Christ Church Wharton

Wharton is one of three parishes in Winsford, a growing industrial/commuter town in mid Cheshire.

We are a busy conservative evangelical church looking for a new vicar who will continue to develop gospel work in the parish and surrounding area.

As a conservative evangelical Anglican church whose PCC has issued a letter of request under the House of Bishop’s declaration, we seek a man:-

• whose theological stance will be reformed evangelical, but holding together differing evangelical positions within the congregation.

• who will be someone the church family can look to as an example of godly living (Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7).

• who will continue our tradition of biblical teaching with practical application, so that we grow in faith and action. You will encourage the congregation to live out their Christian faith in everyday life, not just on Sundays.

• who has a heart to see people from our local community come to faith and grow in discipleship, and who can relate to people and their problems, showing wisdom, care, and compassion.

• who is a servant-hearted leader and will partner with, support and encourage the staff team and lay members alike, to develop and use their gifts in their various ministries.

• who will be committed to working within teams, able to supervise and delegate appropriately and allow people to learn, even by their mistakes.

• who takes safeguarding seriously and will work to foster a good safeguarding culture in the church.

• who has a concern for church growth, and previous work within a working-class community would be extremely valuable.

The Diocese of Chester require that before any candidate can be offered a post they must provide an assurance of a valid DBS and up to date safeguarding training.

Closing date for applications 12 noon Friday 12th May 2023

Interview date Friday 9th June 2023

For an informal chat about the position contact either: Simon Gales (representing Church Society Trust, the Patrons) 01625 583251 or Mike Gilbertson (Archdeacon of Chester) 01928 718834 ext 253

Please email patronage@churchsociety.org for an application form

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.