The Bishop of Chichester is seeking to appoint a Priest in Charge for the benefice consisting of the parishes of Winchelsea and Icklesham. These rural parishes offer an exciting opportunity for ministry on a beautiful part of the Sussex Coast.

The parishes are seeking a new parish priest who will:

• Be sensitive to the wide range of spiritual traditions represented in our congregations and have a clear understanding of, and a willingness to cater for the needs of a diverse benefice.
• Have a demonstrable presence combined with the proven ability to lead and work in co-operation with others.
• Be willing and able to manage the parishes and delegate responsibility where needed.
• Have a caring and outgoing personality, with a commitment to the pastoral role combined with the strength of character and experience to take tough decisions.
• Listen, be understanding, approachable, and responsive to the needs of our churches and the communities.
• Relate easily to children, young people and families and be able to work with our church school.
• Be bold and imaginative in developing liturgy as a channel for multigenerational worship

The parishes offer:

• Committed volunteers and support for the new incumbent
• A Church of England School
• Beautiful and historic churches
• A spacious vicarage in the middle of the village of Winchelsea
• A collaborative Deanery within the Diocese of Chichester, where our vision is ‘to know, love and follow Jesus.’

Subject to the completion of the Mission and Pastoral Scheme, we anticipate that the successful candidate will become the Rector of a new benefice consisting of the parishes of Winchelsea, Icklesham and Pett. Further information about each parish is available in the parish profile.

For an informal conversation about this role, please contact the Assistant Archdeacon of Hastings, The Revd Matthew Foy on matthew.foy@chichester.anglican.org.

To apply for this post, please click this link on Pathways: Priest in charge - WINCHELSEA and ICKLESHAM in Winchelsea; Chichester | Church of England

Closing date: 3^rd August 2025
Interview date: 2 September 2025

The Diocese of Chichester is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. Our full safeguarding policy can be found here.

All appointments are subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check and completion of the Church of England Confidential Declaration Form.

To understand how the information you supply in your Confidential Declaration Form is used and your rights with respect to that data please read our privacy notice.

Please note: we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.