The parish of Upper Wharfedale and Littondale claims to be in the loveliest part of England, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. These are vibrant communities including people whose families have lived here for generations and those who have arrived recently. The churches at Arncliffe, Conistone, Hubberholme and Kettlewell came together to form a single parish in 2019, and are now ready for a new adventure in discipleship. The parish is looking for an incumbent who will provide inspirational leadership, who will encourage and support people to grow in discipleship, and who will respond creatively to the challenges of rural ministry. The new vicar will be supported by enthusiastic worshippers will are committed to maintaining the life and work of the churches, by an administrator based in the parish office, and by lay worship leaders. This is a 0.5 post.

The closing date is Sunday 17th January 2021

The shortlisting meeting will be held on Thursday 28th January 2021

DUE TO THE CURRENT LOCKDOWN Interviews will now be held on Thursday 11th March 2021

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the Rt. Revd. Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Ripon, Tel: 01765 601094 or email her PA Mrs Judith Richardson, judith.richardson@leeds.anglican.org

We are looking for a Priest who will:

• Provide inspirational leadership to continue our new journey as a single Parish on our shared vision to become totally integrated whilst understanding and appreciating the individual nuances of the four churches that make up our community.
• Ensure that a high standard of worship, preaching and pastoral care is provided so that people are encouraged and supported to grow in discipleship.
• Actively express the Five Marks of Anglican Mission in their life and ministry.
• Encourage stewardship of the time, talents and money of the worshipping community, to enable the Ministry of the Church to grow.
• Be a strong leader, with good listening skills, able to delegate when appropriate or necessary.
• Respond to the challenge of rural Ministry and recognise the need to be an advocate for rural issues.
• Engage with congregations as teacher, preacher and a leader of prayer.
• Explore new ways the church can carry out mission and ministry in both traditional and innovative settings.
• Encourage, develop and nurture lay worship leaders, currently including three Readers, so that they might achieve their full potential and be able to continue to support the ministry and mission of the Parish.

The health and wellbeing of our priest is important to us and we believe that it is important that adequate time off, personal, spiritual and professional development is factored into their standard working hours. Good personal time management is essential in order that the Vicar is able to:

• Undertake the duties of the incumbent within their allocated working hours
• Attend to his/her spiritual wellbeing with daily prayer and scripture reading, quiet days and an annual retreat.
• Build mutually supportive relationships across the Deanery, Diocese and Episcopal area.

We would like our new Priest to:

• Provide leadership of teams and in the community
• Be sympathetic and listen to the concerns of others.
• Demonstrate competence in Ministry.
• Be willing, honest and gracious in delegating and sharing Ministry
• Be responsive to the needs of individuals of all ages and at different stages in their journey of faith.
• Have an open heart and open mind, in developing imaginative and creative ways of drawing people into church.
• Be a good listener.
• Have experience of, and enthusiasm for, nurturing the skills and talents of people by promoting lay Ministry in all its forms
• Be committed to Eucharistic worship and the variety of styles within the churches
• Have excellent communication skills, particularly preaching, teaching and listening
• Have the ability to make and build links with individuals and community groups including the local school
• Have good organisational skills with ability to balance and prioritise competing issues and delegate where appropriate
• Be an energetic and enthusiastic leader who will encourage spiritual growth and discipleship within the newly formed Parish. (Formerly three Parishes.)

The Diocese of Leeds comprises five Episcopal Areas, each coterminous with an Archdeaconry. This is now one of the largest dioceses in the country and its creation is unprecedented in the history of the Church of England. It covers an area of around 2,425 square miles, and a population of around 2,642,400 people.

The three former dioceses were created in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to cater for massive population changes brought about by industrialisation and, later, mass immigration. The diocese comprises major cities (Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield), large industrial and post-industrial towns (Halifax, Huddersfield, Dewsbury), a spa town (Harrogate), market towns (Skipton, Ripon, Richmond and Wetherby), and deeply rural areas (the Dales). The whole of life is here, along with all the richness, diversity and complexities of a changing world.

The Diocesan Bishop (The Rt Rev’d Nick Baines) is assisted by five Area Bishops (Bradford, Huddersfield, Kirkstall, Wakefield and Ripon) and five archdeacons (Bradford, Halifax, Leeds, Pontefract, Richmond & Craven). The Bishop of Ripon is the Rt Rev’d Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.

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, both numerically and spiritually.