Our vision in the Diocese of Leeds is about confident clergy equipping confident Christians to live and tell the good news of Jesus Christ. In appointing to every post, we seek people who have a joyful and confident faith which has inspired a track record of church growth, both numerically and spiritually.

Haworth is a tourist destination for many people, with over 40,000 people visiting annually. St Michael’s Church, whose heritage is interwoven with that of the Bronte family, sits both physically and spiritually at the heart of the village and it is therefore important that it is seen as a major player within village society and the “go to” location for any civic services.

These two parishes form a significant joint benefice within the Bradford Episcopal Area and the Diocese of Leeds. “Cross Roads” perhaps sums up well the Benefice’s current situation. The local response to the covid pandemic saw a strong ecumenical response, particularly led by West Lane Baptist Church. However, two less welcome consequences have followed. Firstly, the Church of England has been less visibly present in the civic space, with a resulting lower profile in the villages. Secondly, congregations have not returned to the churches as fully as was hoped, especially at St James and St Gabriel’s

We are therefore looking for a visionary and enabling leader who can work winsomely with the existing congregations and the village communities, lead in outreach to grow new disciples and leaders, planting and developing new appropriate forms of worship and church which meet at accessible times and places

Alongside the normal duties of a vicar, there are three key priorities for the incoming incumbent:

1. To develop a ‘mixed ecology’ of effective forms of mission, ministry and styles of worship, planting and developing new appropriate forms of worship and church meeting at accessible times and places.
2. To grow confident new disciples and leaders of all ages both in depth and numbers. This will include developing pathways for evangelism and discipleship, and increased lay leadership, encouraging individuals to grow in faith and use their gifts and talents. Hence, the incoming vicar will need to be a confident leader with excellent teaching, communication, team building and team leadership skills.
3. To develop and strengthen active and visible relationships within the civic, business and tourist aspects of the life of the villages in creative ways, both personally as an individual and also through the congregations. S(he) should be able to engage strategically with the life of the communities, fostering excellent relationships (for example) with local primary schools, other churches and community organisations.

We are looking for a person who can lead and inspire the congregations to take a "leap of faith" as they confront the changes needed to ensure the parishes grow and thrive.

Amongst other qualities we seek someone with:

• A track record of leadership which empowers others and grows the confidence and gifts of God’s people
• A track record of inspiring vision and developing appropriate strategies
• Experience of working collaboratively, inside and outside the Church.
• Experience of identifying and managing change successfully
• Experience of developing different styles of worship in a ‘mixed economy’, including those appropriate for children, young people and families.
• A track record of playing an active public role in the local community and building creative relationships between different groups

The Diocese of Leeds was formed at Easter 2014. It is one of the largest dioceses in the country covering an area of around 2425 square miles and a population of around 2642400 people. The diocese comprises five Episcopal areas, each served by a suffragan Bishop. Each Episcopal Area is coterminous with an Archdeaconry.

The Diocesan Vision is ‘confident Christians, growing churches, transforming communities and so helping share the Good News of Jesus Christ across our Diocese’. This Vision is embedded into the Diocesan Strategy and Goals, details of which can be found on the website

The Diocese is a mix of urban and rural. The area includes the major cities of Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield; the large industrial and post-industrial towns of Halifax, Huddersfield and Dewsbury; the market towns of Harrogate, Skipton, Ripon, Richmond and Wetherby; and the deeply rural area of the Yorkshire Dales.

The Diocese in unique in having three cathedrals; Bradford, Ripon and Wakefield. The Deans of the Cathedrals work together to provide key diocesan services.