Vacancies
Parish Priest
Role Description: Incumbent of the East Medina Plurality
Overview
We are seeking a priest to serve as Incumbent of the East Medina Missional Plurality, serving the parishes of St James’, East Cowes; St Mildred’s, Whippingham; and St Edmund’s and St Mark’s, Wootton Bridge. This role sits within the Diocese of Portsmouth’s vision to be a Jesus-centred, Kingdom-seeking Church, committed to growth in discipleship, numbers, and community impact.
As a newly formed plurality, this is a key appointment. The postholder will lead the churches in developing a shared identity, deepening discipleship, and growing in confident, outward-facing mission.
Purpose of the Role
The Incumbent will:
– lead the plurality in discerning God’s direction and responding in faith
– shape a culture of prayer, discipleship, and spiritual growth
– enable the churches to grow in number, depth, and impact
– develop a missional focus, particularly among children, young people, and families
Key Responsibilities
1. Spiritual Leadership and Discipleship
– Lead the plurality in becoming more deeply rooted in prayer and scripture
– Encourage intentional discipleship and spiritual formation
– Support and develop lay leadership
2. Leading Mission and Growth
– Embed a culture of invitation and outreach
– Develop opportunities for growth
– Focus on children, young people, and families
3. Collaborative Leadership
– Build unity across the parishes
– Develop shared vision and priorities
– Lead change with sensitivity
4. Pastoral Presence
– Be visible and approachable
– Offer pastoral care across all ages
5. Developing Others
– Recognise and nurture gifts
– Build a collaborative ministry culture
Context and Priorities
The plurality is at an early stage of its life together. The next incumbent will help shape identity, build trust, and develop shared mission.
Person Specification
We are looking to recruit a new Rector with the following qualities:
- Someone who seeks God’s way in life, through their growing knowledge of Christ and of His work in us, through the Holy Spirit. This person will, necessarily, be prayerful; seeking to speak to God and to hear his guidance.
- Someone who is essentially kind; willing to listen to others as they try to express their hopes, needs or anxieties; being respectful of the character and traditions of each parish.
- A willingness to care for the Churches as they now stand, feeding and nurturing our existing congregations while also seeking to expand out from those Churches through new initiatives and projects.
- Will be seen and well known in all the Churches of the Benefice but will also be as outgoing as is possible/feasible in our local communities, especially school and care homes.
- A tactful leader and guide who acknowledges their own limitations but is open to and nurturing towards the gifts of others, both in the congregations and in the wider communities; building and developing further the lay leadership capacity and utilising the skills of the wider congregations.
- Is not hasty in seeking to change current provisions and practices in the Churches but takes time to discern and apply changes as needed, particularly in the important areas of mission and outreach.
- One who approaches the need for good administration and organisation with a willingness to delegate to those with appropriate skills.
What We Offer
– supportive leadership teams
– openness to change
– strong community links
– opportunity to shape the future
Summary
We are seeking a priest who will lead us in faith, help us grow in mission, and enable us to become a more united and outward-looking church.
