Parson Cross Interim Pioneer Minister
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Parson Cross Interim Pioneer Minister The geographical area The interim minister will work in the area encompassed by the geographical parishes of: • St Cecilia & St Bernard, Parson Cross • St Leonard, Norwood • St Paul, Wordsworth Avenue • Together these parishes form the S5 Mission Partnership; there is still work to do to incorporate the missional communities in the partnership and to strengthen joint working. This is the approximate boundary of the 3 parishes combined. The total population is considerable The area is characterised by a high incidence of multiple deprivation, though it also has an increasing number of newly built private properties. It is predominantly residential, though there are shops, including a large Asda. It is served by a number of schools. In addition to the Anglican churches, there are Methodist, Roman Catholic & Pentecostal churches. The Methodists have pioneer presence, including the Parson Cross Initiative (with foodbank, etc.). There is also an Anglican BMO (St Philip’s) based at the clergy house in Wordsworth Avenue. The Interim Minister Role in Parson Cross We are looking at an initial three-year interim role focused on the following key tasks: • To discern the future of St Paul’s Wordsworth Avenue • To call together, form and equip a small team of people to start a fresh expression of church in the Parson Cross area • To build good missional outreach in the community, including schools • To work with local leaders and diocesan officers in shaping a permanent pioneer post in the S5 partnership area • To work with colleagues in the area to shape and establish the Mission Partnership • To build the network of relationships between the existing churches; Anglican, Methodist and the St Philip’s missional community Further details on each of the above bullet points: The future of St Paul’s • The congregation meeting on a Sunday morning has dwindled to very small numbers and, with the strategic decision not to appoint a new Incumbent, the very real questions of sustainability and future viability need to be addressed. With the exception of some work among children, the church remains closed for much of the week and seems to have little impact on its local community currently, with occasional offices also low in number. • The Interim Minister will be made priest-in-charge of St Paul’s to enable him/her to have authority to work with the congregation towards change. He/she will provide pastoral support and strategic leadership, but will not be expected to simply ‘slot in’ as de facto ‘Vicar’ with all the associated expectations. The Interim minister needs to have the capacity and freedom to function in a distinct way, bringing challenge and fresh approaches to mission and ministry across the whole area of the S5 mission partnership. • The focus of input here will be to consider how the church needs to change, including its worship content/style, to become relevant and accessible to the community. To call together, form & equip a team to create a Fresh Expression of Church • The missional community operating as part of the St Philip’s BMO has shown that a fresh approach to church can make an impact in this area and draw people into discipleship. • St Philip’s had the support of a small group of lay people willing to move into the area to form the core of a new congregation. None of the other neighbouring churches probably has the capacity currently to do this alone. So we envisage the interim minister working to call out from the wider deanery a few people who feel called to work with him/her to start something fresh. • It is likely that the initial focus will be on building relationships in the community (the next bullet point) in order to listen to the context and then develop an appropriate fresh expression of church. It will also involve building relationships and the vision for fresh expressions of church with clergy and other partners in the deanery To establish outreach work in local schools/community • There are 10 primary and 2 secondary schools in the area. Currently church involvement is limited. Many of the schools in these neighbourhoods have struggled in recent years with considerable stress on staff and governors. Their performance is often well below the city average. • This is a significant area of opportunity for an Interim Minister: to develop relationships with local schools to discern and develop mission and ministry opportunities. • TARAs (Tenants And Residents Associations), community self-help groups, and a significant number of nursing homes also offer other possible avenues of community engagement. To shape a pioneer post • The interim appointment has the very real potential to prepare the ground for a pioneer post that can be viable and fruitful. A key task of the appointed Interim Minister is to scope out this role during the period of their appointment. • If the Interim Minister feels called and has the right skills for the on-going role and wishes to be considered for it, they would be encouraged to apply. To work to develop the Mission Partnership • A Mission Partnership document was produced when there was a minister at St Paul’s Wordsworth Avenue. It represents a useful starting point but it did not include the missional community and there is currently no structure in place to help the churches to develop joint working, either missionally or pastorally. • The Diocese is looking to appoint an interim Mission Partnership Development Worker (MPDW) as soon as possible to help with the burden of administration across this partnership. The aim is to free up clergy time for mission and ministry, and to support the process of establishing a formal Mission Partnership. This represents a timely opportunity to develop a much fuller Mission Partnership, with the possibility that the MPDW post could move from an interim to on-going basis. To build relationships with existing churches • Fr Keith Ryder-West and the leaders of St Philip’s BMO (recently appointed) are listed as key colleagues. The Diocese of Sheffield is committed to building a healthy blended economy of fresh expressions of church working alongside more traditional forms of church. The Interim Minister needs to operate in both these spheres. • This will mean finding ways to contribute to the life of the parish churches across the area, possibly in terms of Sunday ministry but certainly in stimulating their missional life. • Developing a good working rapport with the current missional community will be essential. Partly this will avoid any sense of competition but more positively there will be much to learn from them and they will be people who really understand the pioneering elements of the work you are trying to develop on the estates. • The city of Sheffield has in place a Covenant between Anglican and Methodist churches to work more closely together. This is understood well at strategic level but not always reflected on the ground in local communities. In these communities there has not been much of a link, despite the fact that the Methodists have got some pioneering elements to their strategy. The Interim Minister needs to explore this. Housing The ‘parsonage’ linked to this post is St Cecilia's Priory (98 Chaucer Close, S5 9QE), a spacious four bedroomed house with a downstairs study extension, two reception rooms and a garage. Role Description Details of Post Role Title: Interim Pioneer Minister Name of Benefice: The S5 Mission partnership (Benefices of Sheffield St Paul Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield Parson Cross St Cecilia and Sheffield Norwood St Leonard) Deanery: Ecclesfield Archdeaconry: Sheffield & Rotherham Role Purpose 1. To exercise the cure of souls in collaboration with the bishop and other licensed clergy in the mission partnership 2. To grow Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in this place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God's world 3. To represent the Church of England in the wider community 4. To support, encourage and resource colleagues in the deanery and diocese, as together we seek to realise our diocesan vision General Responsibilities 1. To fulfill the responsibilities of clergy as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct for the Clergy and other relevant legislation. 2. To watch over yourself. 3. To ensure that a high standard of worship, preaching and pastoral care is offered. 4. To develop the ministry of the laity such that all are using their gifts for the common good and to develop a ministry team. 5. To offer the gospel in a lively and engaging way to those who are outside the church 6. To offer a way for people to explore the Christian gospel for the first time leading to baptism and confirmation. 7. To offer clear pathways for young Christians to grow to maturity as Christian disciples. 8. To lead the church in responding to human need by loving service. 9. To participate in diocesan, national and international initiatives to transform unjust structures of society. 10. To seek at all times to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. 11. To encourage Christian stewardship of people’s time, money and abilities. 12. To collaborate with Churchwardens to ensure the church building(s) serve the church’s wider mission in the community. 13. To seek ecumenical cooperation wherever appropriate and possible. 14. To collaborate with the deanery in mission and ministry and cooperate in the implementation of the deanery plan. 15. To ensure full compliance at all times with the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy. 16. To explore opportunities for pioneer expressions of mission and ministry wherever appropriate and possible.