Rector – Benefice of Hanborough and Freeland

We are a vibrant and active benefice, situated 8 miles from Oxford on the edge of the Cotswolds.   We are looking for a Rector to join us at a key time, as we reach out with the gospel to our growing villages.  Will you join us on our walk as disciples of Jesus in Hanborough and Freeland?

Our benefice comprises of 2 parishes, 3 churches and 4 congregations in a beautiful rural part of West Oxfordshire.   The villages of Long Hanborough, Church Hanborough and Freeland are thriving communities, with good transport links, including a direct rail connection into Oxford and London.  Our congregations have their own distinctive styles of worship from traditional Anglican to informal Evangelical.  We value this rich diversity within our benefice, and we are seeking a Rector who is genuinely comfortable with both traditional and contemporary worship. 

We have strong links with the two Church of England Primary Schools in our benefice.  Our Rector is a governor at both schools, and our clergy team work collaboratively to deliver weekly collective worship, termly services and prayer spaces.    We are looking for a Rector who shares our passion for working with children and young people, and will help us reach out further to the families in our communities. 

In common with many communities in this area, our villages are experiencing rapid growth through significant new housing developments.  We want to continue reaching out to new and existing residents with the good news of Jesus Christ.  We would like to see growth in all the congregations across our benefice.  This is a key area in which we look for the support, guidance, and leadership of our Rector.

During the Covid19 lockdown our clergy team and congregations have worked closely together, as a benefice, to develop on-line worship, prayer, youth work and fellowship.   We look to our Rector to help us define a “new normal” post lockdown, including how we can build on the use of technology.

We would like our Rector to be:

• Comfortable in leading and nurturing worship across a wide range of service styles and traditions in a respectful, supportive and sensitive manner.
• A gifted teacher of Scripture who is committed to faithful and careful Biblical interpretation, preferably adopting an expository style of teaching. 
• Able to adapt their preaching style in order to deepen an understanding of the Bible and engage and inspire different audiences.
• Collaborative, nurturing and supportive in team working with clergy colleagues and lay volunteers alike and help us to achieve our vision.  You will preferably already have experience of leading and developing a team. 
• Open, friendly, outgoing and welcoming.  Actively going out and sharing the good news of salvation through Christ.
• Empathetic, loving, caring and sensitive, providing pastoral support to people of all ages.
• Experienced in developing a vision, identifying actions and enthusing people to implement change.
• Able to bring people together, uniting different groups / views / individuals and encourage working towards a common purpose.
• Passionate in reaching out to teach and nurture new believers.  You will preferably have experience of growing congregations. 
• Comfortable in walking alongside people in their spiritual journey - encouraging, teaching, developing and enabling others to grow in their faith, and to reach out to others with the good news.
• Someone who adopts a regular rhythm of prayer and disciplined study of scripture that feeds into all aspects of their ministry.
• Able to plan, organise, prioritise and respond to a wide range of issues (e.g. spiritual, pastoral, administrative, financial and practical).

The Diocese of Oxford broadly covers the counties of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. As a diocese, we are working to become a more Christ-like Church for the sake of God’s world, through being contemplative, compassionate and courageous. We want to make a difference in the world, including tackling the climate emergency. We want to grow disciples and to teach the Christian faith. We have an ambitious plan to grow 750 new congregations across the diocese, to grow a Christian presence on the many (some huge) areas of new housing across our three counties. We want to develop and grow ministry among children, young people and schools. We want to bless our largest and fastest growing city in the Diocese, Milton Keynes. This is an emerging and evolving vision, with which all clergy and parishes are warmly encouraged to engage, both in their own contexts and parishes and more widely, as we continue to dwell in God’s Word and discern his purpose for us.

For an informal discussion please contact the Archdeacon of Dorchester on 01865 208245 or email her at archdeacon.dorchester@oxford.anglican.org.

Further information about the Diocese is available at https://www.oxford.anglican.org/

Closing date:      9th August   
Interviews:         11th September

DBS Enhanced Disclosure is required.