The parish of Bilton is situated in the attractive and vibrant town of Harrogate in beautiful North Yorkshire. We are looking for a team vicar to join us on our journey of faith as we seek to grow in love and service of God, of each other and of our neighbours. We have a particular desire to plant new worshipping communities in North Harrogate.

The successful candidate will:

• Prioritise, with the help of the Holy Spirit, their inner life of discipleship and prayer and encourage others to do the same
• Be a strong team player who will share in the strategic leadership of the parish and help breathe new life into our St Luke’s congregation, not least through investment in lay leadership which is a clear priority for the PCC
• Want to see church growth and help take the lead in identifying new and creative ways to make this happen’
• Have excellent relational skills and be able to connect well across generations and cultures, both in the church and the community

We offer:

An open, supportive and loving church family; a great team of ordained and lay leaders willing to try new things; excellent administrative support; and an attractive 4-bedroom house

For a conversation about the post, contact Rev. Simon Dowson, Rector, St John’s & St Luke’s 07786 282214 simon.dowson@leeds.anglican.org

Closing Date - Monday 8th May

Shortlisting Meeting - Wednesday 24th May

Interview Day - Wednesday 14th June

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate proven competency and experience in the following areas:

• Leadership of, or a significant leadership role in, a growing church.
• Helping people come to faith.
• Discipling people (our goal is to is to help them have a mature, deeply rooted faith - Matt. 7:24-25, Eph. 4:14-16).
• Investing in lay ministry.
• Ideally (but not essentially) to have been involved in some form of church planting/Fresh Expression of church.
• Collaborative working, including building teams and appropriate delegation of responsibility and offering of oversight.
• Growing community, not least through building relationships, within and beyond the church, and across generations.
• Equipping and enabling children, young people and adults to play their part in the mission and ministry of the church.
• Effective conflict management.

The Diocese of Leeds

The Diocese of Leeds was formed at Easter 2014. It is one of the largest dioceses in the country covering an area of around 2,425 square miles, and a growing population of around 2,642,400 people. The diocese comprises five Episcopal areas, each served by a suffragan (area) bishop. Each Episcopal Area is coterminous with an Archdeaconry.

The Diocesan Vision, informed by the values of ‘loving, living, learning’ 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 and expressed in meaningful ways across the episcopal areas.

The Diocese is a blend of urban and rural in all their diversity. This 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 (classed as a small city), Richmond and Wetherby; and the deeply rural area of the Yorkshire Dales. It covers several civic and parliamentary boundaries.

The Diocese is unique in having three cathedrals; Bradford, Ripon and Wakefield. The Deans of the Cathedrals work together and continue to look to fresh ways of sharing ideas and engaging in projects of mutual interest.