Evangelism & Discipleship Assistant

Summary

Our vision is to see ‘God’s name honoured, His kingdom come, Lives transformed’.[1]

Our current priority is to ‘take root below and bear fruit above’ (Isaiah 37.31).

Therefore we are recruiting the person God is calling

      to help the vicar and wider church leadership ensure that

             evangelism and discipleship are at the heart of who we are and what we do:

                   ‘making (new), growing (as), sending (out) disciples of Jesus’.

The right candidate

We are looking for candidates who are:

1. devoted to God, growing in godliness, and full of love for the lost;
2. gifted in sharing and helping people grow in the Christian faith as revealed in Scripture;
3. willing to work alongside the many gifted and mature people of faith in our church;
4. able to relate well to a range of people (e.g. age, socio-economics, Christian maturity);
5. able to work effectively and efficiently in a variety of settings.

Role details

Working alongside the vicar, the right candidate will:

1. help us ensure prayer for growth in depth and number is a priority as individuals, corporately, and in all our groups and activities;
2. identify ways that we can make the most of every opportunity to make new disciples and grow as disciples – with a particular focus on leading our Renew and Young Adults ministries (ages 11-30), and as part of the groups that meet on Friday (Coffee Mates and Warm Welcome);
3. encourage the whole church in evangelism and discipleship by modelling it personally and through teaching, working with us to grow in understanding and in practice;
4. organise seasonal events (e.g. Summer Drop-Ins), groups and courses (e.g. Alpha, 3-2-1) and other opportunities for people to explore the Christian faith;
5. join our informal mentoring group, meeting one-to-one with individuals who want to grow in evangelism and / or discipleship, and expand our discipleship mentoring programme for youth;
6. build networks and relationships with other churches and workers in similar roles.

Such a role requires someone who can operate and move between various focal points as required by the situation / group, for example:

• evangelism - - - discipleship
• teaching - - - modelling
• youth - - - young adults
• supporting others in ministry - - - delivering ministry

We are not searching for an ‘expert’ or someone to outsource these things to, but someone to work and learn alongside us. Therefore we will set aside time each week for study and external training, as well as regular supervision by the vicar.

Further information

The PCC has committed funds for the first twelve months of this role. We will apply for funding from grant-making bodies to extend the role to three years, and will approach the congregation for additional funding for a further fourth year.

As the role has a teaching component the candidate would need to respect the received teaching and doctrine of the Church of England, under the authority of the vicar.

We expect the successful candidate to work alongside existing volunteers and as part of various teams:

• Youth Team (leader)
• Young Adults Team (leader)
• Operations Team – for paid staff and senior lay leaders (member – led by the vicar)
• Discipleship Team (member – led by the vicar)
• Prayer Team (member – led by the vicar)

We also have ad-hoc teams that meet to organise specific groups or events during the year.

Terms

The role is full-time (37.5 hours per week with an expectation to work flexibly) with a salary of £24,570 plus a pension contribution of 3%. Expenses incurred in exercising the role will be reimbursed by the PCC, after prior agreement with the vicar and treasurer. The holiday entitlement is 20 days per annum and bank holidays, plus the day after Boxing Day until New Year’s Eve inclusive.

We have committed funds for the first twelve months of this role. We will apply for funding from grant-making bodies to extend the role to three years, and will approach the congregation for additional funding for a further fourth year.

The PCC of Christ Church Selly Park believes it is a genuine occupational requirement that the person appointed is a committed practising Christian. The Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations 2003 Section 7.2 applies.

The PCC of Christ Church Selly Park is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check.

Interested?

For an informal conversation about the role or an application pack, please contact the vicar, Revd Ben Green at ben@rev.uk.

Closing date for applications: 5pm on Thursday 20 March 2025.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to visit the parish on Friday 28 March to Saturday 29 March 2025 (travel and overnight accommodation expenses will be covered as required).

After that some candidates will be invited to be interviewed on Monday 31 March 2025.

[1] See https://christchurchb29.org/resources/vision-mission/.