Creative Schools Missioner - Christ Yardley Wood

Creative Schools Missioner - Christ Church, Yardley Wood

Creative Schools Missioner for a Flourish Project at Christ Church Secondary Academy

FLOURISH

FLOURISH is a developing network of worshipping communities in schools/FE colleges and offers the Church of England the opportunity for a significant step change in our engagement with children, young people and their families.

By connecting through our largest network of relationships in education, we have the opportunity to imagine thousands of new, younger and more diverse disciples.

This vision seeks to build worshipping communities in schools/college rather than seeing them as education settings and a potential gateway towards Sunday attendance. The vision will deepen the church’s mission in education through the development of new worshipping communities in schools/FE as the communities will connect with thousands of young people and their families who presently do not attend church of any denomination.

FLOURISH worshipping communities are underpinned by these five core principles:

• Young people’s voices are instinctively at the centre of all leadership decision-making and implementation.
• Clearly articulated and shared purpose to grow a younger and more diverse community of Christian disciples.
• Strategic leadership partnership between school/college and at least one church community (with appropriate long-term governance and resource commitment)
• Intergenerational faith development experiences involving children and their families of all ages.
• Worship that is fully integrated into the regular rhythms, practices, structures and resources of the school/college’s vision for flourishing of children and adults

Christ church Secondary Academy is located next to Christ Church. Christ church began in 1849 to serve the community of Yardley Wood;
Christ Church Secondary Academy opened to the community in 2021. Yardley Wood is located in the southwest of Birmingham.

They serve a parish with a population of 11,130 with 19% of the parish being under the age of 20. The parish community is in the top 10% of deprived urban parishes with many social issues and over 28% of children experience poverty issues with lower but similar poverty levels for working age and pensioners. The ethnic makeup of the area is changing rapidly;

multiple languages and faiths are represented in the school. The church in 2024 had an average weekly attendance of 45 people.

The church school partnership is strong with the Incumbent serving as school chaplain for a third of her time. Some staff members attend the church for worship, and a number of congregants have relatives in the school.

We are now ready to take the next stage in our church school relationship, with funding from the National Church and in line with the Flourish principles, our desire is to see students thrive and lead in this new community, empowered to become leaders within and beyond worship.

We are looking for a creative, open-minded person with gifts and passion to engage students, staff and their families in the Christian faith. In collaboration with the clergy and volunteers, they will help Christ Church grow a worshipping community that arises out of the desires, gifts and cultures of our school and its local area.

With support from Church and Diocese, they will develop ways that people with limited or no experience of “church” can encounter Jesus Christ and grow into discipleship.

This is an opportunity for anyone with a passion for young people’s mission and would like to use their creative gifts to see a new Christian community developed in its local context. It could suit a person who is interested in using their creative gifts in a new setting and/or is exploring a call to Christian ministry.

The postholder will

• Plan, nurture and grow a new worshipping community in an outer city estate, multi-faith secondary academy school.
• Develop creative approaches to engage students, staff and their families in the Christian faith.
• Provide intergenerational creative worship and learning experiences for students, staff and their families.
• Identify, equip and encourage volunteers (students and adults) to sustain…