The Church of England
Lay Ministry Development Manager
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Diocesan Lay Ministry Development Officer
Are you someone who…
- is passionate about encouraging and equipping people for lay ministry
- can work effectively within a range of church traditions to enable communities to discern and support diverse lay ministerial roles
- makes warm, collaborative relationships quickly with volunteers and staff
- prioritises teamwork and constant collaboration across different teams
- gets things done with excellence in communication
This could be the perfect opportunity for you!
Job Summary
Lead the development of new commissioned lay roles in the diocese, including:
- creation and administration of recruitment and deployment processes
- hosting and developing the **twice-yearly diocesan Directions Course (initial lay training)
Work collaboratively with colleagues to develop training and support pathways for commissioned lay roles, including:
- initial training short courses
Support parishes, deaneries, and leaders in encouraging and planning for lay ministry in every form, including commissioned roles.
Seek out stories of diverse lay ministry to inspire others.
Provide diocesan connection for the Spiritual Direction Lead and network.
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Duties & Key Responsibilities
Developing Commissioned Roles, Strategy, Policy & Processes
- Collaborate with the Vocations Team to develop policies, procedures, and discernment frameworks for lay roles.
- Administer simple yet robust processes for role recruitment and deployment.
- Review & renew all relevant literature (roles, pathways, recruitment materials) to ensure engaging, contextual and brand-consistent content.
- Clarify and define each commissioned role to reduce confusion and improve discernment in parishes.
- Long-term: Develop a framework for parish-led vocational plans and monitoring systems in collaboration with colleagues.
- Collaborate with parish leaders on:
- Using mission and future planning to identify needed ministry and leadership roles.
- Tailoring local resources or creating bespoke events to support vocationally enabling discipleship.
- Growing:
- local lay ministries through mission-focused initiatives.
- a diverse lay leadership pipeline.
- Support parishes in developing systems to record commissioned/licenced roles locally.
- Act as a passionate advocate for diversified vocation, speaking at deanery/LSP events, services, and meetings as requested.
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- Lead the Directions Course and ensure:
- Engaging and relevant initial training pathways for lay roles.
- Continuing support from the Vocational, Learning & Development Team in collaboration.
Telling Stories of Vocation
- Develop a communication strategy for lay calling with a focus on Lifecall (www.lifecall.uk).
- Promote diversity in vocational narratives via "someone like me" stories to inspire wider engagement.
- Create content for:
- websites,
- social media,
- brochures,
- promotional materials,
- video campaigns
- Partner with Communication and Parish Leaders to grow a diverse audience for vocation, expanding beyond traditional diocesan networks.
- Achieve strategic impact by:
- Seeking inspiring new vocal/story telling approaches
- Strengthening Lifecall’s brand within the diocese.
Shoulder authorised additional tasks commensurate with ongoing diocesan initiatives within the Vocations Team.
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Jessica, London
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