Items filtered by date: August 2025
The monthly diocesan message is available to download here
August 2025
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July 2025
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June 2025
Download the Dean of Derby's message for June
What is the 2027 Community of Prayer?
We are the Diocese of Derby network of prayer – praying together, as we prepare to celebrate our centenary in 2027, for transformed lives in growing church and building community the length and breadth of our diocese.
Our shared prayer across the diocese is the frame that holds us together as God weaves the threads of our lives, our worship, witness and work for Christ, into something beautiful.
We hope that over the next five years 2027 people will commit to regular prayer, as individuals, and as churches, groups or schools.
Why join the 2027 Community of Prayer?
Our Christian lives begin and end in prayer: in prayer the Spirit unites us to God and to one another; in prayer we are changed ever more into the likeness of Christ; in prayer we are equipped for our Heavenly Father’s service.
Being rooted in prayer nourishes our shared values of generous faith, courageous hope and life-giving love. Prayer is essential as we engage afresh in living out the 5 Marks of Mission – to tell, teach, tend, transform and treasure – in response to the vision God has given us of the Kingdom of God as good news for all.
Prayer is a demonstration of our love and commitment to all the people and places of our diocese in Derbyshire, the city of Derby, and beyond.
Who can join the 2027 Community of Prayer?
Anyone can join - everyone who wants to be part of this movement of prayer. We pray for God’s Kingdom to come in our diocese – please join us.
You can become a Companion of the 2027 Community of Prayer as an individual, and as a church or group, or as a school.
As a 2027 Community of Prayer Companion (individual), you commit yourself to praying the Lord’s Prayer, the diocesan Vision Prayer and for those on the diocesan Cycle of Prayer every day. We may also occasionally suggest other relevant prayers that you may like to use.
As a 2027 Community of Prayer Church, and commit your worshipping context (in parish church, chaplaincy, BMO, fresh expression, church plant or other congregation) to praying the Lord’s Prayer, the diocesan Vision Prayer and for those on the diocesan Cycle of Prayer at least weekly. We may also occasionally suggest other relevant prayers that you may like to use.
As a 2027 Community of Prayer School, you commit to praying the Lord’s Prayer, the diocesan Vision Prayer and for those on the diocesan Cycle of Prayer every week. We may also occasionally suggest other relevant prayers that you may like to use.
We will also occasionally keep you updated with other prayer resources as part of your daily or monthly email.
How do I join the 2027 Community of Prayer
Simply use this form to register your membership, and also to register for emails for the Cycle of Prayer if you would like to receive it.
Please note: If, after a while, you can't find any emails you have requested, please check your spam folder.
Other prayer resources
If you want to go further in prayer we have resources for all ages and contexts, and information about prayer events for you to use and join in with.
How we use your data:
If you register as a member of the 2027 Prayer Community, we will use your data only for the purpose of administering the community and for informing you of developments in the community, such as when the community reaches milestones, and quiet days.
By opting to receive the Cycle of Prayer (either monthly or daily) you are consenting to us sending you emails on that basis, solely for that purpose, and for occasionally including in those emails other prayer resources that are relvant to the 2027 Prayer Community.
Your email address will not be shared with any third party or added to any other mailing list as a result of you consenting to recieve the Cycle of Prayer.
Vision Prayer
Gracious God,
in your mercy and for your glory,
renew us, reshape us, revive us –
with generous faith, courageous hope and life-giving love –
that, in transformed lives through growing church and building community,
we may see your Kingdom come and be good news for all.
Amen.
Our Diocesan Vision is that the Kingdom of God is good news for all, and that fundamentally includes Children, Young People and Families. A key priority of our Parish Support Team strategy is to support and enable parishes to Grow Active Young Disciples. The Growing Younger team has been put together around this priority and a lot of our work is based around the national Church of England movement that is Growing Faith.
