Offerton is a suburb of Stockport and is 7 miles south of Manchester.

This is a happy place to worship with a congregation who believe in Faith, Fun and Friendship!

It has a small but committed congregation willing to participate in the running of the church and who are keen to develop its Christian faith and its outreach and mission. With four Junior schools and a Senior school there is ample opportunity for outreach.

WHAT WE ARE SEEKING

• A priest of the modern/liberal Catholic tradition having deep regard for the sacraments.
• Someone able to see a way of fulfilling their commitments on reduced hours.
• Someone with a willingness to develop a shared vision, and enthusiasm to lead St. Alban’s forward in Christian ministry, witness and service.
• A thoughtful style of preaching being open to a wide range of theological and liturgical understandings.
• A team player capable of uniting young and old in the congregation, who is approachable and a good communicator.
• Be able to relate to the wider church community, showing leadership and the ability to delegate and work collaboratively.
• Prayerfully consider the needs of the parish and help meet them in a creative and sensitive way.
• Have the imagination to find ways to grow our congregation and reach out to those in the parish including those that have little or no contact with the church, especially taking into consideration the new properties being built immediately opposite the church.
• Raise the profile of the church in the community and feel called to St. Alban’s and St. John’s.
• Be able to negotiate the process of change.

If you think this is for you, we’d love to receive your application.

The Archdeacon of Macclesfield, The Venerable Ian Bishop is available for a conversation should you wish. Tel: 01260 272 875 or email ian.bishop@chester.anglican.org

Applications should by preference be made to theUSING THE DIOCESAN APPLICATION FORM available on the website. Part time Priest in Charge for Offerton - Diocese of Chester (anglican.org)

Closing date: 4 December 2022

Interviews: 11 January 2023

The Diocese of Chester is in the province of York in the Church of England, part of the global Anglican Communion. For more information about our life, ministry and work please visit our website www.chester.anglican.org We are linked with the Anglican Church of Melanesia in the Solomon Islands and the Dioceses of Aru and Boga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Diocese covers an area of 1025 square miles, approximately the old Victorian County of Chester, including parts which subsequently became absorbed into Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The Rivers Mersey and Tame approximately delineate the boundary with Liverpool and Manchester. There are areas of dense urban population, mainly in the north, stretching from Birkenhead to East Manchester. There are prosperous suburban regions of West and South Wirral, Chester and south of Manchester, with a mainly rural heartland, bounded by the Derbyshire Pennines and the Welsh Border. The overall population is around 1.6 million.

The Diocesan Bishop is Mark Tanner, Bishop of Birkenhead Julie Conalty and the Bishop of Stockport is Samuel Corley.

The Cathedral for the Diocese is in Chester.

The Diocese is divided into two archdeaconries: Chester covering the western half and Macclesfield the eastern, each with nine deaneries. There are 273 parishes, about 100 of which can be described as rural. Compared with many dioceses, there are few teams, and few multi-parish benefices. There are approximately 231 stipendiary clergy. The ministry of Readers and Pastoral Workers is important, with over 400 licensed. The role of self-supporting ministers is increasing, with over 80 in post at present.

Roughly speaking, the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield covers that part of the diocese to the east of the M6, plus the area around Crewe and Nantwich. The Archdeaconry of Chester covers the rest of the diocese to the west of the M6. Each archdeaconry has a broad mix of urban and rural parishes. The Archdeacon of Chester lives in Chester, and the Archdeacon of Macclesfield lives in Congleton. Both now work from Church House, Daresbury.