Bloomsbury Student Community Pioneer, London District of the Methodist Church

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
Pioneering:
• Listen to God and to others: in new relationships, in Scripture and prayer, in worship;
• Network and connect with people in the local community. Prioritise relational (one-to-one) meetings as a means of getting to know key people groups and community leaders. Meet with ecumenical and Methodist local church and chaplaincy leaders to build relationships, identify missional gaps, and cast the general vision;
• Build a diverse and healthy team that will cast and expand the vision of the new church/Christian community and develop its core values with a bias for action. This will continue to embed a culture of robust collaborative leadership through regular meetings;
• Encourage and support experimentation, appropriate missional risk-taking, and learning through evaluation on the path to becoming the new church community;
• Initiate patterns of mission and evangelism that fit well in a challenging context where people are in seasons of significant vocational discernment, face significant rites of passage and life challenges, and are searching for belonging;
• Support a wide range of spiritual journeys while guiding people to explore the particularity of Christian spirituality, into discipleship, towards membership in the Body of Christ through the Methodist Church;
• Nurture and lead a new Christian community that is growing spiritually, missionally, and numerically, deepening knowledge of God and of the gospel of Jesus Christ;
• Help build and implement a strategy that equips others to pioneer radical, innovative and creative new Christian communities within the London District and across the Methodist Church;
• Participate actively and regularly as a member of London District Team, in order to align this particular work with the larger strategic commitments and missional culture of the London District Mission Plan, especially New Places for New People, evangelism, and ministry with young adults and students;
• Participate actively and regularly as a member of the Evangelism & Growth Team of the Methodist Church and the Methodist Pioneering Pathways community.

General:
• Implement and follow District policies and procedures;
• Be committed to personal continuing professional development, undertake any training necessary and participate in the organisation’s supervision and appraisal system;
• Support the rest of the team when and if necessary, by assisting with queries and guests;
• Be able and willing to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends;
• Carry out other duties in discussion with your line manager that fall into your role.

Essential:
– Master’s degree or equivalent level qualification in a relevant field (e.g., theology, mission, faith formation); or equivalent professional experience.
– At least three years’ practical experience of leadership in pioneering or church planting
– Demonstrated effectiveness and passion for communicating and describing the Gospel in ways that make sense to people unfamiliar with the Christian faith
– Experience of building and leading a team, and knowledge of a diverse toolkit of leadership skills and approaches
– Experience within and knowledge of the HE and FE sectors
– Ability to be a strategic planner and creative thinker
– Experience of managing a complex project (or projects), including casting vision, setting priorities, solving issues, meeting deadlines, budget management, and achieving a successful outcome
– Effective networking, relationship building, sensitive influencing and negotiation skills, collaboration
– Able to demonstrate an understanding of the diverse context of London Methodism and an ability to work inclusively and positively with a wide range of people
– Proven ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
– Experience of pastoral care and of discipling/coaching others to be disciples
– Knowledge and experience of working with those on the margins
– Experience of working with Church leaders at circuit and district level
– Competent IT and record keeping skills
– Demonstrates an understanding and is supportive of the work and mission of the Methodist Church
– Demonstrate awareness of, and sensitivity to, issues of equality, diversity and inclusion and a commitment to the unique value of the individual in all aspects of the Church’s life
– Member in good standing of a member church of CTBI
– Availability to regularly work irregular hours especially evenings/weekends, which are “normal” hours for students

It is a genuine occupational requirement that the post holder is a practising Christian.