We invite you to be brave and creative, prayerful and loving in east Cornwall.
We’re looking for a priest who is bold and courageous, ready to further develop a team of leaders (lay and ordained) and explore with them the opportunities for mission and ministry in town and village contexts.

The Vision

The core of our clergy Deanery Leadership Team will comprise the Rural Dean & Strategic Lead, the Oversight Ministers from the parish clusters (that we hope will become the three new benefices) and the Pioneer Minister.
This team will work as part of and alongside the synodical governance structure of the deanery and with the Deanery Implementation Team whose focus is the implementation
of our deanery plan. This role will work with the Change and Renewal Team to successfully implement the discerned plans. Each Deanery has a Project Support Officer from the Change and Renewal Team to help them in practical ways to progress their plans, and build local skills in project management for the future.

Proposed Kit Hill Benefice

Our vision as a Benefice is to be a nurturing, faithful and joyful community, which is both creative and brave, ready to inspire others prayerfully and lovingly.
We will seek to achieve this by:
  • offering a range of traditional and contemporary worship, using appropriate liturgy and medium, that includes and cares for the existing congregation and attracts the wider community,
  • being a central, welcoming and relevant focus with an open and loving heart to provide outreach through Christ-like hospitality,
  • delivering a range of bible-based teaching appropriate for different settings and enabling our discipleship to bring people to faith, being led by prayer,
  • being a Church that engages with all ages, within the Church and the wider community; sharing the love and teaching of the Gospel in a nurturing and relevant way.

Our New Minister:

This role is an essential element of the deanery plan and the successful candidate must be committed to following the vision and supporting discipleship enabling us to:
  • Present the Gospel in a way that brings people to faith;
  • Develops faith and helps people to grow in their discipleship
  • Identify, support and encourage mature and fruitful leaders.
The proposed Benefice lies in South East Cornwall, just over the Devon/Cornwall border, with all the benefits this stunning area has to offer, yet only two hours by car from Bristol and an hour from the M5 in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The proposed benefice brings together seven parishes containing 13 church buildings which are located in small
hamlets and villages in addition to the town of Callington, these are seven different parishes spread across a relatively large geographical area.
Callington serves as the main town with a post office, shops, food outlets, a secondary school serving young people up to 18 and a library. The town is some 15 miles from Plymouth via either a bridge or 24 miles via ferry, where many commute for education and employment.
There is a strong sense of community within the parishes which is reflected in the range of clubs, activities and community events that take place. These range from bands, choirs, amateur dramatics, U3A, gig rowing, a regatta, jazz festival, an annual bikers show, a highly regarded arts centre, which attracts international players, plus all the regular activities held in the many village halls for their local residents.
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The nature of Oversight Ministry

Oversight Ministry is the essential strategy in the delivery of this exciting Deanery plan, to achieve fruitfulness and sustainability. This is not simply a traditional parish priest role with a lot of churches. It will require prayerful and sensitive strategies to help parishes transition to a “new model” of ministry.
Oversight Ministry is not to be interpreted as “hands off” or “administrative management”. We are looking for a priest who genuinely embraces the opportunity to identify the gifts and talents in others and has the skills and ability to develop those gifts appropriately, enabling people to find their place in serving God. However, they will be equally visible through their own ministry.
We are looking for candidates who will relish working with colleagues within the Deanery Leadership Team to develop a culture of collaboration and respect. In particular, to focus
on working with teams of ordained and lay ministers to ensure that the ministry of the proposed new benefice is truly parochial, reaching out to those for whom the church is
currently absent or irrelevant.
The successful candidate must be committed to:
  • Leading a community of communities
  • Equipping all the saints for the mission of God
  • Enable a culture of practical and missional service
  • Be faithful in prayer and worship.
Within the Diocese of Truro we run a programme of Accompanied Ministry Development (AMD). The aim of AMD is: ‘to encourage, bless and challenge the People of God as we discover God’s Kingdom and grow the Church’.  Cohorts of clergy and their parishes meet over a period of 12 – 18 months to discern God’s plans for their future ministry and mission. One of our current themes is Oversight Ministry to help equip clergy and parishes to be fruitful and sustainable in this model of ministry.
Part of the process will include a vocational conversation that will take place online between short-listing and the interview.
The appointment is subject to enhanced disclosure from the DBS

Stipendiary

Application closing date
Applications to be received by midday on the closing date 1 May 2024
Interview date
Interviews will be held 23 May 2024
Parish visit
22 May 2024
Contact information
Application documents