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Welcome to Craven Arms

Gateway to the Marches

Is this for you?

Thank you for your interest in what is a truly exciting and challenging post and, whether or not you put in an application, we ask you to join with us in praying for God’s hand on this appointment process.

A Pioneering role in a Gateway Community

We aim to recruit a Pioneer Minister to serve in Craven Arms

The Anglican parishes of the Craven Arms Group in partnership with the Methodist Church and supported by St

Andrew’s Independent Church are united in seeking an Ordained Minister in Anglican orders who brings a passion,

skills and if possible a track record in reaching a fresh generation for Christ. The call is for someone who through

the use of an intentional approach to mission, evangelism and discipleship will lead and enable the formation and

discipleship of a new and renewed community of faith. Our prayer is that within five years at least one new

congregation will form while remaining a fully committed and part of the existing churches and the wider church in

all its fulness. Mission theory suggests that long term sustainability requires the church in each locality to be self

governing, self replicating and self sustaining. Locally governance exists in the Parochial Church Councils (PCC’s )

and other similar Methodist structures. Becoming self replicating requires growing a new generation of disciples and

becoming self sustaining requires new resources both financial and in leadership. These are the challenges we face.

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The contents of this pack draws upon our development of Mission Action Planning and the Diocese of Hereford

and Methodist Church’s expertise in relation to Intergenerational Mission and Missional Learning Community. It

also includes some details of the Condover Deanery and Methodist Circuit where the post will be based. We invite

you to read it and to consider whether it fires your imagination and inspires you. There is no hiding the challenge

but we trust you will also grasp the vison and passion we have to see God do something new. We realise that

when it comes to the role specification we are dealing with the realm of the ideal and that no one human could

ever be expected to be an expert in all the requirements. They would not be human if they were.

Whoever is appointed will be part of the Deanery of Condover and linked

to the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury Methodist District. If you’d like to

know more please email Bishop Alistair at 01588673571 or

office@bishopofludlow.co.uk . You are welcome to have a conversation

with him or Jo Yair 07535152548, Ministry and Mission Coordinator

Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury Methodist District. We will be very glad

to hear from you.

Who Are We?

Craven Arms

Craven Arms exhibits an almost unique status and socio-economic

cultural mix within the Diocese of Hereford and is among the sizeable

communities in South Shropshire. The group of parishes house a

population of just over 3,500. Employment features a mix of light

industry, agricultural supplies and machinery, some service industry, a

halal abattoir and some office and professional services. The work

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associated with agriculture and the businesses supporting agriculture generates a substantial proportion of the

overall income. Across the parishes there is a fairly even distribution of age ranges and the group contains two

schools both of which welcome church links. The Craven Arms school is a County Primary and in Wistanstow it a

Church of England Primary. The community has its own locally run supermarket (Tuffins), a mainline railway

station, doctor’s surgery, veterinary practice and a range of other shops and food outlets. There is a popular and

busy Community Centre with sports facilities and the Shropshire Hills cultural centre. Unemployment is low and

there is a wide range of incomes.

The Halal abattoir is operated by a significant Muslim community. This vibrant Muslim community has its own

mosque and Imam. Also within the community, and of more recent times, there has come a strict Mennonite

community. Consequently, distinct elements of this town are marked by different groups each with distinct dress

codes. For more detailed census & deprivation info see http://arcg.is/IRaS4CS

The Diocese of Hereford

The Craven Arms group of parishes is part of the Condover Deanery in

the Archdeaconry of Ludlow, within the Diocese of Hereford. Hereford

is the most rural diocese in the Church of England and covers the whole

county of Herefordshire, Southern Shropshire, and a few parishes in

Worcestershire, Powys and Monmouthshire.The Anglican

Parishes The Craven Arms Group of Parishes consists at present of

four parishes – St Margaret’s, Acton Scott; St Thomas, Halford; St John

the Baptist, Stokesay; and Holy Trinity Wistanstow. As well as being

Intergenerational Missioners – Hereford Diocese

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four parishes it is three distinct benefices. This plurality is currently suspended and pastoral reorganisation is being

pursued to create a more integral benefice. Of recent note St Thomas Halford have recognised that they can no

longer sustain being a separate PCC.

The history is that Halford with Sibdon Carwood has been held with Stokesay since the 1980s. Acton Scott came

under the care of the Priest in Charge of Stokesay and Halford in the mid 1990s followed by Wistanstow in 2006.

We have a Local Ministry Development Group and an enthusiastic and active core of retired clergy.

The four parishes cover an area of around 19 square miles, much of it located in an Area of Outstanding Natural

Beauty (AONB) within the Shropshire Hills. We are a predominantly rural area with small hamlets and the larger

township of Craven Arms.

South Shropshire is a wonderful place to live. We offer an exciting opportunity to the successful applicant to develop

a ministry which is an integral part of our community, helping us to grow spiritually as individuals and as churches.

