APPOINTMENT OF

DIOCESAN DIRECTOR OF ORDINANDS

MARCH 2016

 

 

CONTENTS page

1 Introduction by the Bishop of St Albans

2 The Diocese of St Albans

3 The Diocesan Vocations Team

The Diocesan Director of Ordinands:

4 The role

7 The person specification

8 Terms and Conditions

9 How to apply

9 Further information  

 

Introduction By the Rt Revd Bishop of St Albans

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Dear Candidate, Thank you for your interest in the position of Director of Ordinands in St Albans Diocese. This diocese has a strong track record in terms of vocations of all types, and the work of discernment, encouragement and training for ministry is a high priority. Our Diocesan vision of ‘Living God’s Love’ incorporates the themes of Going Deeper Into God, Transforming Communities, and Making New Disciples. To take this vision forward, and to serve the wider church, we are committed to sharing the journey with those who are exploring their vocation.

The successful candidate will lead a team of dedicated clergy and lay people, and will work closely with the Director of Ministry and with the Director of Mission. Please read the following role description and person specification carefully. If you believe you have the skills and abilities we are looking for then we would welcome hearing from you. With warmest best wishes,

 

 

 

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The Diocese of St Albans The Diocese of St Albans consists of the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and part of the London Borough of Barnet. The population is approximately 1.8 million, and the total electoral roll number is

approximately 39,000. The Bishop of St Albans has overall responsibility for the Diocese. He is assisted by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Bedford and the Bishop of Hertford, who in turn are assisted by the Archdeacon of Bedford, and the Archdeacons of St Albans and Hertford. There are twenty deaneries and the Diocese has 336 parishes, of which about one third are rural, 201 benefices, 400 churches, 269 stipendiary clergy, 60 non-stipendiary clergy, 232 clergy with Permission to Officiate and 264 Lay Readers. There are 135 Church Schools and Academies in the Diocese.

Living God’s Love is the vision of the parishes, church schools and chaplaincies across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Luton and Barnet. This Vision is grounded in our love of God and love of neighbour flowing from God’s love for us. Its three priorities are:

going deeper into God transforming communi es making new disciples

Using Mission Action Planning we are developing confident and outward looking mission and evangelism, leading to spiritual and numerical growth. The Diocesan Synod is the elected decision-making body of the diocese and the Bishop’s Council as the Standing Committee of the Synod has a key role in formulating diocesan policy. The statutory work of the Church and support to the parishes is provided by the staff of the Diocesan office, located in Holywell Lodge in St Albans.

 

 

 

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The Diocese of St Albans They work in four main teams:- The Board of Finance which is the main employer of lay staff and is a limited company and registered charity. The Board is responsible for formulating the diocesan budget, which is currently about £14m, and for managing clergy housing, investments and overseeing parochial trusts, the combined value of which is about £150m. The lead officer of the Board, who has overall responsibility for the staff of the Diocesan Office, is the Diocesan Secretary. The administrative team which supports the work of the Board is organised into three major departments, each of which is headed by an Assistant Secretary, the Financial Secretary, the Estates Secretary and the Pastoral & Advisory Secretary.

The staff of the administrative team are in regular contact with, and provide support to, other Diocesan Officers involved with the work of the other Boards and Council, and a variety of groups and sub-committees which report to them.

The Board of Education is also a statutory body accountable to Diocesan Synod. Its staff include the Diocesan Director of Education, Deputy Director of Education and RE Adviser who work closely with church schools in the diocese. The Diocese covers five local authorities, with the majority of the 135 church schools and academies located in Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, with one in Luton and two in the London Borough of Barnet. The Council for Discipleship and Ministry is responsible for proposing and steering policy in development and learning for the Diocese. The lead officer of the Council is the Director of Ministry and there are three teams reporting to the Council - the Ministerial Development team headed by the Ministerial Development Officer concerned with adult learning, ministerial training and appraisal; the Vocations team headed by the Diocesan Director of Ordinands concerned with recruitment to ministry; and the Parish Development team headed by the Parish Development Officer and concerned with work with children and young people, stewardship and support for parishes. The Board for Church and Society promotes the whole mission of the Church in wider society throughout the Diocese. In particular, the Board has special regard for social responsibility, evangelism, ecumenism, interfaith relations and international links. The Director of Mission heads the Board’s staff.