Growing Faith is the movement that exists to change the culture of the Church of England, so that everyone instinctively puts children, young people and families at the heart of all the ministry and mission of the Church.
Growing Faith involves churches, schools and households working together to help children, young people and families have life in all its fullness.
As a diocese we are adopting Growing Faith as the basis for our strategic plans to grow younger.
Why is Growing Faith needed?
Jesus (Matt.19:14) and the early church (1. Tim 4:12) placed immense value on the place and role of children and young people in the kingdom of God.
Children, young people and families are vitally important to the church, not merely for our survival into future generations, but because a church that cares about children and young people is indicative of a healthy church.
In this report from the House of Bishops in 2019, there is recognition that ‘it is not always clear that the church is sufficiently focused on the engagement in ministry with children and young people.’
This is despite it being well acknowledged that the vast majority of Christians today have come to faith before the age of 18.
As a church and as a diocese, we have to confess that historically and at present children and young people have not always been intrinsically part of our ministry and mission.
There needs to be a cultural shift.
Growing Faith envisions children, young people and households coming to faith, growing in discipleship and contributing confidently to the Kingdom of God through the community of faith.
It is about how, as members of the whole people of God, children and young people are encouraged and how the whole Church is equipped to think intergenerationally. (A useful summary can be found here )
The Growing Faith Principles
Growing Faith provides a helpful lens for assessing our current practices and potential opportunities.
As we, as churches and as a diocese, seek to give children, young people and families a chance to explore and deepen their faith, it is helpful to look for the meeting places between churches, schools and households.
Alongside our diocesan vision, "The Kingdom of God – good news for all" we are inviting church communities to ask themselves what it would look like to be good news for young people in churches, schools and households.
Three principles are shaping our approach to Growing Faith:
Connected Communities - looking for the meaningful connected community of faith in the intersection between church, school and households.
Spiritual Encounters - engaging in conversations about and expressing faith as people encounter God as individuals and together.
Imaginative Practices - searching for 'a new way of being church' and creating new thinking and new doing in relation to children, young people and households.
FAQs
-
What is the current picture? +
Numbers are not always the best way to measure how fruitful a church/ministry is, but they can be a useful tool.
An estimated 95,800 under 16s attended Sunday church before the pandemic, with 1100 in the Diocese of Derby.
Most recent provisional national statistics for mission imply this has dropped by as much as 40% between 2019 and 2021.
Many of our churches are rebuilding their ministries and there is lots of potential across the diocese, but sadly children’s, youth and families ministries were most impacted by the pandemic.
However, the reality is that there are many opportunities to be good news to children, young people and families, especially since the needs for many have increased.
We are supporting and encouraging innovative children’s and youth ministries across the diocese. -
What about small congregations with fewer children? +
Growing Faith is a vision for all churches, large or small.
Every congregation can pray for their community and school(s).
Children, young people and their families need a friendly welcome and the chance to be involved, even if they are just visiting. -
How should we identify opportunities for Growing Faith? +
A key recommendation from the national growing faith movement, is that churches are encouraged to do ministry with and not just for children, young people, and families.
Listening to the voices of children and young people is key if a church is to serve them, but moreover young people are the church of now and we encourage all churches to experience the rich blessing that comes from involving young people as much as possible in all aspects of church life, including decision making structures. -
What is the Church of England doing nationally to develop Growing Faith? +
Details of the Growing Faith Foundation can be found online.
Lucy Moore (formerly of Messy Church) now heads up the team. The work in progress includes:
• Encouraging networking and shared story-telling across dioceses through growing faith champions.
• Learning hubs – investing in 12 learning hubs across the country to foster growing faith in different contexts. As a diocese, we have successfully applied for one of these learning hubs commencing in May 2023.
• Training programmes – developing the pathways for youth, children’s and family workers so that more can explore it as a vocation and progress in it for longer.
