St. Michael and All Angels, Amersham on the Hill

Parish Profile

As a Christian Community, we seek to engage with the world around us and be a place of acceptance

for all on a journey to God – believers, doubters and those who are seeking

Contents

1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1

2. Our Vision, Mission and Worship ........................................................................................................ 2

3. Leadership and working collaboratively ........................................................................................... 11

4. Organisation and Finance ................................................................................................................. 11

5. Our Church buildings and Vicarage ................................................................................................... 12

6. Description of the Parish ................................................................................................................... 14

7. Amersham Deanery: Introduction to our Nature, Mission and Role. .............................................. 16

Appendix 1: Role description ................................................................................................................ 18

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1. Introduction

St. Michael and All Angels, Amersham on the Hill is a centre of town parish church with a liberal

open-door policy, aiming to be inclusive and welcoming to all on a journey to God. Our liturgical

tradition is modern catholic and centred on the Eucharist, with excellent organ and choral music.

The church is usually open each day from 9am to late afternoon. We are in a Local Ecumenical

Covenant with Amersham Free Church and St. John’s Methodist Church, Amersham. In line with our

commitment to an inclusive, liberal ethos we are a member of “Inclusive Church” (http://inclusive-

church.org.uk/ ). St. Michael’s was originally formed as a specifically Anglo-Catholic church but has

moved to an open, modern catholic tradition, with incense used on eight occasions throughout the

year.

Amersham and surroundings

Amersham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, roughly 27 miles north west of London, with two

distinct areas, Old Amersham, set in the valley of the Misbourne and Amersham on the Hill (also

known locally as “Top Amersham”), which grew around the Metropolitan line station. The town is

linked to London by the Metropolitan Line, with Chiltern Line trains also connecting Amersham to

London and Aylesbury. The main roads are the A355 (from Slough and Beaconsfield), the A404 (links

Maidenhead and High Wycombe with Harrow), the A416 (to Chesham and Berkhamsted) and the

A413 (linking Aylesbury to Uxbridge). There is easy access to the M40, M25 and M4.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone with good leadership skills who will enjoy working collaboratively with

others and be enthusiastically at home in our liberal catholic tradition. During the previous

incumbency, opening to the wider community and work with children and young people have been

important features. These aspects, together with the ability to attract new members (particularly

adults in younger age groups) will be areas in which we will want our new incumbent to help us to

grow. A fuller role description appears in Appendix 1 (p. 18).

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Looking out to St Michael's Square

2. Our Vision, Mission and Worship

Causes for celebration

St. Michael’s is deeply committed to nurturing strong links with the wider community. Outstanding

progress was made in this respect during the incumbency of Reverend Diana Glover (who has

recently retired). Our mission to the town has been greatly aided by the redevelopment of St.

Michael’s Square, the creation of a Labyrinth and Quiet Garden (registered with the Quiet Garden

Movement, see http://www.quietgarden.org/index.html ), and the replacement of the wooden

doors with glass doors and stained glass Angel panels, creating a “bridge” between the church and

the town and helping the life of our church to flow out into our wider community.

St Michael's Square Dedication Service August 2012

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Looking to the future

Children and Young People

Through our work with young families, part of our Mission Action Plan is to nurture and support a

committed group of pre-teenagers and their parents, who know each other well. They have the

potential to advance outreach, spiritual growth and worship with younger people and families.

We have already extended teaching provision by establishing a session for children aged 7+, which

has been undertaken by the member of the clergy who gives the sermon at the monthly all-age

“2gether” Eucharist, which is the best attended service each month. In 2014 we prepared five

children to be admitted for communion (permission to admit children to communion before

confirmation was granted by the Bishop of Buckingham some years ago). Our midweek worship for

pre-schoolers and their parents/carers, Little Angels, is now completely lay planned and led. The

Comments from newer members of the congregation:

“I like the way that St Michael's is a place where it is ok to ask questions. I feel that all interpretations of Christianity are welcome & there is no sense of "you need to believe exactly the same as we do in order to belong". It feels like an extended family. The worship is imaginative & often moving” “I particularly like the fact that I'm not expected to know everything, if I don't know a meaning of a particular passage or where I can find something in the Bible or what a word or phrase means. I love the fact that I can ask questions in an open way and sometimes find out that I'm not the only one that doesn't know. The approach of St Michael's is gentle and welcoming and I feel that I am accepted for who I am and that I can belong. Rather than questioning “am I worthy to belong?” “ “St Michael's was our nearest church when we moved to Amersham in 2010. We were welcomed by several people very warmly, especially Heather and Diana and Sharon and then it was very easy to join the choir and everyone really made me feel I belonged” “Having decided that St Michael’s was a possible church for us, we visited for a few weeks and were impressed by the

friendliness of the congregation and the quality of the music in worship. There are not many churches in this area quite like St

Michael’s - it has a distinctive liberal catholic ethos which chimes with where we are spiritually.”

“We went to a couple of music events and liked the feel of the place so then came to a Sunday 10am service. We were made

very welcome by the people we knew and others”

“The initial welcome from Diana and Sharon and other members of the congregation was wonderful. They made us feel we

could return at any time and that we wouldn’t be judged or made to feel guilty if we didn’t come every Sunday. This has

continued to this day. We really enjoy the 2Gether services and special Hybrid events. Also, Meghan has been admitted to

communion and this is very special for her.”

Summary of Mission Action Plan Priorities set in 2013/14:

1. Extend teaching provision for children and parents. Encourage leadership roles among

younger adults.

2. Further develop creative spirituality and links with the community.

3. Facilitate transition as older members of the congregation need to relinquish tasks and roles.

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older (7+) children’s teaching group at 2gether is led during the vacancy by Children’s Team member

Samantha McEwen.

2gether – teaching for the older children

Little Angels – making the Easter Garden

In related developments, the Rev’d Sharon Roberts, self-supporting minister who is licensed to the

parish, has joined the leadership of MAD, a vibrant youth club run by Chiltern Youth Projects for

children in Years 3-6. This strengthens our links with Woodside School (where the clergy take

occasional assemblies) and with Chiltern Youth Projects and young people in the town

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(http://chilternyouthprojects.org.uk/index.php/mad-about-fridays ). With other local churches, Joy

Johns, a member of St. Michael’s, visits schools to jointly lead “Open the Book” assemblies (see

http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/open-the-book/ for further

information).

2gether – activity for the younger children

Junior Drama is held once a month on a Sunday afternoon. It is open to all boys and girls in our

community, aged 3 to 13 years, without charge. Priorities are to build self-confidence and develop

self-expression, creative imagination, voice projection and performance skills in each child,

incorporating simple exercise, dance, creative games and practical workshops.

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Older and retired people

As older members of the congregation need to relinquish tasks and roles, St. Michael’s wishes to

facilitate this transition, discerning people’s passions and gifts and being alert to what is sustainable.

We will continue our support for retired and older people through regular fixtures such as Tuesday

Club (which provides a programme of outings and talks, including theatre visits and very popular

short holidays, generally within the UK but Burgundy was a recent destination), Wheeler Coffee

(which provides tea, coffee and biscuits at reasonable cost each Tuesday morning (Market Day) and

is a joint initiative with Churches Together in Amersham and Chesham Bois), Not One for Lunch

(which provides a two course meal for a nominal fee once a month for those who live alone) and

communion services in retirement homes and with individuals at home. There will continue to be a

need for these activities as people are drawn to the Amersham area by the provision of new housing

specifically for the retired.

Tuesday Club Halifax Visit 2014

The Wider Community

Our mission to the town is fostered through the creative use of outside and inside spaces for

community, musical and artistic events and for contemplative and multi-sensory worship and

spirituality. Examples of this are our regular “Pop in and Paint” sessions, our Healing Ministry, the

Millennium lectures, links with Amersham Artisans, a group of craft professionals

(https://www.facebook.com/AmershamArtisans ), and the use of our facilities by local support

groups. Each June, the church is one of the venues during the Bucks Open Studios fortnight

(http://www.bucksopenstudios.org.uk/aboutus.asp ), hosting an exhibition by artists from the local

“Simpatico” group (http://www.simpaticart.com/ ). “Cards for Good Causes” sells Christmas cards in

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the church in aid of a wide range of charities in November and December each year

(http://cardsforcharity.co.uk ).

