St Swithun’s Grade II* listed church is situated within the heart of the community of East Grinstead a parish of 18,000. East Grinstead is a small market town on the edge of Ashdown Forest an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is well served by primary and secondary schools, a mainline train station, agood variety ofshops and sports facilities.The church has recently achieved it’s Bronze Eco Church Award.

The family of faith here recognise the importance of growing God’s church and that this is a task that each and everyone needs to play a part in.

We are seeking a Vicar who is a confident and energetic leader and is:

• •an inspiring minister of both the Word and Sacrament. An excellent preacher who is Spirit led and who will help us to apply God’s word to our daily lives.
• •willing to work collaboratively with a large team of active volunteers inspiring us by their example of what it means to love God, imitate Christ and be a mission-focused people;
• •experienced at expanding and diversifying the church, who can enthuse others with their vision and fresh ideas, and who can help us take practical action towards achieving our vision for growth;
• •an effective communicator to all age groups, keen to engage with all members of the local community, whether or not they are members of the congregation;
• •a warm and friendly individual who openly demonstrates their faith and has strong pastoral skills;
• •who values both Eucharistic and other forms of liturgy; and is willing to introduce a variety of styles of worship; and
• •willing to work with our Churches Together partners in East Grinstead to serve the whole town.

We offer:

• an opportunity to inspire and grow a major town church and encourage parishioners to continue to give generously, of time, talents and financially;
• a strong PCC ready to work alongside and support our new Vicar
• a willingness to face the necessary change to grow the family of faith here in this place;
• strong finances to support growth and change;
• a spacious four bedroom Vicarage; and
• good local amenities

For further information please contact the Archdeacon of Horsham, the Ven Angela Martin on archhorsham@chichester.anglican.org

The parish profile is available on our website or from the Appointments Secretary,

Imogen Robins atapplications@chichester.anglican.org

Please apply through Pathways here and click on ‘apply for this vacancy’

Closing date: 14.05.2024

Interview date: 23.05.2024

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.