Incumbent: St Mary’s Halton

We are seeking a full-time priest to lead this parish (population 8,000) of open evangelical tradition in the town of Runcorn. The successful applicant will be committed to encouraging the congregations in everyday discipleship, mission and ministry. This is an opportunity to work in a very varied missional context, ranging from historic Halton village, with its parish church and castle, to estates ministry in part of Runcorn new town.

In particular, we are looking for someone who will:

• build on and develop the vision and mission of knowing God ourselves and making him known to others
• be gifted in Biblical teaching, committed to prayer and ministry and will be able to guide and strengthen us as we work to bring the good news of the Gospel to the congregation
• aim to widen the reach of Halton Parish to a more diverse and younger group of people; is family orientated with a keen interest in visiting and developing our involvement with our local primary schools.
• be able to engage with all members of the church, who sees caring for and building up the church important whether they are long retired or at earlier stages of life
• encourage the congregation to live out their Christian faith in everyday life, Monday to Sunday
• develop pastoral care in the community and finding new and novel ways of delivering church services in a dual church parish
• provide leadership on safeguarding and encourage all to contribute toward creating a safer church
• be a team player with good management skills, likes to work with others, delegates effectively, is computer literate with a view to developing a more visible online presence.

In addition, the post carries with it an expectation of collaborative working more widely across the parishes of the town. See the important separate note on ‘Working Together in Runcorn’.

Closing date for applications: 19 November

Interviews: 8 December

Prospective applicants are welcome to discuss the post with the archdeacon:

The Ven Dr Michael Gilbertson

Archdeacon of Chester

01928 718834 ext 253
07921 040154

michael.gilbertson@chester.anglican.org

Please note: The Diocese of Chester will not interview any candidates for posts if they cannot provide an assurance of a valid DBS and up to date safeguarding training.

About us:

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.