ECUMENICAL PARTNERSHIP Diocese of Oxford

INTERIM MINISTER APPOINTMENT Pastor of Bradwell and

Leader of Partnership Review

(The Bradwell Church congregation)

MINISTRY DESCRIPTION and PARTNERSHIP PROFILE APRIL 2018

1 Welcome to the Stantonbury Team!

Dear Prospective Colleague,

We are delighted that you have decided to look at the Interim Minister’s post with us. We hope you’ll find the details in this profile helpful, informative and sufficient to whet your appetite to find out more either on the internet, in a phone call, or by deciding to pay us a visit.

Our Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) consists of six congregations situated across much of the northern part of Milton Keynes. There is a wide range of different socio-economic groups that make up the population we serve and from whom we draw our membership. As throughout our carefully planned city, industry, offices, retail and other workplaces are disbursed throughout the different ‘grid squares’ along with primary and secondary schools and residential areas. There are also some large areas of recreational parkland, and a number of lakes, historic buildings and ancient villages, as well as much 20th century housing in a kind of mixed economy. So, it is a stimulating and interesting place to pursue mission and ministry in the name of Christ.

However, these opportunities also present us with considerable challenges, and it is through the idea of an Interim Minister that we hope to address the issues that face us with courage, imagination and faithfulness to our calling to be Christ’s people in this place. Although there are a number of other congregations and churches in our area, a relatively small proportion of the local population attend worship. We have resources in terms of buildings and people who minister in different ways, but we sense that new ways of putting these to the service of the Kingdom are needed as the 21st century unfolds.

The suggestion of an Interim Minister came from the Bishop and the Archdeacon of Buckingham. The role is intended to combine pastoring Bradwell Church, one of our two larger congregations, with leading an LEP review in a roughly 2/3 to 1/3 division of time respectively. Apart from the normal Anglican accountability, the Interim Minister will also be a colleague within an interdenominational team of authorised Ministers, who also accept accountability to the Ecumenical Council of the Partnership. Clearly recognised areas of responsibility are combined with collegiality and collaboration between lay and ordained leaders.

Please do not hesitate to let your curiosity lead you to contacting one of us, having a conversation and paying us a visit to get a feel of the place and whether you might be called here!

Rev David Lewis Rev Paul Smith Baptist Minister and Team Leader Team Rector 01908 313059 01908 606689 [email protected] [email protected]

2 Appointment of an Interim Minister The context The Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership (SEP) is a local ecumenical partnership of the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Baptist Union, set in part of the growing ‘city’ of Milton Keynes. It includes six local churches in the communities of Stantonbury, Bradwell, New Bradwell, Willen, Great Linford and Downs Barn. The SEP has an ecumenical ministry team.

The SEP is a large parish with a population of around 50,000. The parish is a varied one, with some areas of affluence, some of significant deprivation, and some new housing estates

Who are we looking for? We are looking for an ordained Anglican minister to be an Interim Minister in the SEP, who would support and develop mission and ministry in the Bradwell Church, and lead a review into the future development of the SEP as a whole. The Interim Minister would be a full member of the SEP ministry team.

The background The SEP has been stable for a number of years, but it faces challenges linked to a desire to understand and grasp the mission opportunities with which it is presented; the number and deployment of stipendiary ministers in the partnership; an on-going financial shortfall; and the need to update governance structures.

At the same time, the SEP is due an ecumenical review: each of the LEPs in Milton Keynes is reviewed every five or six years by representatives appointed by the Milton Keynes Ecumenical Oversight Group (EOG). These review groups normally include representatives from both within and outside the LEP under review.

So the current vacancy gives the opportunity for such a review to take place, led by the newly appointed Interim Minister, working with others appointed by the EOG. It is hoped that this review will enable the SEP to consider the challenges it faces, the needs of the churches and the communities served by those churches to be assessed, and the structure of mission and ministry within the partnership to be reviewed, before any permanent appointment is made.

The role The Interim Minister would have responsibility for • leading collaborative ministry in Bradwell Church, and mission in its pastoral area, and • leading a review of the SEP, together with representatives appointed by the EOG, which will address the challenges noted above, and any other issues which may be raised during the course of the review.

Timescale The timescale for the appointment is a period of two years. It is hoped that the review report will be delivered before that, which will give the SEP the opportunity to begin to implement recommendations arising from the review and also commence the process of looking for a suitable permanent appointment. One possible outcome might be that the Interim Minister considers staying on and taking up the permanent post in the SEP.

