Associate Vicar
In the Benefice of Cheltenham Minster with St Matthew’s and St Luke’s
We are looking to appoint an Associate Vicar in this Benefice at the heart of the town of
Cheltenham. This is an Incumbent-status post with commensurate responsibilities, providing an
exciting opportunity to join a team committed to the Lord’s work here.
Cheltenham
Cheltenham is a lovely town in which to live. It lies a few miles east of the M5 at the foot of the
Cotswold Escarpment. Gloucester lies the other side of the M5. The town is well known for its
Regency architecture and period buildings, wide Promenade and formal gardens, for its range of
shops and sporting activities. It is an attraction for tourists and locals alike. It has a thriving nightlife,
which attracts people from a wide area. The University of Gloucestershire has two campuses in
Cheltenham and it is a popular town for students. Cheltenham has been welcoming visitors for
almost 300 years since the discovery of the first natural spring led to the development of the spa
town.
Cheltenham has a growing population of around 120,000. It is a thriving cultural centre with an
impressive calendar of international festivals and special events. These, which include the Jazz,
Science, Music and Literature Festivals and the National Hunt Gold Cup race meeting, contribute
significantly to the local economy. Although Cheltenham has the image of being an affluent and
attractive town (and many parts certainly are) there are also significant areas of deprivation and
poverty in need of attention.
Cheltenham’s largest single employer is GCHQ, which has a staff of over 4,000. Around the town
there are other major employers notably in the financial, educational and high-tech industrial
sectors. There are very good transport links to and from Cheltenham.
Cheltenham is well provided with good primary and secondary schools in the State sector and the
Independent sector. Health provision is also good; Cheltenham General Hospital is within the Parish,
very close to the Vicarage for this post.
To discover more about Cheltenham I recommend the following websites for exploration:
www.visitcheltenham.com/
www.cheltweb.co.uk/
The Parishes of St Mary with St Matthew and St Luke
We are a new Benefice in the town. In November 2012 St Luke’s was incorporated into the Benefice,
although retaining its own parish identity. Then in February 2013 the ancient parish church of St
Mary was designated Cheltenham Minster.
The Parish of St Mary with St Matthew is in the town centre and encompasses shops, offices and a
range of small businesses, flats and housing. About 3,000 people actually live in the parish. The social
mix includes young professionals and retired people. Large town houses and terracing include family
housing and student lets. Flats and shopping developments continue to attract residents back into
the town centre. There are also some areas of poor housing and social deprivation and the area of
Lower High Street is ethnically very mixed, including some asylum seekers. The only school in the
parish is Cheltenham Ladies’ College.
The Parish of St Luke’s to the east of the town centre is largely residential. There is a Church School,
St John’s VC, in the parish. Relationships with the church are strong and growing. The parish is
largely residential, but it includes Cheltenham College and the Hospital.
Cheltenham Minster…
…or St Mary’s Church as most people know it. St Mary’s is the only medieval building in the town
centre and is greatly loved in the town. The Minster status is primarily a reflection of its civic role
and its place at the heart of the redevelopment of the town centre. At the Minster there is regular
Sunday worship at 9.00 a.m. This is the most formal of our services. Robes are worn and the organ
accompanies the singing of mostly traditional hymns. Holy Communion is celebrated monthly on the
second Sunday and in a shortened service following Morning Worship on the fourth Sunday.
The Minster also hosts daily prayers each weekday at 12.30 and we are developing a bi-monthly
series of Saturdays@theMinster. This is a varied programme of worship as a way-in to Sundays. We
are also planning in conjunction with the University a series of Minster Lectures on subjects such as
Faith and Business.
The majority of churchgoers come from the town but not necessarily from within the small parish
itself. On Sunday morning we have about 60-70 worshippers.
The strapline for the Minster is ‘Putting Jesus at the Centre’ – of the town, of our lives…
St Matthew’s
St Matthew’s Church is only 100 metres from St Mary’s and is a large Victorian edifice that has been
splendidly reordered to make it fit for 21st century purpose. The building hosts the church offices and
is wonderfully flexible for work in the 21st century. There is regular Sunday worship at 10.45 and at
6.30. We are very aware of the need to provide for families at 10.45 and in the evening we are
particularly concerned to include younger people. Both these concerns give a certain flavour to the
worship at these services. Holy Communion is celebrated monthly – once in the morning on the first
Sunday of the month and in the evening on the third.
The majority of churchgoers come from the town but not necessarily from within the small parish
itself. At 10.45 we have about 200 adults plus children. In the evening we are around 90-100.
St Matthew’s is a hive of activity throughout the week, not only with church activities. Other groups
come and use the excellent facilities.
St Luke’s
St Luke’s Church holds two services on a Sunday – 8.00 and 10.00. Mike Workman who is a SelfSupporting Minister is responsible for the day-to-day care of St Luke’s under the Incumbency of the
Rector. The majority of church-goers come from the parish. The Vicarage for the Associate Vicar is
opposite St Luke’s Church. St Luke’s attracts about 60 worshippers.
Vision and Values
It is essential that the Associate Vicar should be fully signed up to the distinctive Evangelical Vision
and Values of this Benefice. In summary these can be summed up as follows:
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Biblical – a commitment to the supreme authority of the Bible underlies our teaching,
preaching programmes ,our small group activity and our life as a church
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Missional – we are committed to evangelism and making disciples; we are committed to
justice; our concerns are both local and global
Prayerful – prayer undergirds everything we do, reflected in our personal and corporate
commitment to pray
Pastoral – we are concerned for the pastoral well-being of those of our church community
and parish
Contemporary – we are aware of living in the 21st century and concerned especially that our
communication is appropriate to our world
Excellent – in our presentation and work we are committed to offer our best
Human – we make mistakes and laugh together
What we do
Please have a look at our website for up-to-date information and the wider picture of what we do –
www.stmstm.org.uk These notes relate primarily to the life of the Minster and St Matthew’s which
will be the primary sphere of engagement of the Associate Rector.
