Rector – Torquay St Matthias

Diocese of Exeter; Torquay; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local church community in Torquay seeks a full-time Rector to lead the congregation, embrace various worship styles, and foster community engagement. The successful candidate will have a strong biblical foundation, a pastoral nature, and the ability to guide the church through change. A four-bedroom house is included as part of the position. Applications are particularly welcome from women and individuals of Global Majority heritage.

Benefits

A four-bedroom house

Supportive church team

Welcoming congregations

Responsibilities

• Lead the church through periods of change and growth.
• Encourage lay participation and engage all ages.
• Deliver Bible-based teaching effectively.

Skills

Prayerful and open to the spirit

Rooted in the Bible

Community focused

Able to lead through change

Embrace different styles of worship

Caring with a pastoral nature

Encourage growth in volunteer teams

Good communicator

Job description

Closing date for applications:11:59am on13th January 2026

Interview date: 2nd & 3rd February 2026

Saint Matthias Saint Mark and Holy Trinity, Torquay

RECTOR

St Matthias is an active evangelical church in Torquay on the beautiful South Devon coast. We join in worshipping God in a rich variety of ways, encouraging lay participation and engaging all ages.

We have been through significant changes in the last decade, including a major reordering of the church building to create welcoming and accessible space, with the vision that we would be a “Wellspring”, a spring of living water in the heart of our local community, filled and overflowing with the love of Christ, reaching out to those around. We are hoping a new rector will help us shape this vision for the next five years.

We are seeking as our Rector a man or woman who will be:

• Prayerful and open to the spirit with a tried and tested faith
• Rooted in the Bible through life and ministry
• Community focused, especially with our local schools
• Able to lead the church through periods of change and growth
• Able to embrace different styles and traditions of worship
• Sympathetic and caring with a pastoral nature
• Able to encourage growth in our volunteer teams
• A good communicator; effectively delivering Bible-based teaching

We offer:

• A full-time stipendiary post
• A single parish, benefiting from a strong team of licensed and lay ministers and PCC members
• Enthusiastic and welcoming congregations
• A four-bedroom house in a beautiful position

For an informal conversation about this post, please contact the Ven. Douglas Dettmer, Archdeacon of Totnes, on 01626 832061 or [e-mail]

The appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure. We aim to be a diverse and truly representative diocese, and we particularly welcome applications from women and from people of Global Majority heritage