3 The Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership Our Vision and Mission The SEP has a vision of ‘Six thriving and growing churches, making Christ known in our area of Milton Keynes.’ As a partnership we seek to help and encourage the six churches as they engage with the needs and opportunities for mission in their local areas and through their congregational life, supporting one another where we can. We also work together in partnership in the parish in ministry and in mission.

Membership Each of these churches has its own membership list. There are currently approximately 400 members in the SEP as a whole.

Ministry and Governance Each of the churches has its own decision-making bodies (church council or church meeting, or a combination of both).

Each church nominates representatives to the ‘Stantonbury Ecumenical Council’. The SEC meetings are combined with PCC meetings, and most of the PCC business is delegated to the SEC. The SEC is chaired by an elected Lay Chair, supported by the ministerial team leader and a Standing Committee.

Each church manages its local financial responsibilities and contributes a ‘share’ to the Partnership. The amount is agreed by each church according to their capacity, after discussions between church treasurers and the partnership treasurer.

The SEP employs the Baptist minister and pays other ministry costs through denominational payments. Ministers’ expenses are also paid through the SEP.

We benefit greatly from lay preachers/ministers and retired ministers who are willing to serve in our churches. For some, their ministry is focused mainly on one particular church, but others are able to help more widely across the partnership.

The SEP website is: www.stantonbury.net

The Community The SEP area is a segment of Milton Keynes to the north and north-east of the city centre (see the map on page 12).

The population is roughly 50,000 and has become increasingly multi-cultural. Within the area are a mosque, a Buddhist temple, a synagogue and a Kingdom Hall as well as a large Roman Catholic church and a Salvation Army citadel, and a large number of independent, often ethnically-based Christian congregations meetings in various venues.

The housing is diverse. There are some areas of housing which pre-date Milton Keynes, but the majority is part of the development of the new city and is very varied, ranging from social housing to the more up-market. Residential areas are balanced by areas of light industry, shops, parkland and green space.

4 Bradwell Church In this document we set out a description of Bradwell but do visit our website http://bradwellchurch.com/ to discover more of our activities and vision.

Who are we? We are a fusion of church traditions, with an evangelical emphasis. Over the years we have enjoyed strong bible-based teaching and preaching from our clergy and local preachers. We are currently reviewing how we organise ourselves and are building some new teams to encourage every member, collaborative ministry. We have seen some growth recently with newcomers coming from a range of ages and backgrounds.

What are our greatest challenges? We are a committed, welcoming and capable congregation, sometimes trusting too much in our own strength rather than leaning on God. We need corporately and individually to step out further in faith and commit wholeheartedly to our vision of “Following Jesus, sharing His love”. We need encouragement, teaching, practical guidance and leadership to achieve this.

Where do we need to go from here? We are keen, and expect, to see further growth. We want to grow numerically as well as in depth of personal discipleship. We want to achieve this while maintaining our strong sense of family and contribution to the local community.

What do we need from our new interim minister? We are looking someone who will build on what we have already achieved. You need to be a person of strong personal faith and leadership skills. But it is essential for the appointee to be a team player who is able to nurture, motivate and affirm the talents and contributions of those in the congregation. It is also critical that you have a real gift for preaching and teaching and can relate the Bible intelligently to contemporary life.

Our housegroups and other members said we should look for someone who:

“Is close to God, not afraid to try something different…!” “A person of prayer”

Will “relate well to children and young people” … “Focused on families and schools ministry”

“Is comfortable with the more traditional .. as well as the more informal services’’… “open to different styles of worship……”

“Is someone who believes the Bible is the inspired word of God”

“Has a pastoral heart and is disability aware”

“…….able to embrace people coming from different spiritual and doctrinal directions”

“…knows something of the highs and lows of life”

“Will work to support the elderly …… pastoral visiting and communion to the housebound’’

“Someone with a sense of humour”

5 Church Life Overview Our Faith Our Christian life is lived in relationship with God through Jesus Christ and, in common with other Christians, seeking to deepen that relationship and to follow the way that Jesus taught.

Worship and services Our current pattern is two morning services each Sunday and an evening service once a month. Our 9am service tends to be more traditional and at 10.45am a more informal style is the norm, with activities for children and young people including “God’s Gang” for part of the time on most Sundays. In both cases we use a range of liturgies from different denominations and sources, and occasionally are more “free flowing”.

We are blessed with lots of musical people and our young musicians are increasingly helping in leading music at our All Age services.

Our evening services are led by different church members and have a wide range of styles. During the pastoral vacancy we have used these services exclusively for prayer, especially in relation to discerning a new minister and for the work of our church.