• Research - 13 Growing Faith research projects are underway to further our understanding of growing faith in the intersections between households, schools and churches. -
How will the church(es) I’m linked with be part of Growing Faith? +
It’s likely that there will already be areas of GF that are part of your church life.
Perhaps someone visits and helps in the local school, maybe you are engaging with young people in your community through various ministries, or have ways of involving children and young people in your Sunday worship, or perhaps there is a Toddler group or other activity to support carers and parents.
Growing Faith is about prayerfully seeking ways to further develop ministry in schools, homes and churches, so that as many children, young people and families have the opportunity to explore and grow their faith. -
How can we pray? +
Prayer underpins all our local, diocesan and national efforts to reach the younger generations with the good news of the Kingdom of God.
In line with the national bold outcome to double the number of young disciples in the church by 2030, there is a weekly national prayer meeting on zoom every Tuesday 1-1.20pm.
The aim is for 1000 people to pray weekly.
To get the login information email aidan.watson@derby.anglican.org
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Gracious God,
in your mercy, and for your glory,
renew us, reshape us, revive us -
with generous faith, courageous hope, and life-giving love -
that, in transformed lives,
through growing church and building community,
we may see your Kingdom come
and be good news for all.
Amen.
The new Royal School of Church Music Derbyshire Area Team has now been commissioned and we’re delighted to introduce them. The role of the Area Team is to raise the profile of and promote the RSCM and church music within Derbyshire, and to programme events for churches, clergy, musicians in Derbyshire and beyond. If you’re interested in finding out more about the RSCM in Derbyshire please do get in touch with our Area Team Leader, Alexander Binns at alexander@derbycathedral.org
Alexander Binns – Area Team Leader
Alexander Binns is the Director of Music at Derby Cathedral and is the Area Team Leader for RSCM Derbyshire. Prior to moving to Derby, Alexander spent 3 years as Assistant Director of Music at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. Alexander is a prizewinning graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and alongside his studies held organ scholarships at St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle, Southwark Cathedral and the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Alexander has been involved with the RSCM from the age of 9, when he first attended courses run for young singers, and is delighted to be heading up the newly commissioned Derbyshire Area Team.
Carol Coslett – Diocesan Representative
I am delighted to represent the RSCM Derby Area Team on the Bishops Staff Team. Trained as a musician and choral leader, in my home in Chesterfield I have a piano, harpsichord, guitars, strings, various electric keyboards and my clarinet. I don’t play them all at once! I have directed many church choirs and school choirs, taking some to the Albert Hall, as part of the schools proms, some to diocesan choir festivals, or to lead cathedral choral evensongs, and prepared choristers for their RSCM Bishops and Deans Awards. It has always been my privilege to serve the church in this way. Encouraging singing and music making in church can lead to lasting connections which can truly build community and grow the church. As a newly formed Regional team I look forward to the challenge ahead and engaging with our parish churches, their choirs, music groups, and organists so that we can support and celebrate our new Diocesan Vision transform lives. So may we “Sing with the spirit and with understanding also”
Michael Halls – Treasurer
Michael Halls has been Director of Music at St Oswald’s Church at Ashbourne since 1998 and has been associated with the RSCM for many years.
Edward Turner – Safeguarding Co-ordinator
Edward Turner is the Assistant Director of Music at Derby Cathedral, having previously held posts at Worcester College Oxford, Tewkesbury Abbey, Dean Close School Cheltenham and Southwell Minster. Alongside his work at the Cathedral, Edward directs the University of Derby Choir and is Accompanist to Nottingham Bach Choir.
Chris Ebbern – Secretary
Chris is a singer, pianist and organist based in Long Eaton and sings with De Montfort University Chamber Choir and as a Deputy Lay Clerk with Derby Cathedral Choir. He currently studies singing with London based teacher; René Bloice-Sanders and in Autumn this year shall be participating in Penelope Roskell’s Piano Teachers Course. Chris is delighted to be part of the Derbyshire RSCM team and very much looks forward to future events with them.
