Parish Profile and Statement of Needs Contents ○Bishop’s & Archdeacon’s welcome 3 - 4 ○ From the Rt Revd Andrew Watson 3 ○ From the Venerable Paul Davies 4 ○Our Church 5 - 13 ○ Overview 5 ○ Vision & Values 6 ○ Future Direction & Things to Celebrate 7 ○ Particular challenges 8 ○ Services 9 ○ Children, Families & youth 10 ○ Mission 11 ○ Discipleship 12 ○ Cafe, Bookshop & Conferencing 13 ○Our Buildings 14 - 17 ○ Current Church Building 14 ○ Gateway project Vision 15 ○ Gateway progress to date 16 ○ The Vicarage & Orchard Drive 17 ○Governance & Finances 18 ○What are we Looking for? 19 ○ Key attributes of our new vicar 19 ○What Next? 20 ○Appendices 21 ○ A: Our team 21 ○ B: The parish profile mapped to the 12 Goals of Guildford Diocese. 22 ○ C: A Map of the Parish 23 ○ D: Artist’s impressions of the gateway project 24 2 Contents Bishop’s and Archdeacon’s welcome From the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford I moved to the Diocese of Guildford in early 2015, and have found it a warm and friendly place to be, with a strong cohort of gifted and passionate laity and clergy, and a growing commitment to building on the old and releasing the new, as we seek to ‘proclaim the Gospel afresh in this generation’. In the Autumn of 2016 we launched our diocesan vision, Transforming Church, Transforming Lives, encour- aging a deeper dependence on God in prayer, a focused attention to Parish Development planning and 12 Diocesan Goals as a framework for all of our mission here in Guildford. This has been well- owned from the start, not least because around 2000 people fed into the process through a SurveyMonkey and a series of clergy meetings and deanery prayer events; and at the heart of it is a commitment to growing ‘prayerful, con- fi dent disciples in daily life’, as expressed in the fi rst and most important of the Diocesan Goals. Do check out the details at: https://www.cofeguildford.org.uk/about/transforming-Churchtransforming-lives We recognise and celebrate the diversity of Church traditions in the diocese, and the range of contexts in which the Church is called to serve; and Transforming Church, Transforming Lives has proved remarkably adaptable, from catholic to evangelical, from the poorest communities to the richest, and from the smallest of villages to the largest of conurbations. If you share our excitement for this vision, along with the values that undergird our Diocesan goals, we would love you to apply! + Andrew 3 Bishop’s and Archdeacon’s welcome overview From the Venerable Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey & Acting Archdeacon of Dorking. The post of Vicar of Christ Church Woking is one of the most exciting opportunities that the Diocese of Guild- ford has to offer. It becomes vacant on the appointment of the Revd Dr Peter Harwood as the new Director of Mission for the Diocese. Christ Church is one of our biggest churches in the Diocese of Guildford, located in a strategic position at the heart of a very signifi cant town in Surrey. It has a big heart for Jesus and the people of Woking. Unashamed- ly charismatic evangelical in tradition, its emphasis on welcoming everyone, and seeking to build them up as prayerful, confi dent disciples in daily life is at the heart of its mission and ministry. It does this through power- ful contemporary worship, strong biblical teaching, an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, supportive fellowship and appropriate resourcing for people of all ages – with a particularly strong ministry to children and young peo- ple. Its strength as a church draws people from beyond the town of Woking and its contribution to the Chris- tian mission in Surrey is signifi cant. That said, its challenge as it stands on the threshold of a new chapter of mission is signifi cant. The town of Woking has an approximate population of 60,000. This is set to grow exponentially in the next few years. The centre of the town feels like a large building site. The council is expecting that in the next 15 years, at least another 5,500 homes will be built in the town cen- tre, most of them in high rise buildings like the Victoria Square development which is on track for completion in 2020. The combination of a major redevelopment of the town, the beautiful Surrey countryside on its door- step, and a superb train link to London Waterloo in 24 minutes, suggests it is hardly surprising that Woking is an increasing desirable place to live for young people. Herein lies the challenge and opportunity for Christ Church: to make Jesus known to this community and to serve them in His name. The foundation at Christ Church is strong and God has provided the saints for its mission. They are praying and thinking big for the future. They now need a new leader. If the Spirit is stirring you to explore the possibility of this exciting opportunity, do be in touch. I will be very pleased to have confi - dential and informal conversation with you. Blessings Paul Davies Archdeacon of Surrey & Acting Archdeacon of Dorking. 4 Bishop’s and Archdeacon’s welcome overview We are a vibrant charismatic evangelical church based in the centre of Woking on the town square. We are a community of all-ages (approximately 600), known for our contemporary worship, biblical teaching, dynamic children’s ministry and established youth ministry. We are hungry to know Jesus better, to live like Him and lead others to Him. The town centre is experiencing dramatic development, providing real potential for mission to a new community of predominantly young adults. Our café, bookshop and conferencing businesses are well established and we plan to develop our building to be fi t for purpose into the future. There are four distinctives about Christ Church: Word & Spirit: We are committed to the Word and the Spirit together – wanting to give full reign to both the authority of scripture and the power of the Spirit. We believe it important to hear God’s Word explained and applied vividly to everyday life, with the Spirit bringing revelation and empowering us to follow Jesus. Our prayer and worship are open to the gifts and leading of the Spirit. The end of our services allows space to invite the Spirit to come and transform us in response to the sermon, often through prayer ministry. Community: We are a welcoming and grace-fi lled church, a prayerful and caring community of all ages. We encourage every member to belong to a Pastorate (mid-week group of 15 to 30 people meeting fortnightly) for community, discipleship and development of giftings. These gatherings are centred on food, worship, study of the bible (often related to the sermon series) and prayer for one another in smaller sub-groups. We also encourage everyone to be in a prayer triplet. Mission: We seek to inspire and equip every member of the church to share their faith wherever they live and work. Our evangelism is primarily through friendship and Alpha. We have a heart for social transformation which has been given particular expression through our CAP centre and Besom. Town role: We have a 7-day presence in the town centre, with our various ministries and missional businesses. We have a very positive relationship with the Borough Council and executive. This includes leading the town Remembrance Day Service at the memorial in the square, signifi cant involvement in the Churches Together Good Friday Act of Witness and occasionally giving advice on religious matters at a civic level. We hold ‘Lark in the Square’ each year to bless those coming through the town centre. Our location provides a place for spiritual response at times of national disaster, enabling people to seek God at those times. We support interfaith dialogue across Woking especially with the Muslim community. 5 Vision & Values Future Direction Vision We can’t think of a better person than Jesus to be led through life by and to model our lives on. He knew how to live well - in service to His Father and empowered by the Spirit in a fallen world. He lived life to the full; He loved truly and was an awe-inspiring person to spend time with. He loved to teach and demonstrate this to His followers. Church is the community of people who want to Walk in step with Jesus. Values - As a community we are to be: Valued: loved into the family of God Each of us is adopted into the family of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). This family is the best family in the world, where we are accepted as we are but loved too much to leave us where we are. As his children, we want to express the family likeness of love to each other. Things to Celebrate Restored: to our original design We are all broken and fall short of the people God designed us to be. The Good News is that as we walk in step with Jesus, we are being restored into our true selves; in this life and ultimately when we are resurrected into eternal life. Gracious: in living together As an outpost of heaven, we are committed to each other in our brokenness, being kind and forgiving as we seek to be real and authentic. Courageous: to share the Good News Jesus equips us in a lost and broken world to step out boldly and share his invitation to follow him, that people might know the life he offers. Sent: into the world as Jesus was We know that God is at work in the world.