The Parish of Wetherby with Linton

Wetherby is a lively market town located at the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’ of York, Leeds and Harrogate. The Mission of St James Church is to work together to permeate the life of Christ into the hearts of the people of Wetherby, across our community and beyond. Our prayer is for a priest who will assist the town and the church family to be the best community we can be, and who will have the gifts and priorities of leadership, confidence, community and sustainability. We have a strong lay leadership team with experience and enthusiasm, and we are committed to implementing the five marks of mission.

Closing Date – 25th June

Shortlisting Date – 4th July

Interview Date – 25th July

For an informal conversation please contact The Venerable Jonathan Gough, via his PA Mrs Chloe Drummond, chloe.drummond@leeds.anglican.org or the Area Dean, Rev’d Alan Garrow, alan.garrow@leeds.anglican.org

There are four particular priorities for the incoming vicar:

1. To provide leadership which enables numerical church growth, sustaining and developing a wide range of forms of church and worship to grow a more diverse congregation. In particular, this will involve developing and implementing a sustainable strategy for effective ministry and styles of worship to reach out to all including families, young people and children in order to grow young people as Christians.
2. To build stronger, more confident lay ministry from the congregation, both in depth and numbers. This will include developing pathways for greater discipleship and increased lay leadership, and encouraging individuals to develop in their faith and use their gifts and talents. The incoming incumbent will therefore need excellent teaching, team building and team leadership skills.
3. To help the church connect fruitfully with the local community, and especially with those who experience loneliness, isolation, mental ill-health and material need. This will involve developing active and visible relationships within the community in creative ways, both personally as an individual and also through the congregations, and to contribute with others to a vision for the parish, and more widely for the place of the church.
4. To help ensure the continued sustainability, both financially and in community impact, of St James Church Centre taking a leading role with the trustees of the Church Centre Trust, staff and volunteers in its governance, management and development.

• Track record of leadership which empowers others and grows the confidence and gifts of God’s people.
• Track record of inspiring vision and developing appropriate strategies.
• Commitment to continuing ministerial & personal development.
• Knowledge/understanding of changing patterns of mission and ministry in the Church.
• Confident in their own faith and secure in their own identity as a Christian leader.
• Able to access appropriate resources to sustain and refresh their own faith and spiritual life.
• Able to handle difficulties and conflict calmly, creatively and effectively, promoting reconciliation and improved collaboration.
• Have good people management skills

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.