Our usual Sunday attendance is about 70, spread over the two main services (seating capacity of the building is 80).

Activities Activities across the church are varied, a number being particularly aimed at young people from the very young at Chatterbox, to Crib Services, God’s Gang for young people on Sunday mornings and the Jesus and Me (JAM) group for those aged 8 to 12 on a Friday evening, where young members of the church are particularly encouraged to bring friends.

Our housegroups are an important part of church family life and from the beginning of the year it has been encouraging to have almost 40 church members take up the challenge of reading 1 Corinthians following a similar approach to Bible study last year.

Contacts with schools have been and remain an important part of our role in the local community. The church family has run “Christmas...” and “Easter Cracked” events, recently involving 150 year 6 children.

6 Our “Lighthouse” prayer team ministry, pastoral visiting and listening team, communion in sheltered housing, Alpha Groups, local community cream teas and barbecues, and involvement in the Stantonbury-wide Room’ n’ ate for the men are some of our other regular activities. We have a number of mission links, supported financially and through prayer and other involvement of church members.

We are currently auditing the communications across the church family with a view to making recommendations to strengthen our life together later in 2018.

Our Church Buildings and Facilities The church meets in St Lawrence in Bradwell Village, a Grade II* listed building dating back 800 years, with an annexe created in 1990 to provide the facilities and the space needed when Bradwell and the surrounding area began to grow. We have bells … and bellringers! The church is a flexible worship space....and the annexe a good place to meet and chat.

We are also responsible for the former Methodist Bradwell Chapel, which is used for meetings, our young people’s “JAM” (Jesus and me) club and other social gatherings. And we also make use of Bradwell’s Memorial Hall for a variety of church and community functions, including the parents and toddlers’ group Chatterbox.

Church House (the vicarage) Purpose built in the 1990s, this 4-bedroom house with study was designed to meet diocesan standards and is well located in the heart of the village but overlooking the glebe land, churchyard and the church itself. As well as providing a comfortable home and study for our minister and any family, it has been used extensively for smaller church meetings and prayer, as well as private discussion and counselling.

7 The other churches in the Partnership Willen: The congregation meets for weekly worship in this unusual and beautiful 17th century church. We are situated on the edge of Willen, and have links to the hospice, St Michael’s (SSM) Priory and Lovat Field Retirement Village. The membership of about 40 is served by the Team Rector, a Lay Minister and a couple of retired clergy. The church is open during the day for casual visitors.

St Andrew’s, Great Linford: St Andrew's sits on the very beautiful Great Linford manor grounds. The 11th century building is not only iconic to many residents and visitors, but also a place of pilgrimage and rest. The congregation of about 65 regulars and up to 80 occasionally, meets at 10am every Sunday for a family communion service (with an Open Doors service – a non-eucharistic informal service – every first Sunday). We also have Wednesday communion at 10am on the first Wednesday of every month. We have started developing occasional evening services, initially for special occasions, and we are excited and looking forward to restarting our Sunday school and children’s work this Spring. St Andrew’s has been described as a very warm, welcoming and friendly church.

Christ Church, Stantonbury: The Christ Church congregation worships in a modern building situated on a school and leisure campus. The church was formed in1975 as an ecumenical congregation. The church building is a community resource and is well used during the week. The church is warm and welcoming with a group of 45+ members meeting on Sunday mornings for all-age worship including communion once a month as well as a cafe style service, giving an opportunity for a different type of worship. Although ecumenical, Christ Church has had Baptist ministry for much of its life. There are a number of small groups meeting to study the Bible and pray. Recent innovations include a ‘Coffee and Cake morning’ on one Saturday morning a month, with an open invitation to all to come and join us, and the opening of a sensory cafe in holiday periods, providing activities for children and young adults, particularly those with additional needs.

Cross and Stable, Downs Barn: Cross and Stable Church was built 30 years ago as a church and a community centre and now fulfils a vital need in both capacities. A Bible Study Group meets regularly, and a Mums and Tots Group fills the church on a Friday afternoon. We are summoned to church on a Sunday by the newest and lightest ring of bells in the country. The church rejoices in its monthly signed Eucharist for the hard of hearing which adds a depth to worship appreciated by all.

