ROLE DESCRIPTION

Details of Post

Role title as on licence: Priest-in-Charge (House for Duty)

Name of Benefice: West Meon and Warnford

Deanery: Petersfield

Archdeaconry: The Meon

Initial point of contact on terms of service: Archdeacon of the Meon, Ven. Gavin Collins

Signed by licence holder:

Signed by Bishop/Archdeacon:

Date:

To be reviewed: 6 months after commencement of the appointment and at each Ministerial Development Review

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Role Purpose

General To share with the Bishop both in the cure of souls and the

responsibility for co-operating with the Holy Spirit in growing the Kingdom in the parishes. This particularly involves working with other parishes and colleagues in the deanery/Island to develop the deanery/Island plan for mission and ministry (the development of the plan is the responsibility of the Area Dean and Deanery Pastoral committee and Synod)

To have regard to the calling and responsibilities of the clergy as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Code of Professional Conduct for the Clergy and other relevant legislation, such as the Declaration of Assent

To be rooted in the community, to offer pastoral care to all, and to show the love of God by responding to local needs

To nurture the congregations through a ministry of word, sacrament, prayer and service

To oversee the organisational life of the churches by attending to matters of health and safety, finance, legislative requirements, administration and people management

In your office as a priest you are called To say Morning and Evening Prayer daily To be servants and shepherds among the people to whom you are sent To be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord To teach and to admonish To call your hearers to repentance and to declare in Christ’s name the

absolution and forgiveness of their sins With all God’s people, to tell the story of God’s love. To baptise new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit To unfold the Scriptures, to preach the word in season and out of

season, and to declare the mighty acts of God. To preside at the Lord’s table and lead his people in worship To bless the people in God’s name. To resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor and intercede for all

in need. To minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. To help discern God’s will for the churches and people whom you

serve through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to release and foster the gifts of all God’s people that the whole church may be built up in unity and faith

To prepare couples for marriage and conduct wedding services To prepare parents of young children for baptism To prepare for and conduct funeral services

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Specific responsibilities To co-operate with the PCC in the whole mission of the church,

which is spiritual, legal, financial, Synodical, pastoral and missionary

To encourage and enable clergy and lay colleagues, churchwardens, PCC, parish staff and volunteers, to participate fully in planning and decision making, tasks and activities to ensure that gifts and talents are identified and used effectively

To oversee the planning, organisation and conduct of worship, making appropriate use of available resources to give glory to God and to nurture the faith of all within the life of the Church

To inspire, motivate and empower all members of the Church in their own discipleship, and where appropriate use and develop classes and courses

To oversee preparation for confirmation, marriage and baptism To identify pastoral care needs within the parishes’ communities

and ensure appropriate structures and people are in place to provide the necessary support

To nurture and develop relationships with all local schools, To support and ensure the fulfilment of key responsibilities

towards the Church of England School in the Parish To nurture and develop relationships with community groups and

other Christian communities within the parish as appropriate To support discussions within the deanery in the light of future

plans for pastoral reorganisation To make full use of resources and buildings in order to develop

the mission and outreach of the parishes To find ways of attracting those on the fringe, to draw them into

the life of the church To develop own faith and that of those within the congregation

through regular worship, prayer, reflection and study To make time for yourself and God, and for yourself and your

family To maintain a balanced and healthy life style by attending to

personal physical and spiritual well being and needs To build a greater sense of unity, common purpose and co-

operation between the parishes in the benefice

Key contacts and relationships

Diocesan and Deanery

The Bishop and Archdeacon The Area Dean, Deanery Chapter and Deanery Synod Canon Terry Louden, vicar of East Meon and Langrish The Diocesan Secretary and Diocesan Staff The Cathedral and its staff Local Ministers of other Christian traditions – none at present in

parishes

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Parish

Licensed and authorised colleagues (eg Readers, assistant clergy) – none at present in parishes

The Churchwardens, Treasurers and PCC members of the parishesWarnford : Churchwardens Peter Short and Andrew Sellick

