The Bishop of Lichfield wishes to appoint a domestic chaplain to support him in his episcopal ministry. The Diocese of Lichfield is one of the largest Dioceses in the Church of England, serving a population of just over two-million people in 1,744 square miles. The Diocese has 583 churches and 427 parishes in Staffordshire, the northern half of Shropshire, Wolverhampton, Walsall, half of Sandwell and even three parishes which straddle the Welsh border. We are divided into 29 Deaneries and have 300+ stipendiary clergy, a large number of SSMs, retired clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers.

We value our place in the world church and enjoy missionary partnerships with the Diocese of Qu’Appelle in Saskatchewan, Canada; the Diocese of Matlosane in South Africa; and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg in north-east Germany as well as close historical links with the Dioceses of Kuching, West Malaysia and Singapore in South East Asia.

The senior staff team comprises the Diocesan Bishop, the Dean, 3 Area Bishops (Shrewsbury, Stafford and Wolverhampton), 4 Archdeacons, 2 Associate Archdeacons, the Chief Executive Officer, the Bishops’ Advisor for Women in Ministry, the Diocesan Director of Communications, and the Bishop’s Chaplain.

The Bishop is encouraging us to consider the mission and ministry of St Chad by building a culture of warm, relationships and hospitality, developing connections with each other and our ecumenical partners and developing our discipleship of Christ in both our individual and corporate life.

The three themes of Discipleship, Vocation, and Evangelism help us focus our priorities as we seek to answer Bishop Michael’s invitation to ‘Come, follow Christ in the footsteps of St Chad’. In developing these themes the Diocese is working hard to ensure we continue to grow our churches, whilst at the same time, creatively addressing the opportunities presented to us to develop work in fresh expressions, chaplaincy, Cathedral, and schools work.

We are currently working hard to discern and put into practice our response to the challenges of the new post-COVID world including by supporting clergy and parishes through an ambitious programme called ‘Shaping for Mission’ that is working with Deaneries to consider strategically where we should be placing our resources. We also have one Strategic Development Fund project underway in Telford and are considering further bids.

The ministry of the Chaplain is primarily to support and facilitate the ministry of the Bishop of Lichfield.

To arrange an informal discussion with the Bishop please contact Sally Churchill, his PA. Sally.churchill@lichfield.anglican.org Tel: 01543 306001

Further information about the Diocese https://www.lichfield.anglican.org/

The main responsibilities for this role are:

Resourcing and support for the Bishop:

• Praying with the Bishop and for his ministry
• Being a ‘critical friend’ to the Bishop
• Taking responsibility for the chapel in Bishop's House
• Facilitating and enabling hospitality in Bishop’s House
• Ensuring the Bishop is well briefed and supported at each event in his diary
• Communicating “good news” stories to the Director of Communications and liaising over potentially difficult news stories
• Acting as liturgical Chaplain at major events in the Cathedral or elsewhere and advising on liturgy and practice as required.

Support for the wider Bishop’s staff team:

• Acting as a liaison between the Diocesan Bishop and his Staff when asked
• Planning ahead for major events
• Carrying out crisis management (with others) – e.g. with the Diocesan Registrar in relation to the Clergy Discipline Measure; as a member of the Safeguarding Scrutiny Committee; and in on other occasions in consultation with Area Bishops and Archdeacons
• Managing through to conclusion any complaints received under the Clergy Discipline Measure, ensuring that all legal processes are duly followed and timescales adhered to, working closely with the Diocesan Registrar. Keeping abreast of changes to the Measure and its proposed replacement with a Clergy Conduct Measure, and if necessary implementing any changes
• Liaising with Diocesan staff at all levels on behalf of the Bishop
• Working closely with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team both on issues of policy and on individual cases involving clergy and church officers, and ensuring the Bishop is briefed and supported in decision-making in this area
• Keeping and reporting minor statistics (on the Clergy Discipline Measure / Clergy Marriage Breakdowns / Resolution parishes) to the national church in liaison with the Registrar and the Senior Staff
• Managing the practical aspects of the annual Selwyn Lecture in conjunction with the Ministry Department
• Administering the appointments process for Senior Staff
• Servicing the Senior Staff Meetings by preparing agendas, sending out papers, taking minutes and following through on decisions made
• Organising the Senior Staff Residential Meetings (one or two a year)
• Managing the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund and the relationships with other grant making bodies, submitting reports and making sure the system runs smoothly
• Overseeing the annual holiday grants to clergy (in liaison with the Director of Finance)
• Co-ordinating the Bishop’s annual Lent Appeal
• Taking overall charge of the clergy files (‘blue and red files’). Fulfilling Subject Access Requests
• Being comfortable engaging in and leading worship in churches across a range of traditions
• Liaising with parishes and the Cathedral for Confirmation and Ordination services and other large-scale services and events at which the Bishop is present.

The successful candidate will:

• Be episcopally ordained in the Church of England or a Church in full Communion with it. This post has attached to it a genuine occupational requirement under the 2010 Equality Act, Part 1, Schedule 9
• Have a strong Christian faith, with an active commitment to a local church
• Be prepared to work closely with the Bishop of Lichfield, ready to adapt to his working style and to align with his priorities
• Have a calling to serve where the chief delight will be for others to flourish
• Have the ability to think imaginatively, creatively and strategically
• Have the ability to plan and think ahead
• Have the ability to work collaboratively with the Bishop’s PA and Secretary at all time
• Be a people person, able to work happily in a small office and have the confidence to network with people throughout the Diocese
• Be self-motivated, able to work to deadlines, and handle pressure without sacrificing quality;
• Be a person of proven integrity, reliable and utterly discreet, able to hold confidences and work with patience and humour
• Be a person who will gain the confidence of others in the Diocese so that all will feel valued and supported
• Have a healthy approach to the work life balance.

Education and competencies

• Have a degree level or equivalent
• have a good understanding of liturgy
• Be able to digest reports, research and précis draft documents, prepare agendas for meetings and make recommendations as appropriate
• Be able to manage and organise own work and handle interruptions by telephone or e-mail;
• Be able to work collaboratively with the other Bishop’s Office staff and staff in St Mary’s House
• Have knowledge of the workings of the Church of England or willing to learn;
• Be IT literate, competent in Microsoft office
• Be adaptable and flexible, hopeful for a flourishing future for the Church and enthusiastic to make things happen
• Have a clean driving licence and willingness to drive the Bishop’s Car on occasions
• Willingness to turn a cheerful hand to whatever needs doing, however menial!

The Bishop is encouraging us to consider the mission and ministry of St Chad by building a culture of warm, relationships and hospitality, developing connections with each other and our ecumenical partners and developing our discipleship of Christ in both our individual and corporate life.

The three themes of Discipleship, Vocation, and Evangelism help us focus our priorities as we seek to answer Bishop Michael’s invitation to ‘Come, follow Christ in the footsteps of St Chad’. In developing these themes the Diocese is working hard to ensure we continue to grow our churches, whilst at the same time, creatively addressing the opportunities presented to us to develop work in fresh expressions, chaplaincy, Cathedral, and schools work.

We are currently working hard to discern and put into practice our response to the challenges of the new post-COVID world including by supporting clergy and parishes through an ambitious programme called ‘Shaping for Mission’ that is working with Deaneries to consider strategically where we should be placing our resources. We also have one Strategic Development Fund project underway in Telford and are considering further bids.