We are seeking a new vicar for this Resourcing Church parish in inner city Bradford who has a joyful and confident faith which has inspired a track record of church growth. (S)he will need to:
- operate comfortably cross-culturally across this large and diverse parish;
- be able to encourage the best from the different worshipping communities and projects in the parish, enabling them to play to their strengths;
- be an experienced and strategic leader of leaders, who can enable each person and each worshipping community to play their part in such a way that the overall team is much greater than the sum of its parts;
- be comfortable with the governance demands related to a parish of this size and complexity.
Following a period of sharing the same leadership, the parish was created on 1st January 2020 from the historic parishes of St John’s Great Horton and St Wilfrid with St Columba, Lidget Green. This very large parish of 33,000 people contains some of the most deprived areas in the country (it is in the top 3% most deprived nationally). Much of the population is quite transitory and there are large numbers of young people in the parish. Hence there are many schools – including a Church of England primary school. Considerable effort has gone into developing ministry in many of these schools. In recent years, there has been a strong priority in creating an intercultural church community. As part of this, as well as meeting together with others, there are separate gatherings for Arabic-speaking Christians from Sudan as well as for Nepali-speakers, enabling them to integrate better with the whole.
The parish has strong lay leadership and associated structures. In 2019, St John’s PCC accepted the Bishop's challenge and invitation of being designated as a Resourcing Parish within the Bradford Episcopal Area and the Diocese of Leeds. As part of this designation, the parish has Church Commissioners’ Strategic Development Funding (SDF) from 2019-2027 to support revitalisation work in the parish. This funding is providing Operations Management support, and a series of 2-year part-time Mission Apprentices to develop areas of mission and ministry. In return, the PCC has committed to support church planting and revitalisation both within and beyond the parish boundaries, sharing resources generously with neighbouring parishes and sending people graciously to revitalise and plant churches.
The parish has made very good progress with the objectives agreed as part of SDF support. A group, including a curate, was sent to support the creation of Fountains Church Bradford in 2019. On Easter Sunday 2021, another group was sent from St John’s to St Wilfrid’s under the leadership of the Associate Vicar, creating a new merged congregation to revitalise worship mission and ministry in Lidget Green. On Easter Sunday 2024, a new worshipping community was established in the old church of St Columba’s Horton Grange, led by a licensed lay minister. On Easter Sunday 2025, a group from St Wilfrid’s began another new worshipping community on the Scholemoor estate.
To find out more about this role please contact Archdeacon Andy Jolley on 07973 458403
Role Description Person Specification Parish Brochure
Application is via Pathways.
Closing date for applications is 12th October 2025 with interviews planed for 21st October 2025