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The Deanery of Condover

Condover Deanery, in the shape of a bell hanging from the southern edge of Shrewsbury, has 38 churches. Although

covering a fairly large area, the population amounts to only 18,000 people, of whom 12% are on the electoral rolls. As with a bell, the weight is on the outside of its shape, along the main roads: A49 Shrewsbury to Craven Arms, and

A458 Shrewsbury to Much Wenlock. The middle of the Deanery is more sparsely populated. Six and two-thirds stipendiary clergy benefice posts serve the seven groups of parishes. In addition, there are 5 voluntary licensed

clergy, several formal and informal lay ministry teams, seven readers, and more than a dozen active retired clergy. The Chapter of licensed clergy meets monthly (except in August) including two lunch-time meetings (cafe in Lent,

pub in summer) and a quiet day. Twice a year the meeting is thrown open to the wider range of readers and retired clergy. Appropriately for a rural deanery, we represent a broad sweep of churchmanship. We have benefited from

the ministry of women, both in reader ministry and priestly ministry.

The Deanery Synod meets three times a year. The Standing, Mission and Pastoral Committee has a representative

from each of the seven groups of parishes. It includes the Deanery Officers and conducts the business of the Deanery Synod between meetings, as well as fulfilling the role of Deanery Pastoral Committee. We have made full use of the

Mission Fund allocation from the Diocese, and in recent years have paid in full the Deanery Share gathered from all

the Parish Shares. The Deanery Pastoral Plan values the commitment of all Christians to loving service and gives full value to the ministry offered by voluntary ministers, non stipendiary ministers and retired clergy and by Readers,

local ministry development groups and other initiatives in lay ministry.

The Deanery of Condover is in good heart, the collegiality of the clergy and readers continues to develop and we are

looking at ways in which we can support each other in expressions of mission, ministry and outreach.

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Please see the Shropshire Council web site; shropshire.gov.uk for information on the services and amenities available

in and around our parishes (click on ‘maps’ link at foot of home page to access local information.

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The Methodist District and Circuit

As part of the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District, the

Shropshire and Marches circuit is currently made up of 10 ministers serving 68 chapels and their communities alongside

lay employees and volunteer teams.

In very different locations across the circuit you will find Methodist congregations engaged in ministry within local

schools, residential homes, housing estate outreach projects, alternative mid-week worship, Messy Church as well as

sustaining traditional forms of church life.

As part of the call to love our neighbours the Methodist church has worked in partnership with the Hereford Diocese in the

development and continued financial and learning support of the Borderlands Rural Chaplaincy which offers a confidential,

listening ear and pastoral support to farmers, farming families

and agricultural communities.

Craven Arms Methodist church sits within the central section of the circuit and holds a prominent position within one

of the town’s busiest streets, offering an excellent location as an outreach base for the pioneer project.

Finances – The post costs in real terms £55,000. This will be jointly funded. The parishes are seeking to ensure

their Offer is realistic so that they contribute to the actual costs of supplying a full time stipendiary post. This in practice is a challenge. The Methodists have committed themselves to providing £10,200 per annum to the overall

costs on the basis of an initial three year, renewable, commitment. This is in line with and consistent with their funding practice.

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Vicarage – This is a modern detached house, on the Clun Road, near Craven Arms town centre. Centrally heated

and double glazed. The study is off the front entrance hall, divided by a door from the main living accommodation and comprises: a large lounge with open fire, dining room, large kitchen and cloakroom downstairs and an open

plan staircase leading to upstairs landing, four bedrooms and bathroom with shower. There is ample parking at the front of the house with a single attached garage. Trees and a stream border the rear garden.

Administrative Support – The parishes currently fund 3 hours per week administrative support. This has been

used primarily to assist with the production of the weekly and special service sheets and generally to assist with the administrative process.

The Challenge The fundamental challenge is to reach a new and younger generation with the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

The vision is to grow Christians and Church. This is consistent with the first key strategic priority of the Diocese of Hereford (SP1) and the Methodist priority of responding to the gospel of God’s love in Christ and to live out its

discipleship in worship and mission. It will further require fresh thinking in respect of the shape and form of mission and any new mission community that grows from this work. There is an expectation that new forms of ministry and

church will emerge in a form which reimagine ecclesial shapes in relevant and effective ways. This is consistent with the second strategic priority (SP3)

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SP1: Numerical and Spiritual Growth SP2: Promoting the Common Good

SP3: Reimagining Ministry

Both the Diocese and the Methodist District have a growing body of expertise and experience in developing Intergenerational and Missional Communities. The Diocese supported financially by the Church Commissioners’

together have established six new intergenerational missioners posts. These missioners, linked to others doing similar work, have formed a learning and support network and in relation to it, a wider learning community. Whoever

comes will be able to connect with what is already an established core of leaders based around a missional learning community.

