HOW can you find the incumbent your parish needs, and who God is calling to you?

We’ve created a new Vacancy Pack to walk churchwardens and PCCs through the process of creating their profile and advert, clarifying their mission and vision, and identifying the desired characteristics of their potential incumbent.

Our recruitment process has recently undergone a review with the focus on enabling parishes to share their story well and find the right candidate. And it is now no longer down to each parish to produce their final profile. Once the wording and tone of the profile has been discussed with their archdeacon, the parish passes over the content, including some well-chosen images that reflect the life of the parish, to our communications team who produce a professionally designed final profile in keeping with the diocese’s own style. Keeping in mind the impact that unnecessary printing can have on the environment, all profiles and brochures are made available as PDFs, giving parishes the opportunity to add hyperlinks directed toward extra online content.

It can’t be overstated how important it is to give not only the right but also the best impression of your parish to potential candidates. So much more is communicated than just by the words used in the profile and recruitment advert. They’re unlikely to step foot in your parish before any interview or official visit, so it is worth spending time with your archdeacon and your PCC on getting the right words and the right images.

The role of the churchwarden is central to the process of finding a new incumbent, and much of the responsibility will lie on your shoulders. Our new guide helps to break the process down into understandable steps, so you’ll know what should be happening at each stage, what needs to be done and by whom, and what you can expect from your archdeacon and other members of the diocesan team. This well-oiled process is carefully and thoughtfully managed with your parish’s individual needs and values in mind.