Rob Aldread
Rob Aldread is part of the Dronfield with Holmesfield Team in North East Derbyshire. Rob is a practical and versatile music graduate who is happy to lead a traditional SATB choir for choral evensong and matins, but he is equally happy to play piano and lead the music for more contemporary worship. Like many musicians, Rob adapted during the pandemic and he now knows how to produce virtual choir videos and he is reasonably expert at music technology and live streaming.
Rachel Reid
Rachel Reid sings soprano with Melbourne Parish Church Choir, South Derbyshire. She is also a member of RSCM Voices South and the RSCM Residentiary choir. Prior to joining the RSCM Derbyshire committee she was the Awards Administrator for the Peterborough and Northampton area.
Tom Hibbert
Tom was organist of St Thomas Becket Chapel-en-le-Frith from May 2006 to December 2017. Since January 2018, he has played the organ at 4 churches in Buxton on a freelance basis and also sings in the choir at St John the Baptist Buxton.
Three new canons have been collated and installed at Derby Cathedral.
Revd Patrick Coleman, Vicar of All Saints Chesterfield (The Crooked Spire) andSt Leonard's (Mission Church) Spital, and Revd Julian Hollywell, Vicar of St Werburgh Spondon, Priest-in-charge of St Mark Derby and St Philip Chaddesden, and Minister Responsible at St Andrew with St Osmund Derby were installed as honorary canons, and Emily Brailsford, Derby Diocesan President of the Mothers’ Union and Project Officer at Rural Action Derbyshire, was installed as a lay canon.
The three new canons were collated in a special Evensong led by the Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Derby, and the Very Revd Dr Peter Robinson, Dean of Derby.
>> See photos from the installation service [on Flickr]
Canon Emily Brailsford
Emily has three children and her first and most important role is always a a mother.
As her children have grown, Emily's role within her home church of St Giles, Matlock, has also grown and developed.
For many years she has delivered Sunday School and also a monthly fun club.
Later, as her children grew older, Emily took some time for herself so that she was able to attend the Lay Reader training.
For some time, she worked to develop a network of support groups for parents of children with additional needs.
When the children were settled in school, Emily worked with Derbyshire Agricultural Chaplaincy, working with Revd Alan Griggs.
This was an amazing experience for her, but hard work trying to bring young people to the Lord.
On the 15th of January this year, Emily was commissioned as the President of Mothers' Union, Derby, at the Cathedral, Emily feels that the Mothers' Union is also a huge part of her ministry.
Through prayer and loving-kindness, the Mothers' Union touches the lives of many people.
In Derbyshire, they work with many of the women's refuges to try and prevent violence against women and girls.
They also raise money to help the work of those who tackle modern slavery and as a new initiative this year they are going to tackle period poverty, particularly amongst the homeless.
Emily's favourite passage of the Bible is in Revelation 21:4 where we are told that there will be no more pain or crying as the old things have passed away. She thinks that this is a great
reminder for us moving forwards after the last few years!
Canon Patrick Coleman
In July of 2022, Patrick will have been Vicar of Chesterfield for eight years.
The role involves being a parish priest and a great deal more, and this ensures that there is never a dull moment, and absolutely no chance of getting bored.
Patrick has also been a curate and chaplain in the Roman Catholic Church; diocesan CME officer; part of various diocesan and provincial committees and boards; chaired community enterprises and organisations; studied languages, philosophy, theology, history, taught the latter in a downtown comprehensive school; church organist and choir member.
He has done these in places as diverse as South Wales, Rome, Varese (northern Italy) and Munich.
Patrick has also been active in supporting the work of the Church in the Highveld (South Africa) and Niassa (northern Mozambique).
He has brought persistence and perseverance to the various complex issues faced in all these various roles, and he has always aimed at an astringent and critical loyalty to all with whom he has worked.
He has a creative mind, and hopes to bring both experience and creativity, with no holds barred, to his role in the life of the cathedral.