Lying in the London commuter belt, Amersham has a predominantly middle-class population, though

with pockets of relative deprivation, as evidenced by the active local Chiltern Food Bank, for which

St. Michael’s acts as a collection point - http://chiltern.foodbank.org.uk/ .

In Autumn 2014, St. Michael’s was one of the local venues for Amersham Museum’s “Amersham at

War” exhibition, which commemorated the outbreak of the First World War

(http://amershammuseum.org/the-museum/special-projects/ ).

We continue to develop seasonal creative/spiritual/contemplative liturgies and events, and combine

these with Healing and Wholeness outreach events and art exhibitions where appropriate.

"Tea Time on St. Michael's Square" July 2015, which included activities for children, spirituality “stations” in the church, poetry in the Quiet Garden and guidance on walking the Labyrinth.

Healing and Wholeness

Members of the Healing team are commissioned to offer this ministry in accordance with Church of England guidelines and a healing ministry has been a valued and very significant part of St Michael’s life for many years. To date, the Incumbent has been actively involved. It offers laying on of hands as part of the Eucharist nine times a year and also extended half-hour sessions of healing on one afternoon a month, typically attended by both St Michael’s members and the community at large.

Pop in and Paint

Once a month morning sessions where anyone can pop into the church to paint under the gentle

and affirming guidance of two artists from Simpatico http://www.simpaticart.com/ ), who are also

members of St Michael's.

Millennium Lectures

Originally established to mark the Millennium, attendances for these events have dropped in recent

years. We are looking into how this can be re-energised. For a list of speakers see

http://stmichaelsamersham.trial.churchedit.co.uk/pastoral-care/millennium-lectures/

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A guide to some of the various community users of the church and hall is available from our website

- http://www.stmichaelsamersham.org.uk/

The Worshipping Community

Worship

Worship is Eucharistic and the church tradition is liberal catholic. Common Worship Order One in

modern language is used at the 8.00am Eucharist on Sundays and at the 10.30 Eucharist on Tuesdays

as well as at the 10.00 Eucharist on Sunday. Other contemporary language liturgy is sometimes used

particularly for special services. Our Holy Week and Easter services are deeply valued and important

to our congregation. Our celebration of other festivals such as Candlemas, All Saints and Patronal are

also of great significance in the life of St. Michael’s.

Thought-provoking preaching which does not pretend to have all the answers is appreciated by the

St Michael’s community.

10am Sunday Eucharist

At the Sunday Sung Eucharist there is a robed choir of mixed voices. The choir is affiliated to RSCM

and includes talented musicians and singers, several of whom are members of local or national

choirs and choral societies. St Michael’s also has a fine Walker organ (National Pipe Organ Register

No: N09215, http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N09215 ). Our previous incumbents have

shared a passion for St Michael’s fine musical tradition. A list of selected choir anthems 2014-2015 is

available from our website.

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Good Friday Icons

Weekly schedule of services:

Sundays

8 – 8.45am: Said Eucharist – every Sunday in the Lady Chapel.

10 – 11.15 am: Sung Eucharist – Sundays, apart from 2nd Sunday of the month, followed by coffee.

10 – 11.00 am: ‘2gether’ – 2nd Sunday of the month, followed by coffee. A shorter Eucharist at which

children have opportunity to read the Gospel and take part in the prayers. There is the option of

age-related activities for both younger and older children, linked to the readings for the day.

Tuesdays

10.30 – 11.15am: Said Eucharist in the Lady Chapel

Alternate Wednesdays

10.30am: Term time only – ‘Little Angels’ for pre–school children, accompanied by parents or carers.

15 minutes of worship, followed by activities and refreshments. This is planned and led by parents

with clergy attendance.

Morning Prayer (Monday to Saturday inclusive)

9am-9.25am in the Lady Chapel, using the Anglican Franciscan book “Celebrating Common Prayer”.

Healing

Laying on of hands and anointing are offered as part of the Eucharist nine times per year.