Treasurer: Peter ShortWest Meon: Churchwarden: Louise Clay

Treasurer: Nigel Slater, Assistant: Audrey HiggsPCC members: West Meon, Barbara Shaw (vice chair) Louise Clay, Pat Thompson (secretary), Nigel Slater, Chris Waller, Audrey Higgs, Edwin Grimshaw, Richard Downer, Sally Williams, Heather Tapp, Jane WillcoxWarnford: Peter Short (vice chair), Andrew Sellick, Gerry Corden (secretary), Dorothy Thomas, Jenny White, Bob Hutchings, Stephen Short, Amie Boyce, John Larrett

The Parish Safeguarding Adviser : West Meon, Barbara Shaw; Warnford, Amie Boyce

Organist: West Meon, Pat Matthews; Warnford, Julian Macey and Richard Martin

Parish Administrator, Jane Willcox West Meon C of E Primary School Messy Church, Tracy Downer and Julie Kelly (head teacher) West Meon Parish Council : http://www.westmeonpc.org.uk West Meon and Warnford Sports Club

http://www.westmeonpc.org.uk/directory.php?template=_category&id=83&category=Sports%20Clubs&focus=here

West Meon Surgery http://www.westmeon.gpsurgery.net/

Role Context and any other relevant information

Along the Meon www.alongthemeon.co.uk/

West Meon Parish Plan: http://www.winchester.gov.uk/search?gsq=west+meon+parish+plan

West Meon Design Statement: http://www.winchester.gov.uk/planning-policy/village-design-statements/west-meon-village-design-statement/

The Deanery Plan (appended)

Diocesan context: Ministry for Mission, http://portsmouth.anglican.org/information/ministry_for_mission_framework/

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Benefice summary

Parishes: 2 : West Meon and Warnford

Patrons: The Bishop of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Patronage (alternate during plurality)

Licensed Ministers: None

Number of PCCs: 2

Number of Churchwardens: 2 in Warnford; 1 in West Meon

Buildings : West Meon Church listed Grade II (with railings separately listed Grade II)

Warnford Church listed Grade IWest Meon Rectory

Churchyards – both open

Average Sunday Attendance: 12 in Warnford; 18 in West Meon

Number of occasional offices per annum:Weddings Warnford 2 West Meon 3Funerals Warnford 1 West Meon 4Baptisms Warnford 2 West Meon 3

Parish Share: Warnford £8470 West Meon £10,251

Resolutions if passed: None

Church tradition: Generally traditional

Pastoral Reorganisation: see agreed Deanery Plan

Population: Warnford: 242 West Meon: 735 Total 977

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Model for Ministry and Deanery PlanPetersfield Deanery

Proposal for Deanery SynodRevised 13th September 2012

Model for Ministry

The model for ministry currently employed in the Petersfield Deanery is based on the benefice model, with stipendiary clergy serving benefices of between one and four churches. Self-supporting clergy are deployed in different parish and sector roles, and there is a degree of support between the parishes, with people and resources moving across parish boundaries on an occasional basis. The effectiveness of mission and ministry is thus dependant on the teams within each benefice, and the opportunities for mission, training, discernment and deployment depend on the circumstances of each.The Deanery consists of a number of town benefices in a line down its eastern edge, and a number of larger and less populated rural and village benefices in the centre and west. This diversity means that there are distinct and different types of ministry across the Deanery, and so the benefice model of ministry, linking particular clergy with particular areas, defined by geography, community or ministry, is particularly appropriate to the Deanery.The benefice model of ministry is largely effective, and given the high ratio of stipendiary clergy to parishes, it is not at a level of stretch where a new model need necessarily be implemented. It is believed that the benefice model can usefully be applied to the Deanery down to the diocesan target of 8.4 stipendiary posts, (under the diocesan model of a full time post counting as 1, a half time post counting as 0.6 and a house for duty post counting as 0.4). Other models (including Minster, Group and Team Ministry models) have been considered but it is believed that their benefits do not outweigh their costs while numbers of stipendiary clergy remain at this level. It is recognised after considerable research, that if the number of stipendiary clergy is to be less than seven, the benefice model can no longer be applied, and a different model must be found.

