The Bishop of Buckingham and Eton College wish to appoint a Rector to the United Benefice of Farnham Royal with Hedgerley. We seek a prayerful, mission-hearted, community-focused Rector for this benefice of three churches.

Our new Rector will support and lead us to:

• Value our diversity and help us grow in unity

• Develop our appeal to young families

• Learn to be with God individually and together

• Engage with our communities in mission

• Be courageous in growing the Kingdom

We offer:

• A welcoming church family, prayer, friendship and fellowship

• Shared commitment to meeting our challenges

• Encouragement and financial support to take annual retreats and professional development opportunities

• A modern, refurbished Rectory

• An active community with excellent transport links

The benefice of Farnham Royal and Hedgerley is an interesting and challenging post for a priest who is community-focused with a heart for mission.

The vacancy has been a time of reflection and opportunity, and the churches have made some significant steps forward in this time. They have developed a Mission Action Plan in line with the diocesan vision to be a more Christ-like church for the sake of God’s world, and they are willing to work towards making their vision a reality. The lay leadership team within the benefice has grown and been strengthened, and the recently started drop-in coffee morning at Costa is thriving. Planning permission has been granted to redevelop the Brian Jubb Hall, adjacent to St John’s Church Farnham Common, and to the current Rectory. The project should be self-funding. These plans have been paused during the vacancy and it would be encouraging and helpful to see the plans realised in the near future.

There is huge enthusiasm for mission and growth in these churches and much willingness to change. A primary focus for their new incumbent will be to focus their passion and to help them work together to realise their vision for the future. The successful candidate will have experience in leadership and change management and will have a heart for enabling strong and committed lay leadership to flourish.

For a priest committed to the diocesan vision of becoming a more Christ-like Church for the sake of God’s World – more contemplative, more compassionate, and more courageous – this is an exciting challenge to harness the energy of these three churches and focus them for the furtherance of God’s mission in these communities.

For further details or an informal conversation please contact

The Area Dean, Canon Rod Cosh (01753 681432) or The Archdeacon of Buckingham, The Ven Guy Elsmore (01865 208266)

We are looking for someone who:

in Leadership:

• will relish the opportunity to facilitate change

• has strong communication skills and is able to convince people of God’s plan for developing our benefice

• can inspire, develop and lead members of the church in lay ministry and joint action within the benefice

• can enable spiritual and numerical growth

in Worship:

• is comfortable with a range of worship styles

• is keen to engage children, young people and families and encourage them to join in the life of the church

• can work with established traditions whilst developing opportunities for worship designed to reach out to our communities

in Preaching and Teaching:

• can teach with inspiration and clarity

• will minister to the existing congregation and the wider community, identifying opportunities for spiritual development

In Community:

• will help us to engage with local organisations, especially those not currently involved in the church

• will help us to build a more collaborative benefice that demonstrates God’s love

• will guide us in our work and partnership with local churches

• will encourage us to build on and continue to develop our links with our church school and other local schools

The person we find to fulfil this role will:

• have a deep and mature personal faith

• be a prayerful, spiritual leader

• be collaborative

• be compassionate and empathetic

• be enthusiastic and resilient and have a sense of humour

• be keen to be visible in the local communities

• care about people and God

For more information about this application process, please use this link

The Diocese of Oxford is the administrative area of the Church of England covering the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Application Notes:

Closing date: 27 June 2019

Interview date: 18 July 2019

Enhanced DBS disclosure required.