The Post

There are so many opportunities to reach out to people who do not attend church and to those who do not yet think about God. The work typically associated with parish ministry has up until now taken up all the time of the clergy

making it very difficult to do anything new. After several consultations and public meetings there is a consensus among our committed church members to pursue a new strategy.

The new strategy will have several elements.

• Shared Ministry: In the deanery and locality there are a good number of active and able retired clergy. They give generously and freely of time and service. This is something that they value and enjoy. Consequently,

many aspects of the regular ministry are able to be undertaken by this team. • Lay coordination: What is presently lacking is a more formalised coordination of the active retired clergy.

An ideal would be for one lay person to take administrative responsibility for the rotas and another to act as coordinator to let the clergy know who needs pastoral visits and care. This will need to be put in place. The

present local ministry development group will also require re-launching; diocesan support is readily available for this.

• Leadership oversight: If this approach is formalised the person appointed will have the formal cure of souls. Matters of governance, finance and oversight will remain with this office. However theirs will be a role of

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delegation and support. In practice it will be a requirement to oversee and, through regular meetings, ensure all is working effectively.

• Release to focus on Evangelism and Discipleship: The priority is for a person to bring vison, energy and a confidence in the gospel. The ability to draw others into faith in Christ will be of primary importance.

There is agreement that whoever comes needs to be gifted and able to consistently devote

their time to building relationships with the vast majority of people living in our communities who have nothing to do with traditional church. We believe also that many

of them have not actively rejected God, they simply haven’t heard or thought about faith.

There is good work already on which to build. Jointly the Methodists and Anglicans run a

Messy Church in the Methodist Church. Through this, good contact is being established with several parents and children. Open the Book is well established in the schools. There

is also a Filling Station that seeks to encourage and renew active service.

At this point it would be wrong to be too prescriptive as to how best to pursue growth. However, a focus towards youth, families and schools will be essential. Craven Arms has

significant meeting places in relation to all three. Initially the ministry must focus on developing relationships where and when people meet. Whichever the best means, the

vision is a fresh and new community of faith that has the hallmarks of church. It is to be a community that takes discipleship seriously, and from whom it is expected leaders will emerge.

The Traditional Parishes Churches and Congregations In making this appointment careful consideration is being to the already established parishes and congregations. It

remains our conviction that the traditional patterns are life giving and that a good deal of effective mission and ministry is conducted through life events and the existing patterns. They need to be cherished and individuals given

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pastoral care as is needful. A sustainable pattern of Sunday worship must be maintained. This missional opportunity is not set at the expense of the traditional or of those who need that care and who need to continue to know whom

to seek for their pastoral care as set out in the strategy. As part of the consultations the retired clergy have been present and contributed positively to the conversations. There is a good deal of willingness on their part to provide

for the weekly worship and the pastoral offices. Given the number of retired clergy locally and their already active service it is envisaged that the majority of this ministry will be shared and delegated among them. As indicated the

duty to oversee this ministry will rest with whoever is appointed. The aim is not an abdication of the oversight but a responsible delegation and coordination that frees the appointee to the task of intergenerational mission.

Ministry Review

Whoever is appointed will be subject to Common Tenure and to Ministry Review. Given the new aspects of this ministry it will be important to keep the work under review. As a Diocese we are using the growth cycle and along

with our Intergenerational Missioners it will expected that careful monitoring and supported assessment of progress will form an important part of the work.

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The Person Specification

A lively and infectious faith in Jesus Christ with a story to tell of their own faith journey

A good understanding or aptitude to quickly acquire such understanding- of the traditions, values, structures and practices of the churches and a willingness to work within its disciplines and structures

A commitment and evident ability to lead Christian mission, evangelism and discipleship

A passion for intergenerational mission -the ability to be able to work across and between the ages

A commitment to be an active part of the Missional Learning community structures already in place in the Diocese

Appreciation of the riches of the inherited tradition alongside an understanding of the urgency and demands of

leading churches through change

Someone who has already exercised a leader role/ ministry and is excited to continue to broaden the scope of their

experience and expertise

A vision of what it means to be part of a mixed economy church and the ability to relate to the local situation

Proven experience in being part of establishing, sustaining or growing one or more new congregations amongst non

churched / all ages/ younger generations

Self motivation with the ability to work collaboratively

The ability to lead and facilitate through listening, discerning, inspiring, encouraging, motivating, and empowering individuals and groups -clergy and lay

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A commitment to our churches strategic priorities Brings expertise that can benefit the wider diocese and church networks, especially mission

teams

A commitment to their own personal, spiritual and professional vocation and development -and an ability to grow that in others

Well developed communication and creative skills, ability to talk to a range of people and present in different settings

but especially relate to children, young people and families

Holds a full driving licence and has access to a vehicle