Are you seeking an opportunity to serve God in this beautiful area of the North Yorkshire coast and Esk Valley?

If so, we are seeking an interim Priest-in-Charge with a commitment to ministry in our area and who will work alongside us to develop our church life with creativity and vision.

We have aspirations for the future health and growth of the church along with our neighbouring benefices and so the priest appointed will have a major part in shaping, developing and delivering the deanery plan for the coming years.

We hope that you sense God may be calling you to be our priest and welcome informal conversations and applications.

For an informal chat please contact:
Archdeacon of Cleveland, The Venerable Dr Amanda Bloor | adcl@yorkdiocese.org | 01642 706 095

Bishop of Whitby, The Rt Revd Paul Ferguson | bishopofwhitby@yorkdiocese.org | 01642 593 273

Closing Date: noon Tuesday 30th May 2023

Interviews: Friday 16th June 2023

• To encourage and enable collaboration and cooperation between the parishes whilst respecting their individual characters and styles of worship
• To be a member of the Deanery Leadership Team (DLT) and to work with the DLT and parishes across the deanery to grow and reshape mission and ministry under the Diocesan strategy of Living Christ's Story. This will include taking a lead in looking at the future of churches and the use of church buildings, examining the sustainability of stipendiary ministry across the Deanery, and helping to develop and implement the Deanery Plan.
• To be involved in the life of each community, including nurturing links with primary schools.
• To guide the benefices into an explicit culture of growth
• To encourage and enable lay ministries of all kinds, in conjunction with the Diocesan Ministry and Mission Team

We are praying our new Priest-in-Charge will:

• Have the freshness and energy to accept the challenges facing rural communities, with a practical understanding of life in villages.
• Be someone who can encourage new and all-inclusive ways of worship whilst respecting the traditions of the Church of England.
• Lead us in strong bible-based teaching and good liturgical awareness.
• Have the ability to communicate with non-church people, especially those in the 20s to 40s age group and so encourage growth in the churches.
• Encourage existing members of congregations to take leadership, ministry and missional roles.
• Have an interest in education and in linking the three church schools together and with congregations.
• Be a good team player working alongside retired clergy, volunteers, ordained and lay.
• Have good listening skills and the ability to analyse complex issues, facilitating development and instigating their own vision and ideas.
• Have experience of helping organisations improve their financial position, including encouraging generous giving.

The Diocese of York, led and guided by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, takes in much of North and East Yorkshire. As the largest diocese in England, geographically, the area is very diverse, featuring a multitude of needs and opportunities. This includes the bustling urban centres of York, Hull and Middlesbrough, the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors National Park, and the incomparable Yorkshire Coast; as well as areas of deprivation in some of our urban and smaller rural and coastal communities.

Our mission and ministry relies on thousands of people - lay and ordained, volunteer and paid. Our diocesan teams provide a wide range of support services to our mission and ministry, including lifelong learning for ministry, the care of church buildings, and safeguarding. Together, we are striving to be a people who are ‘Living Christ’s Story’. We want to be a simpler, bolder, humbler church which in its diversity reflects the communities it serves. We are bringing renewed focus and fresh energy to achieving our aims:

• Becoming more like Christ

• Reaching those we currently don't

• Growing in discipleship, influence and numbers