St James, New Bradwell: St James Church was built in the 19th century to serve the growing population of railway workers and their families moving to New Bradwell. Over the years since then the original Anglican congregation entered the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership joined with members from other denominations and more recently united with the New Bradwell Methodists. While the majority of our congregation live in the vicinity of St James they represent a diversity of backgrounds making for a lively mix of views on faith and other issues. Folk at St James willingly engage with a variety of worship styles offered by Paul and Nicola together with other ordained and lay leaders within the church. The church lies at the heart of New Bradwell; we are actively engaged with the community through offering an open door in a variety of ways as we seek to be a growing presence for Christ.

8 The six churches of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership

St Andrew's, Great Linford Christ Church, Stantonbury

St James, New Bradwell St Mary Magdalene, Willen

Bradwell Church Cross and Stable, Downs Barn

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The Stantonbury Ministerial Team The SEP values and affirms the ministry of every member of the ministerial team, with the varied gifts and experiences they bring to the partnership in the ministry that they exercise.

Team Leader / Baptist Minister

Rev David Lewis (Baptist Union accredited). Pastoral responsibility for Christ Church, Stantonbury and shared responsibility for St Andrew’s, Great Linford. Length of service in Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: since November 2015.

Methodist Minister Rev Nicola Martyn-Beck. Shared pastoral responsibility at St James, New Bradwell (and also Circuit Minister for Newport Pagnell, Woburn Sands and Hanslope). Length of service in the SEP: since September 2015.

Team Rector Rev Paul Smith (CofE). Pastoral responsibility for St Mary Magdalene, Willen and St James, New Bradwell. Length of service in the SEP: since September 2002.

House for Duty Minister Rev Chuks Iwuagwu (CofE). Pastoral Responsibility for St Andrew’s, Great Linford. Length of service in the SEP: since March 2017.

Baptist Lay Preacher Mrs Maggie Prisk (accredited and with permission to preside at Baptist Holy Communion) is the Lay Chair of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Council and co-opted onto the Ministerial Team by agreement. Length of service in the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership: 20 years.

Ministers and lay preachers attached to the Bradwell Congregation Rev Susan Jackson (CofE with bishop’s permission to officiate). Mr Mike Morris (Methodist local preacher). Mr Rod Ruston (Baptist lay preacher). Mr Rob Coles (CofE authorised local preacher). Mr Chris Spikings (CofE authorised local preacher in training).

10 The wider context Milton Keynes Mission Partnership acts as an intermediate body for Churches Together in England. It has moved in recent years from being a converged decision-making body for the sponsoring denominations of the ecumenical partnerships (i.e. Deanery Synod, Methodist Circuit Meeting, etc.) towards a focus on building capacity for mission with a variety of projects, including adult learning courses and leadership training. Its vision is to see “Milton Keynes: a City Alive to God”. www.missionpartnership.org.uk

The Deanery of Milton Keynes is roughly equivalent to the city of Milton Keynes. There are thirty churches in ten benefices, some part of ecumenical partnerships, some not. There is a full- time Area Dean.

The Diocese of Oxford is a large diocese with over 600 parishes serving more than two million people. It is divided into three areas and five archdeaconries. Milton Keynes falls within the area and archdeaconry of Buckingham. www.oxford.anglican.org

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes is famous for its iconic concrete cows, 300 roundabouts and 150 miles of ‘redway’ (for cyclists and pedestrians) but is much more than that.

Its excellent transport links (including motorway, coach services and rail links) make it a good location for businesses, distribution and commuting. It is also a good place to live, and those who do live here are usually much more positive about the place than those who have only heard the stereotypes. Milton Keynes is expected to double in size over the next thirty years.

As well as over 200 shops and an outdoor market, now includes a theatre, an art gallery, an exhibition area and many eating places. Around the city there are other theatres as well as cinemas and music venues, including ‘The Stables’, famous for hosting quality performances of different musical genres (jazz, blues, folk, classical, and more). There are outdoor venues, too, for theatre and music. Milton Keynes has a popular hands-on local museum, and Park, famous for the codebreakers, lies within the borough.

The Snozone (indoor snow slope), Airkix (indoor skydiving), Go Ape (high ropes) and cable waterskiing on Willen Lake are attractions which draw visitors to Milton Keynes. The MK Dons are building up a family fan base to fill their impressive new stadium, and the Lightning ice hockey team have a good following too. Gulliver’s Land theme park is one of many attractions for younger families. These are ‘headlines’ but many more modest local facilities, coupled with the green spaces and parkland areas, enhance the quality of life for those living here.

It is a green city: trees, green spaces and spring bulbs are a big part of the plan, and there is huge scope for the birder, the nature lover, the fitness enthusiast and the dogwalker.

Oh, and we have the first driverless cars too!

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Map of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership Area

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