Sheppey Mission Priest in Charge of Eastchurch with Leysdown and Harty (Closes: 10 May 2024)

We are looking for a Mission Priest to minister creatively across the Isle of Sheppey.

As Priest in Charge of Eastchurch with Leysdown and Harty, you will build up a small church family which wants to grow and to develop its connections with its communities, and with the parish of West Sheppey, alongside which it forms a Group Ministry.

As Missioner across the island, you will work in partnership with clergy, lay people and other church and community organisations to further the Kingdom in traditional and innovative ways.

The Parish Profiles in the recruitment pack gives an idea of what each of the parishes have in mind.

Overall, the priest we are looking for will be:

• Collaborative, creative, entrepreneurial, and outward-looking

• Able to minister authentically across ‘middle of the road’ and more catholic churches

• A strategic thinker, able to prioritise mission in the busy-ness of parish life

• Keen to connect with schools, and break new ground with other community groups

• A team player and team builder, intentionally building fruitful relationships

• Eager to learn, and to develop theirs and others’ ministry in a unique island setting

The post is two roles in one.

You will, on paper, be half-time Priest in Charge of Eastchurch with Leysdown and Harty, and half-time Missioner to the whole Group. Your ministry in West Sheppey will, of course, be under the authority of the Priest in Charge there.

In practice, each day is likely to contain a combination and a blending of roles. An effective Group Ministry is always more about collaboration than hierarchy: all incumbents ‘share responsibility for the cure of souls across the Group’. With lay and ordained colleagues, you will be seeking to enable each other to minister fruitfully, making the most of one another’s gifts to serve the people of the island in the name of Christ.

Because both parishes, and your role in particular, are supported by the Church Commissioners’ Lower Income Communities Funding, a Reference Group will be put in place both to support your ministry, and to provide accountability to the Diocesan Mission Resources Group, which controls the allocation of such funds.

Sheppey is part of Sittingbourne Deanery. Like all diocesan clergy, you will be expected to play a full part in Deanery life, making Chapter and Synods a priority, and contributing as appropriate to wider deanery strategy