Average Church Attendance:

Annual average attendances during 2014:

Sunday 10am Service –74 adults, 5 children

Sunday 8am Service – 10 Adults

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‘2gether’ all age Service – 80 adults, 15 children

Tuesday 10.30am Service – 17 adults

Little Angels – 7 adults, 6 Children

Morning Prayer – 2 adults

At the year ending 31 December 2014 the total number on the Electoral Roll was 166.

Occasional Offices during 2014

Baptisms (10), Weddings (none), Funerals (14) .

Events

Many regular events have been described already elsewhere. As 2016 is St. Michael’s Golden Jubilee

year (50 years since dedication), a programme of special events is being planned. Details will be

available on the church website http://stmichaelsamersham.trial.churchedit.co.uk/welcome/golden-

jubilee.php

Our considered strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

Centre of town location

Welcoming, inclusive atmosphere

Thoughtfully planned and prayerfully delivered worship

Provision of various social and fun opportunities to deepen our connections with one

another

Well maintained church with a light and spacious interior, which lends itself to flexible,

creative use for worship and church/community events

Attractive Church Square used by a large number of community groups as part of our

community facing mission

Well-equipped Hall, with parking, which is used by community groups.

Parish Office open Monday-Friday 9.30-12.30, staffed by a paid Parish Administrator

Two part time clergy colleagues

Active and enthusiastic lay involvement in all areas of church life

Well established Pastoral Care and Healing teams: other churches have approached us for

information and guidance on healing ministry

Well-developed ministry to retired and older people.

Expertise in the congregation covering music, art, finance, law, buildings maintenance, film

and theatre and journalism

Weaknesses:

Demographics: An ageing congregation, many of whom hold positions of responsibility in the

church

Small (but active) Children’s group which we would like to grow

Few teenagers or adults in younger age groups

Ageing congregation could mean fewer potential future volunteers for key church roles.

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Possible future reduction in resources, given age profile of congregation.

3. Leadership and working collaboratively

The Worship, Pastoral Care, and Home Communion teams work with the Incumbent and other

clergy in the planning of services, care of members of the congregation, and visiting those who are

housebound for fortnightly communion. The Mission Giving team, which has always included the

Incumbent, decides on the allocation of the Charitable Giving budget. The Buildings, Finance, and

Catering teams are lay led and run and the Administration team works with the clergy and the Parish

Administrator on the day-to-day running of the church.

Ministry Team colleagues

St Michael’s is fortunate to have two Associate Priests, the Rev’d. Peter Binns, who has permission to

officiate and has served at St. Michael’s for 39 years and the Rev’d. Sharon Roberts, who is licensed

to the parish and completed her curacy in 2014.

COTHA (Churches on the Hill, Amersham)

COTHA is an ecumenical covenant of Amersham Free Church, St. John’s Methodist Church and St.

Michael and All Angels, Amersham, formed in 1995, and their ministers are able to preside and

preach in one another’s churches. There are two joint services each year, an annual “pulpit swop”,

three meetings of elected representatives plus clergy, and an AGM with an external speaker open to

all. In the absence of a representative coming forward from the laity, St. Michael’s representatives

on COTHA are at present the Churchwardens. The Leadership of COTHA rotates annually among the

three churches.

Churches Together in Amersham and Chesham Bois

Churches Together is an alliance of St. Mary’s, Old Amersham, St Leonard’s, Chesham Bois,

Amersham Free Church, St John’s Methodist Church, the Society of Friends, Old Amersham and St.

Michael and All Angels. It co-ordinates the regular Tuesday morning Wheeler Coffee, the Sycamore

Club (which provides respite once a week for carers of those with mild dementia), the annual Good

Friday Walk of Witness and other ecumenical initiatives when appropriate.

Deanery Synod

St. Michael’s has three lay representatives on Deanery Synod and there is a vacancy for a fourth.

4. Organisation and Finance

Organisation

Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Standing Committee (SC)

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PCC meetings are normally held every two months and Standing Committee meets between PCC

meetings or whenever events require.

Finance

We receive hire fees from letting our hall, church rooms and St Michaels Square. We also receive

income from the Tuesday Club and other activities.