In any spare time left after being a parish priest and rescuer of Border Collies, Patrick enjoys music, reading, food, wine, Alfa Romeos, and classic buses.
Canon Julian Hollywell
Julian is the Vicar of Spondon and the priest with responsibility for the parishes of St Mark, Derwent, St Philip, Chaddesden and St Osmund with St Andrew, Wilmorton.
In these parishes he holds responsibility for inherited church and works alongside excellent pioneering colleagues developing new missional opportunities and planting churches.
Julian has served for many years in the diocese as a member of the Vocations Team and also as a National Selector.
He is a member of the Diocesan Advisory Committee for church buildings and Vice Chair of the Business Committee of the Diocesan Board of Finance.
He is Chair of the House of Clergy of the Diocesan Synod, a member of Bishop's Council and a member of the General Synod where he helped produce the legislation that led to the Well-being Covenant.
Julian is also a member of the well-being group in the diocese.
He is an ambassador for Inclusive Church and a National Trustee of the Open Table Network. He is a trustee, board member and safeguarding lead of the Derbyshire YMCA.
Julian previously worked as a diocesan officer in the Manchester and Liverpool dioceses, focussing on estates and urban mission.
Honorary canons serve the bishop, the cathedral and the whole of the diocese acting as a ’two way’ ambassador for the cathedral.
They have an outward facing role involving listening, sharing stories and promoting the cathedral across the diocese and helping the cathedral to listen to the wider diocese.
Acting as representatives of the cathedral at local licensings/institutions, they welcome people new to the diocese into relationship with the cathedral.
Honorary canons are part of the cathedral’s College of Canons which is a body that is able to reflect theologically on the place of the cathedral in the life, mission and ministry of the diocese and its contribution.
They currently meet two or three times a year to discuss how the cathedral is approaching its vocation theologically, tactically and strategically.
They are a significant part of the cathedral community, whether present or not, and are welcome to join in any aspects of the cathedral’s life, worship and ministry.
>> Download a printable map of Hardwick Deanery here (suitable for A4 and A3) [JPG]
>> Download a printable map of the Archdeaconry of East Derbyshire from this page.
Welcome to the Hardwick Deanery.
We are part of the Archdeaconry of East Derbyshire
Archdeacon: The Ven. Karen Hamblin - karen.hamblin@derby.anglican.org
Area Dean: Revd Rachel Williams - revrwilliams25@gmail.com
Assistant Area Dean: Revd Imogen Black - imogen.black@trinity-oxford.com
Assistant Area Dean: Peter Bold - revdbold@gmail.com
Synod Lay Chair: John Atkin
Synod Treasurer: Mrs Di Fretwell
Synod Secretary: Miss Ailsa Cooling
Deanery Synod Meetings 2025
Tuesday 25 February 2025 at 7pm – This meeting will be held online
Thursday 10 July 2025 at 7pm – Bolsolver Church
Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 7pm - St Mary’s, Pilsley
Refreshments at 6.30, meeting starts at 7pm
Hardwick Benefices
- Alfreton (Parish of Alfreton)
- Ashover and Handley, and Brackenfield with Wessington (Parishes of Ashover and Handley; Brackenfield; Wessington)
- Ault Hucknall and Scarcliffe (Parishes of Ault Hucknall; Scarcliffe)
- Blackwell with Tibshelf (Parishes of Blackwell; Tibshelf)
- Bolsover (Parish of Bolsover)
- Crich and South Wingfield (Parishes of Crich; South Wingfield)
- East Scarsdale (Parishes of Pleasley, Shirebrook, Upper Langwith with Langwith Bassett; Whaley Thorns)
- Heath (Parish of Heath) (including Holmewood)
- Morton and Stonebroom with Shirland (Parishes of Morton; Shirland; St. Peter Stonebroom)
- North Wingfield, Clay Cross and Pilsley (Parish of North Wingfield) (includes 3 Parish Churches Clay Cross, North Wingfield and Pilsley, and two additional churches at Tupton and Danesmoor)
- Pinxton (Parish of Pinxton)
- Riddings and Ironville (Parishes of Riddings; Ironville)
- Somercotes (Parish of St. Thomas, Somercotes)
- South Normanton (Parish of South Normanton)
The diocesan churchyard regulations cover the erection of memorials and gravestones in churchyards.
