Associate Vicar St John's, Knutsford and Toft

Introduction

Associate Vicar: St Johns Knutsford and Toft

The United Benefice of St John the Baptist, Knutsford and St John the Evangelist, Toft comprises two neighbouring parishes serving contrasting but complementary communities within Cheshire.

St John the Baptist, Knutsford is the larger parish, situated at the heart of a historic market town with a growing population. The congregation wishes to focus on families and on discipling people of all ages. Toft is a smaller, rural parish, with a close-knit and welcoming congregation.

The shared vision of the benefice is to see people come to a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to grow in Christian maturity through the faithful, systematic exposition of Scripture and intentional discipleship.

Both parishes have petitioned the Bishop of Chester under the House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Presbyters and have passed the 2008 GAFCON Jerusalem Declaration. St John’s, Knutsford is affiliated with the Church Society. 

The Associate Vicar will be canonically licensed by the Bishop of Chester. The post-holder must be a presbyter ordained in the Church of England or another Anglican jurisdiction. Under the terms of the House of Bishops’ Declaration, only male candidates will be considered for this role.

The Associate Vicar will be a full member of the staff team and will share responsibility with the Vicar for the spiritual life, pastoral care, and mission of the benefice. While the role spans the whole benefice, the Associate Vicar will have particular accountability for pastoral care, discipleship and the nurture of families, children, and young people in both parishes.

This is a full-time stipendiary post for a fixed term of five years, with the possibility of renewal by mutual consent. Accommodation in Knutsford is offered in a well maintained and spacious property. 

For a conversation about the post, please feel free to be in touch the Vicar, The Reverend Nigel Atkinson: Nigel.Atkinson@stjohnsknutsford.org.uk, by email in the first instance.

The Bishop of Stockport, The Right Reverend Sam Corley would also be pleased to have a conversation about the role, the parish and the wider diocese: bpstockport@chester.anglican.org. 

Completed application forms (see below) should be returned by email to the Vicar, The Reverend Nigel Atkinson: Nigel.Atkinson@stjohnsknutsford.org.uk, and copied to The Bishop of Stockport:

 bpstockport@chester.anglican.org:

-           Closing date:     Sunday, 8th February 2026

-           Interviews:        Friday, 20th February 2026

The Diocese of Chester will not shortlist candidates unless they can provide an assurance of up-to-date safeguarding training and a valid DBS check for their current post. Candidates are required to submit relevant training certificates with their applications. A fresh Enhanced DBS Disclosure will be required for the successful candidate. 

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, 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.