Growing Mission Enabler

New Wine Trust Limited; North East; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Job summary

Our Growing Mission Enabler will be part of the Growing Mission team within the wider Mission, Discipleship and Ministry team of Durham Diocese. They will help raise missional aspirations and support local churches by developing context-specific vision and strategy across parishes and deaneries, with travel around the Diocese.

This is a full-time, fixed-term role (three years, may extend subject to funding) based at the Diocesan Office in Durham, with some evening and weekend work expected.

Job description

Diocese of Durham Durham, England, United Kingdom

Hours

35,461

35,461

Description of Job

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE

Growing Mission Enabler

GRADE

5.1 - starting at £35,461, with employers’ pension contribution of 10% plus 5% to the extent that it is matched by the employee.

ACCOUNTABLE TO

Growing Mission Strategic Lead

HOURS & TERM

Full time, 35 hours per week* (including some evening/weekend working).

*Part-time working (21-35 hours per week) may be considered, please note this on application form

Fixed term for three years (may be extended subject to further funding).

LOCATION

Diocesan Office, Cuthbert House, Stonebridge, Durham, DH1 3RY, with travel around the Diocese.

SAFEGUARDING

The Diocese of Durham 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.

ROLE CONTEXT

Growing Mission is one of four workstreams within our Diocesan Transformation Strategy. As we seek to support churches to grow in fruitfulness in their unique context, we recognise the need for good preparation, and the Growing Mission workstream supports local planning and development at parish and deanery level, helping to raise missional aspirations and encourage local vision, and helps to provide a basis for resource allocation.

Growing Mission includes three key threads of work:

• Local Transformation Planning to encourage and facilitate parishes and deaneries to shape local vision and plans appropriate to context and challenge.


• The Vacancy Audit Programme (VAP) to enable parishes that come into vacancy to reflect on their position, identifying strengths, challenges and opportunities for growth.


• Interim Change Ministry - positions Interim Change Ministers (ICMs) in parishes for an interim period to lead the congregation through a change journey, providing guidance, wisdom and oversight. ICMs play a key role in creating an environment ready for new mission and new leadership.

JOB SUMMARY

Our Growing Mission Enablers will be part of the Growing Mission team within the wider Mission, Discipleship and Ministry Team of Durham Diocese. They will play a key role in the delivery of the Transformation vision through working closely with deaneries, parishes and local groups to raise missional aspirations, facilitate the development of local vision and strategy appropriate to context and challenge, and support the outworking of missional activity in its early stages. Each Growing Mission Enabler will take on particular responsibilities related to one or two of the key threads of work and work collaboratively with colleagues to support delivery of the whole workstream.

TEAM ETHOS

As a team we are committed to collaboration and communication to enable a healthy culture of delivery, accountability and evaluation. We are passionate disciples, adaptable practitioners, reflective learners and self-aware team players. We work together to enable a cycle of ‘engage, equip, release’ with individuals and churches.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Growing Mission Strategic Lead


• Growing Mission team (including Interim Change Ministers)


• Mission, Discipleship and Ministry team and wider Diocesan staff working in Buildings, Finance, Housing etc.


• Head of Programme Delivery for Diocesan Transformation


• Area Deans and Lay Chairs


• Parish clergy and lay leaders


• Parochial Church Councils of parishes in vacancy

KEY DUTIES

As a member of the Mission, Discipleship and Ministry team, everybody will:

1. Be an active and engaged member of the team, prioritising collaboration, good communication and prayer, and being willing to substitute for other members of the team as needed.


2. Be a culture carrier within the team and throughout the wider Diocese, championing the Transformation vision and Diocesan priorities and modelling our team ethos.


3. Be present and available in parishes and deaneries, listening and supporting, with an emphasis on enabling individuals and churches to grow in mission and discipleship.

As Growing Mission Enabler:

1. Support the Growing Mission Strategic Lead in the continued development and implementation of the Growing Mission strategy, playing a key role in the development of a Diocesan culture of mission and transformation.


2. Build relationships with local clergy and lay leadership and engage regularly with local programmes and groups (e.g. Deanery Synods) to provide support, information, facilitation and creative ideas that helps refine local vision, develop local strategy and increase local capacity.


3. Facilitate vacancy audits with parishes and contribute to team reviews of all vacancy audits, supporting the development of recommendations.


4. Facilitate Local Transformation Planning exercises with parishes or deaneries.


5. Support parishes and ICMs in preparation for Interim Change Ministry and support parishes in transition beyond ICM placements.


6. Provide regular reports and data to inform the basis upon which resource allocation decisions are made, and to report progress to programme monitoring boards (usually the Mission and Ministry Development Programme Board) and other committees.


7. Support parishes and Archdeacons with the preparation for recruitment of clergy, including developing high quality parish profiles in line with the transformation vision.


8. Support the continued evaluation and development of tools and systems to aid the work of Growing Mission.


9. Support the development of plans for larger projects, working closely with the Growing Churches and Growing Younger teams, including equipping parishes to be able to implement projects and report against objectives.

In support of the Vacancy Audit Programme:

• Provide guidance, coaching and resources to new VAP facilitators (i.e. volunteers or wider Diocesan staff) to equip them in facilitating VAPs.


• Coordinate the collation of pre-audit briefings for all VAPs, liaising with key stakeholders at parish, deanery and diocesan level.


• Provide progress updates to parishes as required and obtain feedback from parishes following their experience of the VAP.

In support of Local Transformation Planning:

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of planning progress for each deanery, and for parishes where relevant.


• Support good communication with deanery stakeholders, particularly Area Deans and Lay Chairs.


• Ensure Local Transformation Plans are reviewed in response to change (i.e. vacancy or pastoral reorganisation).

In support of Interim Change Ministry:

• Coordinate the learning community for ICMs


• Be a first line of support for ICMs in parish placements, trouble‑shooting, signposting, providing information and assisting with reporting.


• Coordinate the collation of pre-placement briefings for ICMs, liaising with key stakeholders at parish, deanery and diocesan level.

COMMON DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Health and Safety

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, whilst at work the post-holder must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of any other person who may be affected by their acts or omissions. In addition, they must co‑operate with the DDBF on health and safety and not interfere with or misuse anything provided for their health, safety and welfare.

Confidentiality

The post-holder must not pass on to unauthorised persons, any information obtained in the course of their duties without the permission of their line manager.

Safeguarding

If at any time the post-holder becomes aware of a safeguarding risk, they should report it immediately to the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSO).

Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity

The DDBF is committed to promoting a diverse, non‑discriminatory and inclusive community that gives everyone an equal chance to learn, work and live free from discrimination, bias and prejudice. To ensure our commitment is put into practice we have an equality policy which includes responsibility for all staff to eliminate unfair and unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity for all and foster good relations.

If at any time the post-holder becomes aware of a breach or potential breach of our commitment and policy regarding equality, diversity and inclusivity, they should report it immediately to their line manager.

Genuine Occupational Requirement

Due to the nature of working in a specifically church leadership context, the post holder must be an active communicant member of the Church of England, or a full member of a church belonging to Churches Together in Britain and Ireland or the Evangelical Alliance.

This post is exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010. The Diocese of Durham supports and promotes the aims of the Church of England.

*The main duties and responsibilities of your post are outlined in your job description. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to reflect your main tasks and areas of work. Changes may occur over time, and you will be expected to agree any reasonable changes to your job description that are commensurate with your banding and in line with the general nature of your post. You will be consulted about any changes to your job description before these are implemented. Details and emphasis are subject to amendment and revision in the light of changing needs of the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance