Mission Priest
(in the Benefices of: Wisborough Green; Stopham and Fittleworth; Lurgashall, Northchapel and Ebernoe;
Barlavington, Burton with Coates and Sutton with Bignor)
Background to the appointment
With the exception of Wisborough Green, which has had a full time stipendiary priest, the participating benefices have until now been served by a part-time Priest in Charge receiving a 50% stipend. This pattern of ministry, whilst effective in some measure, has resulted in a significant area being served by older priests in semi-retirement. At the same time, these village communities sometimes do not have sufficient numbers of children and young people to reach ‘critical mass’ for engaging age-appropriate activity. With the agreement of participating parishes, their replacement Priests in Charge will be appointed on a House for Duty basis so that the stipend contributions may be put towards the cost of a Mission Priest who will undertake missionary activity across all of the participating benefices.
The Mission Team, which will, in due course, operate under a Bishop’s Mission Order, will consist of the Priest in Charge of Wisborough Green, a Mission Priest, and such Non-Stipendiary assistance as might become available in due course. The Priest in Charge of Wisborough Green will serve as the Mission Team Leader but will share responsibility with the Mission Priest, whose appointment should be regarded as of ‘incumbent status’.
[The Priest in Charge of the participating parishes retain all of their rights and duties as parish priests and are not in any sense line-managed by the Mission Team members.]
The post will be offered on a Qualified Common Tenure basis initially for a period of 5 years.
The Work of the Mission Priest
The Mission Team (working under a BMO), has freedom to evangelise and to engage with people in all of the participating parishes and has the ‘security’ of using St Peter’s Wisborough Green for such liturgy and other events as are appropriate to the mission. It is envisaged that the work of the Mission Team will become inseparable from the parochial ministry of Wisborough Green, which should become a local focus for mission.
The Mission Priest is expected to prioritise engagement with those people for whom village churches cannot provide adequately on their own. In particular s/he will be expected to prioritise engagement with children, young people and their families. It is envisaged that this will involve engagement with local schools, providing for assemblies and such other initiatives as will progress the mission of the church.
In cooperation with the Team Leader, the Mission Priest will devise and preside over such patterns of liturgy as provide for an appropriate variety of worship for people who are not otherwise provided for within their local village church.
In collaboration with the Priests in Charge of the participating parishes, the Mission Priest is to support, develop and resource such effective parochial engagement with young people as can practically be sustained. The ministries of the Parish and the BMO are intended to be complementary and not rivals. Willing and able Priests in Charge should be regarded as colleagues in the mission to young people. Some Mission Team activity may best be based in one or other of the participating villages.
Care must be taken to ensure that each of the participating villages receives some benefit of the ministry to which they are contributing resources.
The Mission Team is expected to foster the ministry of lay people in the service of mission and church growth and to provide for the training of appropriate individuals and teams to resource mission in the villages.
The Mission Priest is expected to have his/her liturgical base in Wisborough Green, where s/he will be licensed. Participation in the liturgical life of other parish churches must be by mutual agreement of Priests in Charge and the Mission Team and should not detract from the liturgical life and variety based at Wisborough Green, which is of a broad central tradition.
The priest appointed will need to have skills of engagement with young people and their families, some familiarity with primary schools & children’s work and liturgical knowledge with an appreciation of tradition, variety and rhythm. Musical skills may be a significant advantage and IT skills will be important. S/he must have a love of the rural and a willingness to engage with its contemporary patterns of living. The priest appointed must have excellent interpersonal skills and be ready to play a constructive role within the wider Deanery.
A high level of awareness of the importance of safeguarding will be required.
A house will be provided within or very close to one of the participating parishes. Working expenses will be paid by the BMO from contributions made by the participating parishes.
The appointment might be suitable for an ordained couple, where one spouse wishes to undertake a House for Duty parochial responsibility.