Is God calling YOU to be the next Priest in Charge of our one benefice, two parishes, three churches?

The market and county town of Northallerton is growing with new housing development being built, plans for more and a new church primary school opening in 2024. The opportunities for mission and ministry are endless so we are seeking a priest who will flourish in leading our parishes, building on the work that has been gathering momentum through our previous incumbent who has left to join the national Discernment team and through the existing ordained and lay members of the congregation.

An active Multiply ministry has been building a new community of worshippers. A principal task for the incoming priest will be to put a strategy in place, with a clear pattern of team working, to ensure that the mission associated with this ministry is given long-term priority as this is where the church has most clearly seen growth.

The Deanery Leadership Team is guiding the discernment of a pattern of church life and ministry that will be effective and sustainable in the future. As a result, the presentation has been suspended to give flexibility, looking forward to more explicit collaboration between benefices in the northern and southern parts of the deanery. The appointee will be required to take a leading and committed part in the evolving arrangements, being ready if requested to be the convenor of the northern group.

Our parish profile gives further details of the current mission and exciting opportunities on offer. Are YOU the person we are seeking?

For an informal chat please contact:

Archdeacon of Cleveland, The Venerable Dr Amanda Bloor | adcl@yorkdiocese.org | 01642 706095
Bishop of Whitby, The Rt Revd Paul Ferguson | bishopofwhitby@yorkdiocese.org | 01642 593273

Closing Date: noon Monday 30th November 2023

Interviews: Wednesday 13th December 2023

What's important to us:

• Building on the successful pioneering Ministry to develop and grow our new worshipping communities...
• ...and the more established congregations
• Working with young families, children and youth
• A commitment to our status as an Inclusive Church
• Working with you when you delegate non-priestly responsibilities to us
• An ability to consolidate where necessary
• A commitment to Living Christ's Story
• Visible in the local communities

• To build on the work of the previous incumbent to grow the church and to be fully supportive of the Deanery Plan, which sees Northallerton as the focus of the Northern Hub. This may lead to being the convenor of the Northern group of parishes.
• To continue reaching out to the local community (especially children and young families in areas of new housing) and ensure good use of all church buildings through concerts, civic events and so on.
• To nurture and strengthen links with local schools, including the new Church of England Primary school due to open in September 2024.
• To enthusiastically support the variety of ministries offered in the parishes and to be respectful of the various styles of worship enjoyed by different congregations.
• To work well with the Multiply Minister, the Children's and Families Minister ad the Curate.
• To encourage and enable lay ministries of all kinds, in conjunction with the Diocesan Ministry and Mission Team and to support the work of the lay ministers in the benefice.
• To sustain generous financial giving through Free Will Offer.
• To commit to the benefice's status as an Inclusive Church.
• To encourage outreach through the Occasional Offices and to offer good pastoral care and welcome to the vulnerable, the sick, the elderly, asylum seekers and recently settled refugees.

We are praying our next priest will...

• Lead us in collaborative, effective team working to meet the needs of our communities.
• Nurture discipleship and develop the ministry of all God's people, through training, cooperation and support.
• To be personally committed to, and promote, the Diocesan vision of 'Living Christ's Story.'
• Take a leading role in developing the mission and ministry of the deanery alongside colleagues.
• Be nurturing and supportive to ordained, lay and retired colleagues as they discern their place in the mission and ministry of our parishes.
• Be an encourager.

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