Any memorial needs permission before it can be placed in a churchyard.
These Regulations are made by the Chancellor of the Diocese of Derby to explain how to get permission, and what is likely to be permitted.
If a memorial or other item is placed in a churchyard without permission, then the chancellor can order its removal immediately.
Churchyards differ from local authority cemeteries in that they are attached to a church building which is often listed, or otherwise of historic or architectural interest, and used by a worshipping community.
As such there needs to be more careful control over what memorials can be placed there.
The form below is for all churchyard memorial applications, those which can be approved by Incumbents, Rural Deans and Archdeacons and, when the request falls outside their delegated authority, as the petition to the Chancellor for a faculty.
>> Diocese of Derby Churchyard Memorial Application Form (Nov 2022) [PDF]
A vacancy is the time between one incumbent leaving and the next starting.
Vacancies are an integral part of the life of all parish churches.
They can be a time for opportunity and growth, but may also be a time of anxiety and difficulty.
These FAQs are for parishes approaching or embarking upon a vacancy and are intended for those who have particular responsibilities during vacancies, including PCC members and churchwardens.
During a vacancy the area dean and churchwardens legally become ‘sequestrators’, i.e. the bishop’s officers in the parish.
The area dean will be the first point of contact for churchwardens and others seeking advice and support in the day-to-day running of the parish.
The wardens with the PCC will need to decide whether the wardens, ministry team or standing committee are the core working group for overseeing the life of the parish during the vacancy.
Other licensed and authorised ministers and those with leadership roles in the church also have a part to play in the practical aspects of church life.
► How to find cover for services during a vacancy
It will be important to publicise the list of who is going to look after (not singlehandedly running) different areas of church life – enquiries about baptism, pastoral visiting, home/study groups, church rotas etc.
A vacancy is not just a period of ‘marking time’ but may be a time of creative discovery and for enjoying the benefits of co-operative ministry within the church and with neighbouring parishes.
You area dean and archdeacon can help you with this.
Please also see the Vacancy Process flowchart.
FAQs
-
How long will we have to wait before we get a new vicar? +
This is going to vary considerably from one vacancy to another, but it is best to plan on an absolute minimum of a year. This is because, due to the pandemic, there are a high number of vacancies awaiting recruitment. Even when a successful candidate has been found, they will have to give three months' notice in their current diocese. It is also worth bearing in mind that the drop in common fund payments has meant that it is not always possible to recruit on a ‘like-for-like’ basis. Thoughts and possibilities will be discussed with you at the initial vacancy meeting, but thinking creatively is the name of the game. -
How do I cover church services whilst we have no vicar? +
Please bear with us, we are looking at how we can produce lists of people you can approach for cover without contravening GDPR guidelines. However, you can always ask your archdeacon and the bishops if they have any capacity to help out with a service or two. Your deanery administrator may also know of likely people for you to approach.
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Is there anything I can read to help us out in the meantime? +
Here is a very useful publication which is readily available – So the Vicar's Leaving: The Good Interregnum Guide: Amazon.co.uk: Alexander, Mike, Martineau, Jeremy, Wood, Ron: 9781853115059: Books
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We are undertaking some building work - what permissions do we need? +
Nigel Sherratt and Kat Alldread in the DAC office are always happy to help and advise:
Nigel Sherratt: nigel.sherratt@derby.anglican.org
Kat Alldread: kat.alldread@derby.anglican.org
For help finding a reputable tradesperson, see: nationalchurchestrust.org/Maintenancebooker
To discuss the possibility of a grant to help with your work: Gareth Greenwood: Gareth.Greenwood@derby.anglican.org -
We have a query relating to a churchyard / marriage / death is there a guide available on this? +
Yes, there is.
