Priest in Charge of St John’s Bowling
ROLE DESCRIPTION
1 Details of post
Role title (as on licence): Priest in Charge of St John’s Bowling
Name of benefices:St John’s Bowling
Episcopal area:The Episcopal Area of Bradford
Archdeaconry:Archdeaconry of Bradford
Deanery:Inner Bradford
Initial point of contact on terms of service:Archdeacon of Bradford
2 Role Purpose
General
To build up the Kingdom of God in Bowlingby
helping to lead the congregation into growth in depth of discipleship, in numbers and in service to their local communities
creatively developing links with local communitiesso that the church becomes increasingly a sign of God’s love to all those who live in the parish;
leading in ministry and mission to the wider community, developing outreach strategies to create opportunities for individuals to discover God’s love for them and choose to become followers of Jesus Christ;
discovering opportunities to work with the people of Bowling, of any faith and none for the ‘common good’ of the local neighbourhood as a whole.
undertaking parish priest duties including conducting funerals, weddings, baptisms and other occasional offices.
leading in pastoral care, teaching, nurturing faith and the planning and leading of worship and preaching.
leading in ministry to all, from the elderly to young families and children.
continuing and developing the productive partnership with the local primary schools and secondary school, and Bradford Academy and Bradford Forster Academy in particular.
exploring new informal styles of worship and communication, making use of modern media techniques.
encouraging lay ministry and the participation of our congregation in leading elements of worship and service.
leading the administration of the parish and undertaking any other reasonable duties as appropriate.
Specific
The person appointed will:
1. Be the priest who will facilitate with other leaders the identification of God’s vision for ministry and mission in Bowlingand, more widely, in Bradford, building upon the experience and achievements so far.
2. With others, ensure St John’s church continues to see its responsibility to grow by inviting others to become followers of Jesus Christ and develop as his disciples.
3. Working with others, keep the bigger horizon in view, and see the churches in Bowlingand more widely in Bradford as instruments of the Kingdom of God, led by the Holy Spirit to be both servants of the community alongside other agencies whilst also bringing a prophetic voice to the church and community.
4. Be the senior leader at St John’s, leading the ministerial team and being responsible for the support and encouragement of the able and experienced lay leadership in the church so that all can make their contribution to the wider mission and ministry of the church.
5.Be the Training Incumbent for any curate deployed to the parish.
6. Be the line manager for the Hub Co-ordinator.
7. Foster creative and supportive links with the adjoining parishes of St Stephen’s Bowling and St Matthew’s Bankfoot, enabling these churches to work well together in mission and ministry.
8. Support the work of those partner charities with historic links with St John’s (namely BD4 Community Trust and Olive Branch Trust).
3 Key Working Relationships
Generic
Colleagues, both clergy and lay.
Churchwardens
PCC
Specific
Vicar of St Stephen’s Bowling / St Matthew’s Bankfoot
Ministers of other churches in the area and (more widely) Bradford
Future
Local councillors and other civic leaders
Head teachers of schools
Leaders of other religiouscommunities
Supportive:
- The Area Dean
- The Archdeacon of Bradford
- The Bishop of Bradford
- The Diocesan CME officer
- The Bishop’s Advisers in Evangelism
- Leading your Church into Growth (the course and mentoring)
- Human ResourcesManager,Diocesan Office
- Clergy Counselling Support
4 Archdeacon’s Comment
Our vision as the Diocese is about confident clergy equipping confident Christians to live and tell the good news of Jesus Christ. For all of our appointments we are seeking clergy who have a joyful and confident faith which has inspired a track record of church growth.
This appointment is to a parish with a significant track record of mission in less promising contexts and planting of new congregations. In the 29 years of the previous incumbent’s ministry, the church has punched above its weight and beyond its parish boundaries. Significant numbers of people from difficult circumstances have come to faith and grown as disciples of Jesus. In particular, the church has given birth to a range of new congregations meeting both in the parish as well as in other challenging parts of Bradford. These carry the St John’s DNA of working well with those whom other churches struggle to reach.
Located to the south of the city centre, the parish is in the top 2% most deprived in the country and, in particular, life expectancy of both men and women is well below the national average. It has large numbers of young people (a quarter are aged 14 or under), and growing ethnic diversity. At the last census 25% of the population were Asian, mostly Muslims of Pakistan heritage, and numbers of people from Eastern Europe can be expected to have increased since then.
Recent developments have seen further improvements in the church buildings, including the creation of a community hub as a better base for ministry to the neighbourhood. The two Church of England academies in the parish (the all-through Bradford Academy and the newly-opened Bradford Forster Academy for secondary age pupils) both offer excellent opportunities to engage with young people and families.
There is a particular need to be an energetic, resilient and confident leader who can work with the people of St John’s to continue their growth in numbers and discipleship. There is also a need to work creatively and collaboratively with other nearby parishes, and in particular with St Stephen’s Bowling and St Matthew’s Bankfoot and their incumbent. There is a great deal of experience of good urban ministry and mission practice in St John’s and St Stephen’s, and both parishes should be able to benefit from sharing that with each other.
The new Deanery of Inner Bradford is comprised of parishes similar to St John’s, most of whom are experimenting with new patterns of mission and ministry as they grapple with what it means to be the Church of England in the presence of large Muslim populations. The new priest-in-charge will therefore find a group of creative and supportive colleagues in the Deanery chapter, all of whom will be deeply familiar with the joys and challenges that each other faces. Hence the new priest-in-charge of St John’s will be expected to work with a spirit of generosity in sharing wisdom and insights about ministry within the Deanery of Inner Bradford, across the Episcopal Area and Diocese of Leeds, and also nationally.
Leading your Church into Growth (LYCiG) and Jesus Shaped People (JSP) are two excellent initiatives born in the Bradford Episcopal Area and now adopted in other Dioceses. They have enabled church growth and developed confidence in congregations. Experienced mentors and training are available to new incumbents to make the most of LYCiG and JSP.