January 2016 Statement of Need We are looking for a Bishop of Oxford who will be: 1. An Inspired and Innovative Leader who will help all people, lay and ordained, across the Diocese of Oxford to understand what and where we are, realise what we can be and where we want to get to, and navigate the way forward. 2. A Focus for Unity, secure in their faith and identity, and able to lead with clarity, humility and understanding. They will be a ‘leader of leaders’ in the senior staff team, able to celebrate and focus the leadership of others throughout the Diocese, forming a unity of purpose while holding the trust of our creative and capable Area Teams. Our new Bishop will support unequivocally the Diocese’s longstanding commitment to ordain both men and women. 3. A Voice for God and the Church in local and national contexts. Our Bishop will be someone who can live and teach the faith and inspire people to join us on the Way of Christ. A person able to speak on the national stage, and enabled to do so by a well- functioning and supportive Area system. Psalm One expresses our hope: That being rooted in God and in the Diocese, our new Bishop should be freed to bear fruit in due season, bringing inspiration and hope to all. Blessed is the one Who walks not in the counsel of the wicked Nor stands in the way of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of scoffers. But their delight is in the law of the Lord. And on that law they meditate day and night. They are like a tree Planted by streams of water That yields its fruit in due season, And its leaf does not wither. In all they do, they prosper. - 2 - Purpose of the Role To lead the Diocese of Oxford in mission and ministry and to provide episcopal oversight. The detailed personal characteristics needed for this role are included in Appendix 2. Challenges of the Role 1. In all the activity of a busy Diocese, to bring us back constantly to seeking God’s will and hearing God’s call for us as His people. 2. To be an intelligent and articulate voice for God and the Church in the three counties and beyond, able to live and teach the faith and inspire people to join us in the Way of Christ. The proportion of people with ‘no faith’ has increased markedly in recent years. This needs to be tackled and turned around. 3. To develop a diocesan vision and strategy that engages creatively with the Areas and gives coherence to the Diocese as a whole. This will include enabling our larger churches to play a strategic part in the life of the Diocese, where their strength can help unlock the mission potential elsewhere. 4. To oversee strategic planning for models of ministry in a Diocese that hasn’t yet been faced with the radical re-imagination of parochial structures. This will mean a significant commitment to fostering the discipleship and vocation of all people. 5. To resource and support the significant pastoral opportunities of major new housing developments in all three counties. 6. To capitalise on the value of being part of an established Area system that can enable local ministry to flourish and release the Diocesan Bishop for ministry at a strategic and national level. - 3 - The Diocese of Oxford: a Description The Diocese of Oxford is a wonderful place to serve God. It has a wealth of resources, human, material and financial. It has a long tradition of theological debate and spiritual exploration. The organisation of the Church provides the scope for strategic and innovative development in reinterpreting the gospel for our time. It is a Diocese of rapidly changing demographics, significant investment and extensive engagement with education. There is much to celebrate… but much to do. Geographically, the Diocese covers the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. This ranges from very rural areas in the north and west, to a thriving urban corridor along the Thames Valley, a centre of modern industry including information technology and biotechnology. The Diocese sets its vision, purpose and values in the context of the five marks of mission, which is currently manifested as the ‘Living Faith’ framework. We work within an Area scheme which provides the Bishop of Oxford the space for strategic innovation, supported also by a system of Boards and Committees that oversee the diverse range of work. The Bishop’s Staff play a key role in drawing together the detailed strands of activity. Moving Forward Since the See became vacant in late 2014, the Diocese has moved forward in a number of different areas. These include: An increasing number of prayer initiatives, mostly lay led The development and approval of Archdeaconry Mission Action Plans, which are now informing forward planning Exploration of new forms of stipendiary ministry, including the appointment of an extra full-time Rural Dean working across