In 2014 we had a net surplus of £10,000 made up of

£

Incoming resources 167,000

Outgoing resources 174,000

Deficit on general activities (7,000)

Project grant (chairs) 9,000

Investment income 5,000

Unrealised gains on investments 3,000

Net surplus 10,000

Our parish share for 2014 was £71,729 and in addition to this we paid a further £717 as a

contribution to less well-off parishes. For 2015 our parish share is £71,427.

As at the end of 2014, we had total reserves of £476,000 including £273,000 in respect of fixed

assets mainly in the form of improvements to land and buildings. The remaining financial reserves

are £203,000 of which £84,000 is for the upkeep of buildings, £71,000 for other designated purposes

and £48,000 in general funds.

In 2015 we intend to replace all the chairs in the church and church hall. The cost of some £26,000

will be fully met from a special fund-raising appeal and from grants received. We are currently

awaiting a quotation to carry out extensive electrical repairs and anticipate meeting the cost out of

current reserves set aside for church buildings. The next Quinquennial examination is due in

December 2015.

5. Our Church buildings and Vicarage

Brief history of St. Michael’s

St Michael’s was first established in 1919 as a daughter church of St Mary’s, Old Amersham. It was to

serve the new, rapidly growing town around the railway station and it worshipped initially (although

“initially” stretched out to more than 40 years) in what is now the church hall. The church building

was dedicated in 1966, when St Michael’s took the first steps towards becoming a separate parish.

These were legally completed in April 1973. Travelling On, a short history of St Michael’s, was

published in 1994 to mark our 75th birthday.

Buildings

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The main church building has a good sized meeting room for groups, two vestries, a church office,

kitchen and toilets. There is a Lady Chapel for smaller services, in which the Reserved Sacrament is

kept. It is carpeted and is also used as a meeting room. The church is a light, uncluttered building

with a large Sanctuary and a sense of space with seating in the nave and transepts. A major

refurbishment was carried out in 2006.

St. Michaels Hall was built in 1919 and was originally the church. In the sixties when the current

church was built, the old church was extended by the addition of a kitchen and toilets and became

the hall. It is a building well utilised by the community and was also refurbished in 2007. The Hall car

park (19 spaces, including 1 disabled parking space) was resurfaced in 2015.

Vicarage

The vicarage is a four bedroomed, detached house alongside the church and is not overlooked. It

was built in 1930 and upgraded (with the addition of gas-fired central heating) in 1967. It is

surrounded on two sides by a substantial garden, and is screened by fencing and mature trees and

shrubs. There are two storage sheds. In 2002 double glazed upvc windows were fitted throughout

the property. There is a single garage and parking space for seven cars (some of these are also used

by mobility-impaired parishioners).

Downstairs the accommodation includes a living room (16ft x 12ft plus a large bay); dining room

(12ft x 9ft plus bay); spacious study; kitchen; utility room with space for a washing machine and a

chest freezer; and a cloakroom/lavatory. Upstairs there are two double bedrooms, one very large

(16ft x 12ft), the other with a washbasin; two single bedrooms; a bathroom with shower over the

bath; a linen cupboard; and two walk-in storage areas. There is a large, partly floored loft, reached

by a loft ladder. In 2010 the study on the ground floor was extended and other minor improvements

undertaken. The Diocese plans to update the kitchen, utility, ground floor shower room and upstairs

bathroom, with the anticipated start of works in late 2015/early 2016.

The Vicarage from the rear garden

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Vicarage garden

6. Description of the Parish

St. Michael and All Angels is situated on Sycamore Road, the main shopping and business street of

Amersham on the Hill. The town centre has many shops including several small supermarkets,

coffee shops, post office, chemist and banks. There is also a sports centre, library and GP practice

just off the high street. A large Tesco store is situated in Old Amersham and large Sainsbury's and

Waitrose stores are in the local towns of Chesham and Beaconsfield. A detailed profile of population

characteristics is available from Chiltern District Council at

http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=1132&p=0 and more general information can be

found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amersham and at Amersham Town Council’s website

http://www.amersham-tc.gov.uk/Core/Amersham-Town-Council/Pages/Default.aspx

Local issues and concerns:

Amersham’s situation in the London commuter belt means that demand for housing is high, with

correspondingly premium purchase and rental prices. There is pressure on school places locally,

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particularly in the sought after state school catchments for Chestnut Lane infant school and the

adjoining Elangeni School for years 3-6. Unemployment is low by national standards. The routing of

the HS2 railway line near Amersham, especially its potential impact on the Chilterns Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty, is of concern to many residents. Further information is available from

The Amersham Action Group, an umbrella group of local organisations sponsored by Chiltern District

Council - http://www.amershamactiongroup.org.uk/

Schools

Amersham has a selection of infant, junior and secondary schools. Secondary schools are subject to

11+ examinations. Buckinghamshire County Council can advise on school places. Local schools,

particularly secondary schools, have a good reputation, which attracts people to the area and makes

places keenly sought.

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/education/schools/admissions-and-moving-school/in-year-admissions/

Infant schools:

Chestnut Lane - http://chestnutlane.bucks.sch.uk/

St. George’s - http://www.stgeorgesamersham.org.uk/

Junior schools:

Elangeni School - http://www.elangeni.bucks.sch.uk/

Woodside School - http://www.woodsidejunior.co.uk/website (in the parish)

Independent Schools for Children aged 3-13:

The Beacon School (Boys) - http://www.beaconschool.co.uk/

Heatherton House (Girls) - http://www.heathertonhouse.co.uk/

Chesham Preparatory School (Coeducational) - http://www.cheshamprep.co.uk/

Secondary Schools:

The Amersham School (Coeducational) http://www.amershamschool.org.uk/

Grammar Schools:

Dr Challoner’s Grammar School http://www.challoners.com/ (Boys)

Dr Challoner’s High School http://www.challonershigh.com/ (Girls)

Chesham Grammar School http://www.cheshamgrammar.bucks.sch.uk (Coeducational)

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7. Amersham Deanery: Introduction to our Nature, Mission and

Role.

‘Within the diocese of Oxford, as in many other dioceses, there have been significant shifts in the role

of the Deanery. The major changes have been in the areas of co-operation in strategies for mission,

deployment and finance’

MISSION - This implies a collaborative approach to the work of the Church at deanery level. Deaneries are asked to ensure that their deanery plans are creative strategies for mission and ministry. There will be increased sharing of resources and, in this new approach, a conscious policy of ‘subsidiarity’, where decisions are made by those closest to the work itself. In some places, mission strategy may need to cross parish or deanery boundaries. This is why all churches in the Deanery must now provide a mission action plan to make sure the Deanery plan is relevant.

DEPLOYMENT - The total number of stipendiary and house-for-duty posts in a deanery are decided at diocesan level. How they are deployed will be largely on the advice of the deanery. Parishes and Deanery have to work together to come to an agreement on a strategy, which will include the overall provision of authorised ministry (ordained and lay) for the future mission of the Church.

FINANCE – This deanery is responsible for negotiating with parishes and supporting them to raise the Share allocated to deaneries. Less and less finance comes from the Church Commissioners to the diocese, so the 'living church' must raise the vast majority of its annual expenditure.

Adapted from Area Dean Handbook

Make up and Structure of the Deanery:

There are 12 Parishes or Benefices made up of 35 churches and one Bishops Mission Order (BMO).

The Deanery Synod comprises the House of Clergy, and the House of Lay members. Chapter meets 5

times a year for lunch, mutual support, sharing information and discussing items of interest. Synod

meets 4 times a year and includes finance, together with presentations or talks of interest suggested

by Synod members.

The Standing committee of the Deanery is responsible for finance and running of Synod, encouraging

the corporate mission of our Deanery; this to include preparation of the annual Trust report and

Synod papers.

The Mission and Pastoral committee supports pastoral care of ordained or authorised ministers,

monitors the mission action plans of the parishes and recommends to Synod (via the Standing

committee) the content or effectiveness of the Deanery Mission action plan. It receives

representation from parishes regarding pastoral re-organisation, and engages with parishes where

there will be a forthcoming vacancy in order to make a recommendation on filling the post (and what

type of post) to the Bishop and Archdeacon.