For churchyard questions, please see the latest Churchyard Regulations.
And there is further information on these subjects on our the; Derby Diocesan Registry website.
-
What process will we need to follow to fill our vacancy? +
To give you an idea of the process and steps to follow in recruiting a new incumbent, please see here.. They will be small variances depending on local circumstances. -
Who gets involved with advertising and recruiting a new vicar? +
Your parish(es) will nominate either one or two representatives who will form a panel, together with the local area dean, archdeacon and patrons, if appropriate. If you are in a larger, multi-parish benefice, the number involved from each church would usually be tailored to ensure proportional representation. Together, this panel will make decisions relating to how to advertise and interview and will be involved on the interview day itself. The bishop will also wish to see the application forms relating to any possible candidates, and will have an informal chat with your preferred candidate prior to an offer letter being issued. -
What documents will be required to advertise? +
The benefice/parish(es) concerned will work together to create a profile and advert, whilst the area dean and archdeacon will work on job and role descriptions, plus source a letter from the Bishop to include for potential applicants. Cathy in the archdeacons’ office has lots of examples of all of these, plus interview question templates, so please contact her if you wish to have some emailed across to you (cathy.luffman@derby.anglican.org ).
-
Where should we advertise? +
It is down to the parishes, but the choices are:
- Diocesan website (free of charge)
- Church Times (Approx £1000 to advertise ‘until filled) in a succinct advert in both paper and on their website
- Pathways (Church of England recruitment tool). Approximately £80
- Networks such as New Wine
- Patronage websites, e.g. the CPAS one. -
What happens at the interview? +
It is common to have both a formal interview (which will usually include a 10-minute presentation) before the formal panel, plus an opportunity for the candidate(s) to visit the parishes, possibly have lunch with people from the wider church or local school communities, and also be able to have a viewing of the vicarage. This process can be done over a day, two days, or sometimes more.
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Who do I ask for help if we don’t know the answer to something? +
If you are stuck for an answer, please do shout up to your local area dean or archdeacon and they will do their best to help.
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What is ‘pastoral reorganisation’ and how does that affect our vacancy? +
The term ‘pastoral reorganisation’ refers to the processes that occur when there are proposals which require legal changes, such as re-drawing of parish boundaries, a change to which property to use as the vicarage or the re-configuration of parishes to modify the benefice structure.
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I have received a letter referring to ‘suspension of presentation’. What does that mean? +
Suspension of presentation is the temporary removal of a patron's right to present an incumbent to a benefice. Where churches have patrons, whether parishes are ‘in suspension’ or not, we would usually involve them in the process anyway, as a matter of courtesy. The bishop will remain responsible for the cure of souls which she/he will normally exercise by licensing a priest-in-charge.
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Who pays the advertising and interview costs? +
This is usually split (fairly) between the parishes concerned. Anticipated costs which may be incurred:
- Advertising
- For interviews, the parish would usually offer to pay reasonable travel and accommodation expenses. -
How many applications should we expect to get? +
At the moment, we are looking at anything from six down to zero. Confidence for a move is still fairly low, although we are hoping things will gradually improve as and when we return to ‘normal’.
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Bishop Libby and Bishop Malcolm are inviting all those engaged with and/or concerned for youth and children’s ministry across the diocese together on Zoom to pray for our children and young people as they face these challenging times, as well as for our churches and schools as places of worship, welcome, and belonging.
We will host this Zoom prayer gathering on Tuesday, 11th January, 7.30pm.
We will send the Zoom link to any who get in touch before that date via Bishop Malcolm’s office, bishopofrepton@derby.anglican.org.