four rural deaneries in Buckinghamshire A reshaped DDO team, providing greater capacity A new focus on fostering lay vocations New relationships between large churches and smaller parishes which are leading to exciting mission initiatives and hold the promise of significant church growth A new initiative launched for ‘Partnership for Missional Church’ in Berkshire Expanded relationships in education to include community schools Increased dialogue with other faiths, including Imam Monawar Hussein addressing Diocesan Synod - 4 - Refocusing the work and role of a new diocesan Christian Generosity and Giving Officer, to be appointed in early 2016 The appointment of a new Director of Mission New Diocesan offices have been purchased in Kidlington with a planned move in the spring of 2016, and a commitment to open an Area office for Berkshire. Despite the continued activity in the Diocese, the absence of a full-time Bishop of Oxford is felt most keenly in developing our diocesan wide strategy. - 5 - Introducing Living Faith ‘Joining with God in creating a caring, sustainable and growing Christian presence in every part of the Diocese’ The Diocese has been working within the framework of ‘Living Faith’, a vision launched in 2009 with the aim of bringing the Oxford Diocese together under one overarching purpose, a set of values and five priorities, while at the same time providing scope for adaptation to local needs across a diverse Episcopal See. Since its launch, the Diocese has developed a wide variety of resources including course guides, leaflets, mission guidance and DVDs. For the years 2010 to 2014, material was produced and courses delivered to support one particular strand of the five priorities in turn. The aim has been to encourage the painting of local pictures, using the five colours, by offering a flexible framework to meet the needs of local circumstances. This Description of the Diocese of Oxford is set out under the five Living Faith headings. While Living Faith has provided a useful bridge during the vacancy, the Diocese will be ready for a fresh look when our new bishop arrives. - 6 - Sustaining the Sacred Centre Sustaining the Sacred Centre has been by far the most used strand of the Living Faith vision. This has been played out in parishes by way of Quiet Days and an increase in the number of Home/Bible Study Groups, and in the Diocese through the work of a Spirituality Adviser, the publication of resources for prayer, an annual day exploring prayer in collaboration with Ripon College Cuddesdon, and the launch of the Thames Pilgrim Way. The Diocese supports an ecumenical grouping, SpiDir, that offers training in, and provision of, spiritual direction for clergy and lay people. There is also an active Cursillo group. Uniquely, Christ Church Cathedral is both a College Chapel and the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of Oxford. It is home to a worshipping community with a rich tradition and a world famous Cathedral Choir. The Cathedral hosts a wide range of diocesan and civic events, including music, art, dance and drama. The annual number of paying visitors to the Christ Church site averages 450,000, most of whom visit the Cathedral. Tens of thousands more visit the Cathedral free of charge as worshippers and pilgrims. The Dean of Christ Church, the Very Revd Martyn Percy, who was appointed in October 2014, leads the dual foundation of College and Cathedral. The Chapter is made up of seven Canons: four are Professors at the University of Oxford, while the Archdeacon of Oxford and the Diocesan Canon both hold dual responsibilities in both Diocese and Cathedral. Christ Church thus enjoys a unique place at the intersection of church, city and university. Theological resource is rich in the Diocese. Ripon College Cuddesdon, (including the non- residential Oxford Ministry Course), Wycliffe Hall and St Stephen’s House all have close links with the Faculty of Theology, as do our many University Chaplains, who are a somewhat underused resource. CMS, which offers ground-breaking Pioneer Mission Leadership Training, is also in the Diocese. Linked to Oxford University there are several academic institutions rooted in their respective faith communities – Jewish, Islamic, Hindu to name but three. These are, on the whole, not like the theological colleges in that they are not training people to be rabbis, imams or priests but they are centres for study with links to a variety of colleges. Relationships with them are good and the new bishop will be assured of a warm welcome if s/he chooses to engage with them. - 7 - The Diocesan Department of Mission, meanwhile, has pioneered modular courses working with Ripon College Cuddesdon; these form the basis of all training for Licensed Lay Ministers and local ordained self-supporting ministers.