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Expectations:

In order to encourage mission and vision in the Deanery we use as our touchstone ‘Living Faith for

the future’ (see the Diocesan website for all details regarding this). It is an expectation that all

stipendiary, associate clergy and locally licenced lay ministers (LLMs) will participate willingly in the

collaborative nature of the Deanery, in local mission and wider mission action planning using a

‘rolling’ scheme. All Parishes are expected to have their own Mission Action Plan (M.A.P.) in place

from which the Deanery MAP is formed.

We expect attendance at Chapter and Deanery Synod meetings and anticipate that Clergy and LLMs

would positively encourage parishioners under their care to understand and engage with the wider

role and function of the local churches, Deanery and Diocese. It is hoped that the retired clergy in the

deanery will also similarly participate where possible.

We encourage Clergy and LLMs to offer and share their particular gifts of ministry within the wider

Deanery community as well as in their parish and we welcome new ideas.

We anticipate all parishes will pay the allocated share and strive to involve the parishes in

understanding how this underpins our mission and wider responsibilities. We are blessed with grace-

filled generosity and for the past two years have been able to give financial support to other

Deaneries less financially blessed than us. We hope that parishes will engage in the wider life of the

Deanery and participate in working out together how we can support one another in our shared

ministry with God.

The Revd. Camilla Walton

Area Dean

Updated August 2015

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Appendix 1: Role description

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Role Title: Vicar

Type of Role: Full time stipendiary

Name of Benefice: The Parish of St Michael and All Angels

Episcopal Area: Buckingham

Deanery: Amersham

Archdeaconry: Buckingham

Conditions of Service: Please refer to Statements of Particulars document issued in conjunction

with this role description

Key Contact for Clergy Terms of Service: Archdeacon of Buckingham, The Ven. Karen Gorham, The

Rectory, Ford Road, Stone, Aylesbury HP17 8RZ

Accountability: Priests share with the Bishop in the oversight of the Church. Whilst, as an office

holder, the individual is expected to lead and prioritise work in line with the purpose of the role,

they are encouraged to inform the Archdeacon and Churchwardens about any issues exceptional or

otherwise that have the potential to affect ongoing delivery of ministry.

General Responsibilities:

A: To exercise the cure of souls shared with the bishop in this benefice of St Michael and All Angels

in collaboration with colleagues including the praying of the Daily Office, the administration of

sacraments and preaching.

B. 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 including

Bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in

your care

Instructing the parishioners in the Christian faith

Preparing candidates for confirmation

Diligently visiting the parishioners of the benefice particularly those who are sick and infirm

Providing spiritual counsel and advice

Consulting with the parochial church council on matters of general concern and importance

to the benefice

Bringing the needs of the world before God in intercession

Calling your hearers to repentance and declaring in Christ’s name the absolution and

forgiveness of their sins

Blessing people in God’s name

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Preparing people for their death

Discerning and fostering the gifts of God’s people

Being faithful in prayer, expectant and watchful for the signs of God’s presence, as he

reveals his kingdom among us

C. To share in the wider work of the deanery and diocese as appropriate, for the building up of the

whole Body of Christ.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES SPECIFIC TO THE LOCAL SITUATION

Mission and Outreach

Supporting and extending our vision and mission, especially amongst children and adults in

younger age groups.

Leading the development and expansion of our mission.

Leadership and Working Collaboratively

Carrying out leadership tasks and the running of the parish in a collaborative manner,

specifically with other priests, the Parish administrator and laity.

Worship and preaching

Leading and developing our Eucharist-based worship at our main services.

Supporting liturgy which follows the liturgical seasons in theme, colour and symbols.

Sustaining and developing, in collaboration with other clergy/lay people, other appropriate

worship e.g. 2gether service and Holy Week services, where our liturgy is firmly valued and

important to our congregation.

Pastoral care

Providing pastoral support for people of all ages, in conjunction with the Pastoral care team

Supporting our Healing ministry, in conjunction with the Healing ministry team

Other Responsibilities

Participate in the Bishop’s Ministerial Development Review scheme and engage in

Continuing Ministerial Development

Carry out any other duties and responsibilities as required in line with the benefice needs