above all, be mission-centred.

Might God be calling you to this role?

In the long-term, accommodation will be offered in the vicarage next to the Church.  While the vicarage is redeveloped, housing that reflects the needs of whomever is appointed will be provided elsewhere in Crewe.

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. The Bishop of Beverley, The Right Reverend Stephen Race, would also be pleased to have a conversation about the role and the parish: stephen@seeofbeverley.org.uk

Please apply using the Diocesan application form which can be found here:

Full-time incumbent St Barnabas, Crewe

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 for applications:     9am Tuesday 26^th August

Shortlisting:                              Thursday 28^th August

Interviews:                               Friday 12^th September

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.