 

General Information The work of the Vocations Team is wide-ranging and is regarded as a high priority in the Diocese of St Albans. In particular:

i. We believe in preparing candidates thoroughly for their BAP, and this is reflected in our recommendation rates. In 2015, 14 candidates were ordained Deacon and 17 Deacons were ordained Priest.

ii. We have increased our average numbers starting training each September from 10 (in 2010) to 16 (in 2015). We intend to increase this further towards our target of 20 people beginning training each year. Increasing vocations is a central strand of the diocesan strategy. Currently there are 45 diocesan Ordinands in training.

iii. A further 35 candidates are currently in conversation with the DDO or Associate DDO, and another 28 are seeing a Vocations Adviser.

iv. In March, 38 of the Ordinands in training attended the diocesan Ministerial Candidates Conference, and over 30 young people from across the Diocese met Archbishop Justin in June and received his encouragement to respond to God’s call.

v. The Vocations Team runs a number of annual events including: “Life in the Vicarage” for candidates currently exploring vocation; an evening for candidates which covered grants and financial issues; “Seeking the Way” which is an opportunity for people to look at vocation in a broad sense; “Exploring Ordination” at which candidates hear about attending a Bishop’s Advisory Panel (BAP) and different forms of training; and training for the Vocations Advisers.

vi. During 2015, we have increased the size of the Vocation Team to help us deliver this goal. We appointed a part-time team administrator and also a second part-time Associate DDO.

vii. We have recently refreshed our Vocations strategy and are continually looking at innovative ways to connect committed Christians with their own vocations.

viii. The Vocations Team runs a scheme called PILOT for 16 to 22-year-olds. It puts participants in touch with a range of events and initiatives designed to give “hands-on” experience of ministry, and enables them to explore calling with others of the same age.

ix. The Vocations Team works together on all aspects of vocations from early promotion and encouragement through discernment to support in training and curacy.

x. The work of the Vocations Team has the full support of the Bishops, the Bishop’s Staff,

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The Role of the Diocesan Director of Ordinands Purpose The purpose of this role is to lead the diocesan Vocations Team in its work of encouraging vocations, discerning those whom God is calling to ministry, and nurturing candidates up to the point of ordination.

Overview The Bishop of St Albans wishes to appoint a Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO). The work of the DDO can be divided into four main areas of responsibility: i. The DDO shares with the Vocations Team responsibility for discerning vocations to

ordained and lay ministry, enabling men and women to pursue their sense of calling under God to public ministry within the Church of England.

ii. The DDO should not only able to manage the important task of supporting those called to authorised ministry, but also be passionate about encouraging the fostering of vocations. Growing vocations to ordained ministry is a key strand in the national Reform and Renewal Programme. In the last few years, St Albans Diocese has already seen an increase in the number of candidates being recommended for ordination training. However, this work now needs to be built on and developed further, particularly in relation to younger vocations.

iii. The Bishop is seeking a person who is able to lead the Vocations Team, which currently comprises two half-time Associate DDOs (ADDOs), a half-time Diocesan Vocations Officer (DVO) and a part-time administrator. A key part of this role is to help the Vocations Team develop and pursue its strategy.

iv. As a diocese, St Albans has recently reaffirmed its vision of Living God’s Love, with the three strands: going deeper into God, transforming communities and making new disciples. The DDO will be someone who is committed to these aims and is able to relate them creatively to the work of the Vocations Team.

 

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The Role of the Diocesan Director of Ordinands continued Key Responsibilities

The role of the DDO includes the following tasks:

interviewing candidates;

liaising with the candidate’s incumbent;

liaising with and coordinating a team of vocational Discerners;

arranging and monitoring further exploration/development for candidates (e.g. acquiring wider experience, obtaining tutorial help);

initiating DBS clearance and faculty applications under Canon C4;

writing reports to refer candidates to the Bishop for sponsoring for a Bishops’ Advisory Panel (BAP);

preparing candidates and completing all the accompanying paperwork for sponsoring candidates for a BAP;

drafting the Bishop’s letter to the candidate;

follow-up interviews;

initiating the process leading to Notice of Acceptance;

monitoring progress during training and maintaining pastoral care and financial support;

arranging and overseeing the ordination retreat;

liaising with the Bishop, Cathedral Staff and others on the arrangements for ordination services;

attending the Deployment Group and assisting with arranging title posts; and

assisting with the annual candidates conference with the Bishop.

