Team Rector Designate - Christ our Hope Liverpool (Larger Single Parish)

Introduction

TEAM RECTOR IN A LARGER SINGLE PARISH – a rare opportunity 

We’re recruiting a new kind of Team Rector for a new kind of parish. A place where a large and committed team of clergy and laity work together, released to do the ministry and mission they are called to by the provision of high quality central support services. A place where evangelism and social justice go hand in hand. A place where team is real – where everyone knows themselves to be mutually supported and mutually accountable, across church tradition and local boundaries. This needs a loving, prayerful, inspiring and wise leader. Could God be calling you here?

In 2022, West Derby Deanery was one of the first deaneries in the Diocese of Liverpool to commit to the Fit for Mission programme, a locally led transformation project aimed at making better provision for sustainable mission and ministry. In the deanery there are 10 churches, from a variety of church traditions and serving a variety of different communities, which have come together to become a new single parish, resourced by a team ministry with 7 team vicars, plus curates, readers and Support Services staff. The Parish Operations and Enterprise Manager and Support Services Team offer support from the centre, resourcing churches, freeing up time and energy for local mission and ministry. After a period of 2 years working ‘as if’, pastoral reorganisation was completed in March 2025. 

The Parish of Christ our Hope includes large swathes of varied housing, in communities on either side of an approximately 3-mile stretch of Queens Drive (A5058) Liverpool, from Norris Green to Childwall. The 2018 census recorded a total population of 90,492 living in 37,306 households across an area of 7.82miles. According to the Index for Multiple Deprivation, of the 10 original parishes, 3 are in the most deprived 1%, 5 in the most deprived 5% and just two are outside of the deprivation figures. Whilst there is growing diversity in terms of ethnicity, statistics reveal a largely white population, with statistics ranging from 92.5 to 97.1%, and Christianity is the recorded faith of between 75 and 83.2% of the population.  Included in the parish are Victorian terraces, many post-war outer estates, and some areas of suburban development, including an estate built in the 1980s.  

Becoming fitter and stronger to do God’s work is not about becoming a homogenised group, but is about embracing our locality and rich diversity, supporting each other as we work towards our missional priorities, tackle key challenges, and grow closer together as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Team Rector is the leader of this clergy team, chair of the PCC, and has oversight of mission and ministry across the whole parish. 

The Team Rector is not currently associated with any particular church or worshipping community. In these early years of COHL, we have been able to release the Rector to have capacity to manage the change and help to reset our culture and missional priorities. Going forward, the aim is for the Rector to focus on our missional vision across the whole parish. At times, the Rector may need to offer additional support when there is a team vicar vacancy, or going forward, may also want to shape the Rector role to include local leadership in one of our churches or worshipping communities. 

These are early days for this role, and it is being developed in changeable times in the Church of England. The role of the Rector is to lead in these times, shaping the parish and the resources available to it, to best serve the mission of God across Christ our Hope Liverpool.  We value diversity in unity and encourage each worship community to act locally as we support centrally. The Team Rector plays a key role in supporting centrally, to resource and strengthen each church and worshipping community to act locally.

This Role Description should be read in conjunction with the Parish Profile.

Key Priorities and responsibilities include: 

• Leading the whole parish in an intentional missional focus on (a) Mission and discipleship planning (b) Growing and maturing the giving base (c) Stewarding our buildings and other assets for new income       

• Further embedding a culture of clergy accountability and systems to make accountability and support real. 

• Supporting, mentoring and managing team members leading in different areas of mission, discipleship and evangelism, and social justice (“portfolio working”) to build and share expertise. 

• Development of lay ministry, including programmes to develop and support lay people in missional leadership

• Enabling and supporting the establishment of the Youth and Children’s Hub (funded for 3-4 years, beginning 2026). 

• Knowing the people of the parish through worship, meetings, and developing a cohesive approach across multiple churches. 

• Ensuring we get the right buildings (including churches and halls etc) – which we will need to develop, maintain, close etc and a viable plan to do so sustainably. 

• Developing financial sustainability and accountability, prioritising enterprise to resource mission, supporting local decision-making and budgeting. 

• Further developing the Support Services Hub to equip COHL and to offer support to all parishes within West Derby Deanery.

Housing

This is a full time post on common tenure terms and conditions. Housing will be provided for the better performance of the postholders duties. 

The house designated for this post is Holy Spirit Vicarage, Dovecot Road, L14 7QJ. This is a modern detached property set back from the road with lawns and driveway, with a private enclosed garden. 

There are 3 downstairs reception rooms, kitchen, utility room, WC, and upstairs 4 bedrooms and a family bathroom. It is situated opposite a convenient parade of shops. 

(It is worth noting that the church around the corner has now been closed and sold, so there would be no sense of ongoing responsibility for this building).

A video walk through of this house can be viewed here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1tzlUGhQuk

Closing Date:         1st March 

Interview Dates:    24th March

For more information please contact: Ven Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes. 
Archdeacon of Liverpool. Email: miranda.threlfall-holmes@liverpool.anglican.org 

If you are interested in learning more about our Larger Single Parishes, please speak to our Archdeacons who would be happy to share any information or visit our website: Larger Single Parishes - Diocese of Liverpool

We are continuing our work to actively increase the diversity of those working in the diocese and in pursuit of that we are using anonymous shortlisting.