PARISH PROFILE Contents 1 BISHOP’S INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 3 2 DEANERY SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 4 3 BACKGROUND TO POST .................................................................................................................... 5 4 ROLE SPECIFICATION ........................................................................................................................ 5 5 PERSON SPECIFICATION .................................................................................................................. 6 6 ARDEN MARCHES CHURCHES: THE DIOCESAN MISSION PURPOSE AND 8 ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF HEALTHY CHURCHES ...................................................................................................... 7 6.1 EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP ..................................................................................................... 7 6.2 GIFT-ORIENTED MINISTRY ........................................................................................................ 7 6.3 PASSIONATE SPIRITUALITY ...................................................................................................... 7 6.4 INSPIRING WORSHIP .................................................................................................................. 8 6.5 HOLISTIC SMALL GROUPS ........................................................................................................ 8 6.6 NEED-ORIENTED OUTREACH ................................................................................................... 8 6.7 LOVING RELATIONSHIPS ......................................................................................................... 10 6.8 FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES .................................................................................................... 10 7 THE PARISHES .................................................................................................................................. 11 7.1 HISTORY .................................................................................................................................... 11 7.2 LOCATION .................................................................................................................................. 11 7.3 POPULATION ............................................................................................................................. 12 8 BUILDINGS ......................................................................................................................................... 14 8.1 CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, STUDLEY ......................... 14 8.2 THE PARISH CENTRE ............................................................................................................... 14 8.3 HOLY ASCENSION CHURCH, MAPPLEBOROUGH GREEN .................................................. 15 8.4 ANKCORN HOUSE .................................................................................................................... 15 8.5 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, MORTON BAGOT ........................................................................... 16 8.6 ST MARY'S CHURCH, OLDBERROW ....................................................................................... 16 8.7 VICARAGE .................................................................................................................................. 17 9 SERVICES .......................................................................................................................................... 18 9.1 SERVICE ROTA ......................................................................................................................... 18 9.2 ARDEN MARCHES CHURCHES – STATISTICS 2016 ............................................................. 19 10 SCHOOL LINKS .............................................................................................................................. 19 10.1 STUDLEY ST MARY’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND ACADEMY ................................................... 19 10.2 MAPPLEBOROUGH GREEN CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL .......................... 19 11 ECUMENICAL LINKS ..................................................................................................................... 20 12 ADMINISTRATION ......................................................................................................................... 20 13 FINANCE AND STEWARDSHIP .................................................................................................... 22 14 FURTHER DETAILS ....................................................................................................................... 23 Page 2 of 23 1 BISHOP’S INTRODUCTION The Arden Marches group of rural churches, located around the large ‘village’ (more like a small town with its 6,000 residents) of Studley in the west of the Diocese, have long been an example of positive creativity and spiritual life, with excellent relationships among them and with the Diocese as a whole. They are a great group of people! This post provides a large population base in Studley, with smaller but equally valued, communities around it with which to work. Like other posts emerging in the Diocese at this time, the Rector of Studley and the Arden Marches will be ministering in a wider context of the Diocesan commitment to think imaginatively and creatively about how best to support our rural parishes in mission. I hope the new priest-leader of this Group will have a key contribution to these consultations and the actions that will follow – the Arden Marches Group have much to offer from which others can learn, with their track record of working together for many years and their well developed lay ministry. The Diocese of Coventry is a forward-thinking Diocese, which encourages innovation and imagination. We welcome applicants who are ready to join us in this creative engagement in mission as we seek to grow healthy church communities that worship God more fully, make more new disciples and transform their communities by the gospel more effectively. We hope that the combination of ministering in both large and small village contexts, with good lay people, will be an attractive prospect, and I commend the post to you. With my prayers Page 3 of 23 2 DEANERY SUMMARY Despite being without a permanent Area Dean at the moment, a warm welcome from the Alcester Deanery awaits the person God sends to join us as Rector of Studley and the Arden Marches group. Our Deanery is situated in rural Warwickshire and has a vision for ministry built upon the diocesan priorities to worship God, make new disciples and transform community. Alcester Deanery is increasingly being focused on the importance of lay and clergy being inspired to work together, and there is a need to be at ease working with our many small but faithful church families who have varied styles of worship. Currently, the greatest challenge to the rural church is ageing church congregations, and there is a pressing need for an enthusiastic and open- minded approach to explore new and appropriate ways of ministering and doing mission in the countryside. The Deanery is committed to supporting the three-fold Diocesan Mision purpose of Worshipping God, Making New Disciples and Transforming Communites by implementing Natural Church Development principles. Although the role of Area Dean is vacant, a situation we hope to rectify shortly, the Chapter continues to meet monthly. The clergy are in good spirits and find these meetings helpful and supportive. They provide valuable opportunities for sharing faith, prayer and fellowship as well as growing a common heart for mission and learning. We very much look forward to welcoming to our mostly rural Deanery (apart from Alcester and Studley), a colleague who will face the challenges and share the joys of rural ministry alongside us. Page 4 of 23 3 BACKGROUND TO POST The post of Rector for the Arden Marches benefice has become available as a result of the early retirement of our previous incumbent due to ill health. Having served with us for just over 6 years, his retirement followed a prolonged period of sickness leave, which, in effect, means that the benefice has been without a rector for over a year, although the interregnum did not officially begin until the beginning of February 2017. To assist in the configuration of the new post, the Ministry Leadership Team (MLT) carried out a Natural Churches Development survey (an update to our previous two surveys carried out in September 2014 and November 2015), the results of which form the basis of this Parish Profile. We also put together our own internal questionnaire to ascertain the key personal characteristics and experience that members of our congregations would like to see in a new incumbent and we invited other (non-congregation) members of the local community to express their views on the sort of person that they would like to see as the new rector for our villages. Recognising the importance of prayer and being open to where God wants us to go in our Christian journey, we have also initiated a number of opportunities to encourage personal and congregational prayer, including prayer points on our weekly News Sheet, a prayer network committed to praying each day throughout the interregnum and a monthly prayer lunch. Results from the