 

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The Role of the Diocesan Director of Ordinands continued Working Relationships The DDO is answerable to the Bishop working under the oversight of the Director of Ministry. The DDO acts as line manager for the Vocations Team. S/he needs to be able to promote healthy collaboration and to conduct annual work reviews. In addition to the core team, the wider Vocations Team comprises six Vocations Advisors (two from each Archdeaconry) who are managed by the DVO. The Vocations Team is one of three teams, along with the Ministry Development Team and the Parish Development Team, which supports and encourages all aspects of ministry in the diocese. The DDO reports to the Council for Discipleship and Ministry (CfDM), attending its meetings, preparing an annual report and providing relevant statistics when required. The DDO also attends the following meetings:

the Bishop’s Staff Meeting when invited; the Deployment Group (and prepares the agenda for this meeting); the Council for Discipleship and Ministry; the CfDM Executive meetings; and meetings with other diocesan officers as required.

It is expected that the DDO will be a member of the appropriate regional and national networks, and will keep up-to-date with issues related to vocation and selection.

 

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The Person Specification While it is recognised that candidates’ experience will vary, it is hoped that the DDO will have:

i) an enthusiasm for working with candidates as they explore their sense of vocation;

ii) prior knowledge and experience of the selection procedures for ordained ministry in the Church of England;

iii) experience and understanding of the opportunities and challenges of authorised ministry and mission in the Church of England;

iv) theological credibility especially with respect to a theology of lay and ordained ministry in the church – ideally, but not necessarily, a degree in theology or a related discipline;

v) experience of interviewing;

vi) a good understanding of current developments in the structure, content and character of theological education;

vii) an ability to work collegially with others, offering appropriate management and direction;

viii) an ability to manage their own time and to prioritise a demanding workload;

ix) skills in writing reports; and

x) the ability and willingness to travel around the diocese as necessary for the work as a DDO.

Previous experience of working in a vocations team or as a Bishop’s assessor or selector is desirable, but not essential.

 

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Terms and Conditions Appointment: This is a full-time post, half-time as DDO and the remaining half-time as

priest-in-charge of Marston Morteyne and Lidlington, and the appointments are co-terminus. The appointment as DDO will be under a contract of employment with the diocese and the appointment as priest-in-charge will be under Common Tenure with a Role Description and a Statement of Particulars.

Term: The appointment of the DDO will be based upon a probationary period of six months

during which it may be terminated by either party by one month’s notice, and thereafter by three months notice on either side. Appointment is subject to enhanced DBS disclosure. (As the parish appointment is under Common Tenure, should either party wish to terminate the appointment of DDO in the probationary period, further discussions would be required by all parties).

Stipend: It is expected that the postholder will live in the parsonage house for the benefice

free of rent, Council tax and water rates for the better performance of their duties as priest-in-charge, and receive the diocesan stipend for incumbents (£25,983 from 1 April 2016).

Pension: The successful applicant will be offered a pension with the Church of England

Pensions Board. Hours: The DDO shall work such hours as are necessary for the proper discharge of the

duties of employment under their contract and in any event on an average of 21 hours per week in a six day work week (42 hours). There are no specified hours of work. The post will involve evening work and the employee will be expected to establish a flexible work programme. No overtime is paid.

Holidays: Total annual leave entitlement for both posts is 36 working days plus the

statutory Bank Holidays in accordance with the entitlement for clergy Expenses: Approved expenses are paid in full through the Council for Discipleship and

Ministry budget at agreed rates. Office Facilities and Administrative Assistance: No Office space is provided; the

vicarage office will be the designated place of work. Administrative assistance from the diocesan office is shared with the other members of the Vocations Team.

More detailed information on terms and conditions for diocesan staff will be found in the Staff Handbook.

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How to apply for this position

If you would like to apply for this post, please send the completed application form to:

Mrs S Abood, Secretary to the Archdeacon of Bedford, 17 Lansdowne Road, Luton LU3 1EE

or via email: archdbedfpa@stalbans.anglican.org

References may be taken up before interview. Please indicate if anyone may not be approached at this stage. Closing date: Friday 22nd April 2016 Interviews: Tuesday 17 May 2016 in St Albans For an informal conversation about the post you are invited to contact The Venerable Paul Hughes, Archdeacon of Bedford on 01582 730722

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