Children and young people are catered for with different groups run by Jayne Seward and Matt
Brown, our staff workers with this age group.
We look to welcome students and care for our own young people who go to be students in other
parts of the country.
We have about 25 small groups meeting regularly to study the Bible, pray together and offer
pastoral support and care.
In terms of evangelism we run regular ‘Christianity Explored’ courses, and are hosting the
Cheltenham-wide Good News People initiative to train and encourage people in evangelism. We are
also engaged locally in social action; some of our people are Street Pastors and we are involved with
the local Food Bank and the Rock, an imaginative project engaging with young people on the
margins.
We have a number of partnership links with the Church overseas in many and diverse places. We
pray regularly and look to give generously.
Working groups contribute significantly to our church life – in terms of finance and building,
evangelism and discipleship, prayer and overseas mission, and groups connected with each service.
These feed in to the Parochial Church Council.
Stella Weaver leads our extensive pastoral work, and is currently engaged in reviewing our work
with older people. We have a number of people in our ‘At Home’ church who are kept in regular
touch with recordings of services and home communion.
We play an active part in the Deanery and Ecumenical life of Cheltenham. The Rector is also the Area
Dean.
We meet regularly as a staff team to ensure that we work and pray together.
Admin Support and Volunteers
We could not do half what we do without the wonderful support of Andy, Brenda, Luke, Lynda and
the many volunteers who help with the admin work. We are also immensely grateful for the work of
Sarah Brown and Jenny Aldridge and others who provide practical support.
Volunteers are at the heart of our life as a church; it is not possible to list them all and what they do.
Ministry Colleagues
Rector
Associate Minister (SSM)
Associate Minister (SSM)
Licensed Lay Minister
Youth Worker
Children’s Worker
Tudor Griffiths (Team Leader)
Mike Workman (St Luke’s)
Sue Knight (3 days/week)
Stella Weaver (Pastoral and Prayer)
Matt Brown
Jayne Seward (20 hours/week)
Additionally there is an active team of Readers – Anna Griffiths, Moira Johnson, Rod Pellereau,
Robert Sutton and Rachel Tarling – and a number of retired clergy.
We are also in the remarkable position of having seven ordinands in training currently from the
Benefice (4 at Ridley, 1 in Oak Hill, 1 in Queen’s, and 1 through the local WEMTC course).
I am very aware that these notes can only provide a brief introduction to our very full and
challenging life here. Please contact me if you would like to talk through the post or if you would like
to ask any questions. If you would like to visit Cheltenham, this can be arranged – again please
contact me.
Tudor Griffiths
Rector and Area Dean of Cheltenham
tudorg@stmstm.org.uk
07718-906066 or 01242-234470
Job Specification
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To be Associate Vicar in the Benefice of St Mary (Cheltenham Minster), St Matthew and St
Luke and part of the Senior Leadership Team in the Minster and St Matthew’s together with
the Rector and Church Wardens
To take lead responsibility for Evangelism in the Minster and St Matthew’s
To take lead responsibility for work with young adults and families, and students in St
Matthew’s
To take lead responsibility for the organisation of Sunday evening worship at St Matthew’s
(as presently structured)
To develop an intern/discipleship programme
To participate in leading worship and preaching across the range of services
To be prayerful, making the monthly Prayer meeting a priority and being involved with daily
prayer at the Minster, staff prayers, etc
To attend regular meetings, eg Staff meetings, Ministry Team meetings, etc
To deputise as the team leader as agreed with the Rector
To be fully engaged with the small group ministry
To be fully involved as a member of PCC, Standing and Finance Committee, and to play a
leading role in other working groups as agreed with the Rector
To act as Line Manager for members of staff as agreed with the Senior Leadership team
To take responsibility for the scheduling of ‘service slots’ (eg Baptisms, drama, etc)
To work within the structures of the deanery and diocese, committed to Chapter, Synod and
other requirements
Person Specification
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Commitment to the Evangelical Anglican tradition as represented in and by the Minster, St
Matthew’s and St Luke’s
Committed to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry’
Willing to invest time and energy in people
Commitment to be prayerful and concerned always and everywhere to be a good witness to
the Lord Jesus Christ
Commitment to be a team player while equally concerned to develop their own individual
gifts in this context
Passionate about living and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ
Enthusiastic and confident preacher and leader of worship
Creative thinker and practitioner in evangelism and leading worship
IT competent
To be organised with excellent administrative and time-management skills
Having a good sense of self-awareness
Willing to be adaptable and take on new roles as requested
Willing to take initiatives and be proactive in the context of a ministry team
Understanding of the particular challenges of being a town centre Benefice in Cheltenham
with all its opportunities and frustrations
Key Relationships
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To be directly accountable to the Rector
To be a member of the Senior Leadership Team of the Minster and St Matthew’s together
with the Rector and Church Wardens
To play a full role as a member of the staff team, working collaboratively with the Ministry
and Administration Teams
To take the lead role in the Evangelism Working Group and the 6.30 Working Group, and to
be involved as requested with other Working Groups
To be a full member of PCC, Standing and Finance Committee and to deputise for the Rector
in leading these as and when required
To be actively involved with the Diocese and Deanery as expected of those of Incumbent
status
Applications
If you would like to apply for this post please complete the form attached and return to:
The Archdeacon of Cheltenham,
2 College Green,
Gloucester
GL1 2LR
archdchelt@glosdioc.org.uk
This should be returned by 9am on Wednesday 6th March.
Shortlisting will be on 12 March.
We expect to interview in Cheltenham on Friday 22 March.