Associate Pastor for Women

- Are you passionate about growing disciples? - Do you have a proven ability to train others? - Do you get excited about inspiring and equipping others to share Christ?

Responsibilities

We are looking for an Associate Pastor for Women to serve as a senior member of the Saint James ministry team. You will be a committed Christian with a mature faith in Christ, and proven experience of gospel ministry. As someone who can both lead and take direction whilst collaborating with others, you will be an instinctive team player who is excited about developing others and realising our vision. Whilst you will have a specific concern for the spiritual wellbeing of the women in our church family, you will also be either specifically involved in a particular ministry (for example: integrating newcomers or overseeing pastoral care) or more generally across a number of different areas including investing in our small groups ministry.

Required skills

CHARACTER - Personal godliness – a devotion to your relationship with Jesus that is visible to others and which serves as the foundation of your ministry. - Servant leadership – a willingness to set vision and lead people forwards, whilst seeking to nurture others in their relationship with Jesus. CONVICTION We are an evangelical church in the Church of England. We uphold the historic evangelical teaching of the Church of England as outlined in the 39 Articles of Religion. What we believe can be summarised by the Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith. You will share these convictions. We are happy to consider applications from those both within and outside of the Anglican Church. You will be committed to the local church and to faithful church membership as a key expression of discipleship. As such, you will share our understanding of the vision for a healthy church and effective gospel ministry as set out in Ephesians 4:11-16, where pastors teach what accords with sound doctrine in order that men and women grow to maturity in Christ as they respond to God's word, serve in the local church and teach and encourage one another. Specifically, you will be committed to seeing women who are older in the faith encouraged and equipped to teach and disciple women who are younger. COMPETENCY We are looking for someone who is: - A gifted bible teacher who trusts that, when the bible is taught faithfully, God speaks by His Spirit and through His word to give life in His Son, Jesus. - Able to lead or co-lead corporate gatherings and public ministry as agreed with the Rector. - Able to demonstrate a love for women and an ability to show them Christ through their life and teaching. - Passionate about raising up workers from within the congregation; training, equipping and releasing them for women's ministry (incl. evangelism, discipleship and pastoral care). - Able to multiply ministry by training others in bible-handling, small group leadership and pastoral care. - Committed to evangelism and will particularly seek to provide opportunities for women to invite their non-Christian friends to hear the gospel faithfully and relevantly explained. - Concerned for the outsider and able to help those on the 'fringe' of our church family to explore the Christian faith and experience life in Christian community. - Organised and reliable, able to prioritise and finish tasks within an appropriate time frame, and in response to deadlines. - A personable and good communicator, who is articulate in both written and spoken communication and adept at managing conflict and pastoral sensitivities. - Able to work well under pressure, and has a keen eye for detail, both with regard to tasks and people. - Proficient in the use of IT tools (e.g. Microsoft 365, ChurchSuite, Planning Center Online).

Other

THE ROLE General Responsibilities - Be a committed member of the Saint James church family, including: - Attendance on Sundays, and at our monthly church prayer meeting. - Membership of a Growth Group, attendance at church days/weekends away where appropriate, and other events in the church calendar (e.g. at Christmas and Easter). - Be committed to praying regularly for the Saint James church family and for other members of the team. - Under the oversight of the Rector, and in conjunction with others in leadership, provide and oversee pastoral care and counselling for the church family. Specific Responsibilities - Work closely with the Rector as a senior colleague to advise and support on all aspects of our vision and mission as a church, our congregations/ministries and our team culture. - Support, equip and train others across the church in leading group bible studies and one-to-one bible-based discipleship. - Collaborate with the Ministry Team in strategic planning and, where appropriate, oversee specific activities and/or areas of ministry. - As agreed with the Rector, supervise, line-manage, support and equip other members of staff to develop them in using their gifts for ministry. - Lead and develop ministry among women at Saint James – including: - Providing/enabling one-to-one mentoring/discipleship, small group bible studies and prayer ministry. - Co-ordinating occasional and regular events where women gather for fellowship and teaching, and encouraging/enabling women's outreach and evangelism. - Mobilising women, to use their gifts in mentoring and discipling other women in the church family, through the bible and prayer. - Ensure that women in the church family with particular pastoral needs or difficulties are appropriately supported and cared for. - Support our Ministry Assistant Programme, through raising up/encouraging individuals, where appropriate, to consider these roles and to act as a trainer for Ministry Assistants. FURTHER INFORMATION We are committed to looking after you: providing training, experience and opportunities for selfdevelopment. This will be within a caring and supportive environment. This role will entail contact with young people and adults at risk. Saint James is committed to promoting the welfare of all, and you will need to share this commitment and partake in the necessary safeguarding checks and training according to the requirements of the Church of England. The remuneration package includes the following: - Full-time contract over 6 days per week including Sundays. (We would be open to a conversation about configuring a part-time role for the right applicant.) - Salary/Stipend: between £26,000 and £29,000 pa (depending on experience). - Membership of an appropriate pension scheme. - Suitable accommodation will be provided, or an adjustment to salary can be made. - 6 weeks holiday (incl. six Sundays) plus leave to attend a relevant conference and leave to serve on an appropriate summer camp or similar. For details of how to apply, or to arrange an initial conversation, please contact Mark Nicholas, mark.nicholas@saintjames.org.uk, 01753 913133 Deadline for applications: 29 April 2024, midday A conditional offer will be made subject to the satisfactory completion of an Enhanced DBS Check.