In order for the benefice model to continue as the model for ministry in Petersfield Deanery, the following concerns must be addressed:

1. The imbalance of stipendiary deployment2. The lack of strategy to the deployment of non-stipendiary clergy3. The need for greater working relationships across the Deanery4. The need to use skills and vocations of lay and ordained, across

parish boundaries.

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Deanery Plan

This plan primarily addresses concern 1 above, as this most clearly affects the structures for growth within the Deanery. Once this plan is in place the Deanery Pastoral Committee will continue to meet to consider the strategic deployment of SSMs, readers and lay ministers, and ways of building on the relationships of clergy and lay people across the Deanery, which come more under the remit of support and training for growth. To clarify the proposals, a map of the Deanery is included as an appendix.

Proposal

The northern aspect of the proposal

The constituent parishes of Greatham, Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean, when their benefice becomes vacant, would be realigned with neighbouring parishes. Greatham should be joined with the benefice of Blackmoor and Whitehill. The parishes of Hawkley, Priors Dean and Empshott will either:

become a separate benefice with a half time incumbent. This benefice would become part of a group ministry with the benefice of Steep and Froxfield with Privett. This proposal received 17 votes.

be joined to the benefice of Steep and Froxfield with Privett. A half time priest would be appointed to the new benefice with a particular focus on ministry in Hawkley, Priors Dean and Empshott, and living in that area. This proposal received 9 votes, none of which were from the affected parishes.

The parishes of Greatham, Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean accept the need for this change.Blackmoor and Whitehill PCC has voted in favour of joining with Greatham, and the new incumbent was appointed with a mandate to carry this out.

This part of the proposal can only take place on the retirement of the incumbent of Greatham, Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean. Before this event it will be important to develop the relationships between Blackmoor and Whitehill and Greatham, and to begin to explore the structure of this new benefice.

The parishes of Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean will be less affected by the change, but need to explore the practicalities of half time ministry, and the nature of their relationship with Steep and Froxfield with Privett. Clergy will need to provide ministry to some extent across all the parishes, and this should be explored and agreed as soon as possible through discussions with the church wardens and the current incumbent of Steep and Froxfield with Privett.

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The southern aspect of the proposal

The benefice of West Meon and Warnford would combine with the benefice of East Meon and Langrish, to form a single benefice. This benefice will be served by a full time stipendiary incumbent and a house for duty priest.

Given the retirement of the incumbent of West Meon and Warnford, the considerable pastoral need in these parishes and the fact that there is an excellent house in West Meon, it is desirable that the appointment of a house for duty priest be made as soon as possible. It is therefore proposed that the process of appointing a house for duty priest should begin immediately, with a view to their starting as soon as the house becomes vacant in Lent 2013. Although this would briefly take the number of clergy in the Deanery above the level of the moratorium, it completes one part of the Deanery plan, rather than being another step in the chain of parishes waiting for an incumbent. Another incumbent in the Deanery has expressed the intention of retiring in the middle of next year, so the Deanery will soon return to its target number of posts. As the house is already in place, the cost to the diocese is minimal. This postholder would therefore live in West Meon, so the stipendiary incumbent of the combined benefice would live in East Meon. The creation of the single benefice could happen before or after the appointment, with the two priests working immediately with each other.

Implications for the Deanery

The target number of full time stipendiary clergy allocated to the Deanery is 8.4. Under this Deanery plan this is achieved as follows:

1. Blackmoor and Whitehill with Greatham 1 full time2. Bramshott and Liphook 1 full time3. Steep and Froxfield with Privett 1 full time4. Hawkley and Priors Dean with Empshott 0.6 half time5. Liss 1 full time6. Sheet 1 full time7. Petersfield with Buriton 1 full time, 0.4 house for duty8. West Meon, Warnford, East Meon and Langrish 1 full time, 0.4 house for duty

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APPENDIX – Map of the Deanery

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