Part-time (0.6) Incumbent, St Thomas', High Lane

Introduction

Part-time (0.6) Incumbent of High Lane

High Lane lies 5 miles southeast of Stockport straddling the A6 (which links London to Carlisle), halfway between Manchester and Buxton in the Peak District. Close to Lyme Hall, it lies at the confluence of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, in the foothills of the Pennines, and affords excellent views of the city of Manchester, the Cheshire Plain and the Peak District. The newly completed A555 Manchester Airport Link Road gives easy access to the Airport and North Wales. 

The congregation at St Thomas’s want to maintain the growth of the church family, particularly among young families, alongside developing St Thomas’s as a vibrant centre of Christian influence in the community.

To enable this, the congregation is praying for an incumbent who:

•    is secure and confident in their spiritual and personal life and able to lead a variety of styles of worship and prayer with care and sensitivity;

•    is an empathetic listener, a good communicator, is pastorally sensitive, and able to nurture, motivate and affirm the talents and contributions of others;

•    has the skill and passion for engagement in the local community, and will undertake and encourage outreach to and pastoral care of people of all ages;

•    will work collaboratively with other parishes in the Chadkirk Deanery and The Diocese of Chester, and with ecumenical and other faith communities;

•    should have a variety of practical skills, be computer literate and be able to encourage people to become actively involved in the life of the church and its activities in the parish, thereby enabling the various gifts of church members;

•    will develop innovative ways to help us to share our faith beyond the walls of the church, especially to the younger generations.

Might you be the person we need to come and lead us as we work together to respond to the challenges and opportunities before us?

Please apply via the Diocesan website application form:

Application form St Thomas

Diocese of Chester website advert

This is a part-time post (0.6) post - four days plus Sunday for a stipend of £18,615.60

Accommodation is offered in the vicarage opposite St Thomas’ Church. There are good local amenities, schools and transport links. 

Closing Date:      Wednesday     30th April 2025

Interviews:           Thursday        29th May 2025

The Diocese of Chester will not shortlist any candidate for posts if they cannot provide an assurance of a valid DBS and up to date safeguarding training.

If you would like to have an informal conversation, please contact:

Bishop of Stockport:

Rt Rev’d Sam Corley  

E:  bpstockport@chester.anglican.org

M: 07878 371 897

About us:

The Diocese of Chester is in the province of York in the Church of England, part of the global Anglican Communion. For more information about our life, ministry and work please visit our website www.chester.anglican.org  We are linked with the Anglican Church of Melanesia in the Solomon Islands and the Dioceses of Aru and Boga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Diocese covers an area of 1025 square miles, approximately the old Victorian County of Chester, including parts which subsequently became absorbed into Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The Rivers Mersey and Tame approximately delineate the boundary with Liverpool and Manchester. There are areas of dense urban population, mainly in the north, stretching from Birkenhead to East Manchester. There are prosperous suburban regions of West and South Wirral, Chester and south of Manchester, with a mainly rural heartland, bounded by the Derbyshire Pennines and the Welsh Border. The overall population is around 1.6 million.

The Diocesan Bishop is Mark Tanner, Bishop of Birkenhead, Julie Conalty and the Bishop of Stockport, Samuel Corley.

The Cathedral for the Diocese is in Chester.

The Diocese is divided into two archdeaconries: Chester covering the western half and Macclesfield the eastern, each with nine deaneries. There are 273 parishes, about 100 of which can be described as rural. Compared with many dioceses, there are few teams, and few multi-parish benefices. There are approximately 231 stipendiary clergy. The ministry of Readers and Pastoral Workers is important, with over 400 licensed. The role of self-supporting ministers is increasing, with over 80 in post at present.

Roughly speaking, the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield covers that part of the diocese to the east of the M6, plus the area around Crewe and Nantwich. The Archdeaconry of Chester covers the rest of the diocese to the west of the M6. Each archdeaconry has a broad mix of urban and rural parishes. The Archdeacon of Chester lives in Chester, and the Archdeacon of Macclesfield lives in Congleton. Both now work from Church House, Daresbury.