We are seeking a creative pioneer with a love for working with multicultural inner city communities with all of their joys and challenges. You will help this new Bradford parish to build teams which can grow new relevant and dynamic forms of Christian presence in the inner city where the majority of people are from other faith backgrounds.

Applications are welcomed from suitably qualified lay or ordained people

Closing date for applications is Monday 2nd September with interviews taking place on Tuesday 17th September.

For an informal chat about this post please contact Revd Chris Chorlton, Rector of Girlington, Heaton and Manningham on 07840 312202 or Ven Dr Andy Jolley, Archdeacon of Bradford (07973 458403)

We are seeking someone who::

• is joyfully confident in their own identity in Christ and have a track record of growing confident disciples;
• wants to work collaboratively with the clergy and ministry team of the parish;
• is able to bring their love of the Lord, gifts, skills and experience to develop appropriate new forms of mission, evangelism, ministry and church for multi-cultural inner city communities;
• has the freedom to experiment and pioneer new ways of ministry in what is a challenging area.

The person appointed will work under the overall leadership of the Rector, meet regularly with the ministry team for staff meeting and work collaboratively with the clergy and ministry team of this new parish, created on 1 July 2018. (S)he will be expected to work with each of the congregations of the four churches and across the whole area. They will:

➢ Have a specific pioneering remit, connecting with people outside of Church and creating new ways of doing Church. This will be done through our many social and community projects, alongside the missional community and in fresh ways, leading them into growth; in discipleship, in numbers and in service to their local communities;

➢ Discover opportunities to work with the people of Girlington, Heaton & Manningham, of any faith and none for the ‘common good’ of the local neighbourhood as a whole;

➢ Explore new informal styles of worship and communication, making use of modern media techniques;

More details can be found in the full Role Description.

Our ideal candidate should have:

• Anglican Ministerial Training or a suitable mission / theological qualification
• A proven track record of growing the confidence and gifts of God’s people and making disciples
• Experience in the typical range of parish ministry in a context with high levels of deprivation
• A track record of working well and collaboratively in a team
• Experience in creating community in ‘non church’ contexts
• Confidence in their own faith, resilience and security in their own identity as a Christian leader and growing as a disciple
• Enthusiasm for the potential of pioneering creative new approaches to worship and mission in deprived multicultural communities

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

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 new parish has begun a new era of mission and ministry. A new “Superparish” has been formed - a united Anglican parish of Girlington, Heaton and Manningham with a ministry team to serve and lead this new venture. The Pastoral Scheme to legally create the new parish came into effect on 1st July 2018. The agreed stipendiary staffing for the proposed new parish comprises three posts: a full-time Vicar, a full-time Associate Vicar, and a part-time (half stipend plus house) Associate Vicar.

Formed from the historic parishes of St Philip’s Girlington, St Paul’s Manningham, St Barnabas Heaton and St Martin’s Heaton, this very large parish of over 47,000 people contains some of the most deprived areas in the country. Housing includes poor-quality private-rented homes, a large council estate, large family homes and semi-rural properties. Over two-thirds of the population is Muslim, mainly from Bangladesh and the Mirpur area of Pakistan. 71% are of Asian origin and 22% white (of whom significant numbers are from Eastern Europe). There are large numbers of young people in the parish (over half the population is under the age of 30 and one third under 16), while less than 9% are over 65. Hence there are many schools – including two Church of England primary schools, numerous private Islamic Schools, Bradford Grammar School and Bradford Girls Grammar School. Considerable effort has gone into developing ministry in many of these schools.

The person appointed to this role needs to be spirituality mature and live well with paradox:

• The paradox of being a Pioneer Minister in a new Parish of Girlington, Heaton and Manningham with all the freedoms and responsibilities that brings, whilst working in partnership with the Vicar to whom you are responsible on a day today basis;
• The paradox of offering stable and consistent leadership of the existing congregations whilst also reflecting on how God may be calling us to innovate;
• The paradox of listening deeply to others and working collegially, whilst being a decisive leader who is unafraid to make difficult decisions.