Priest in Charge of Eston with Normanby

Is God calling you to be the new Priest in Charge of Eston with Normanby in Middlesbrough? We are a welcoming, vibrant and evangelical parish with two churches and three congregations, with a heart to serve Jesus and our community. Since the pandemic, we have seen a huge increase in attendance at our outreach activities by people who now consider themselves to be part of our church. We are often described as ‘welcoming’, ‘caring’, ‘supportive’, ‘faithful’ and ‘encouraging’ and it doesn’t stop at our church doors. We don’t just have good links with the community, we are the community.

Our parish, with a population of 18,322, is situated between the stunning Cleveland Hills (part of which fall within our parish boundaries) and the river Tees to the north and beautiful coastline to the east. Very affluent housing borders areas of deprivation. The decline of the manufacturing industry has led to significant levels of poverty (1 in 5 children and pensioners live in poverty) and a deficit of aspiration. Our weekly Foodbank is one of the busiest in the borough.

Christ Church has a strong civic presence especially connected to remembrance and St George’s, with its more modern flexible building, hosts a successful pre‑school group ministry and Foodbank. We enjoy excellent relationships with local partners such as schools, councillors and funeral directors. We are described as charismatic evangelical in our approach to worship and having two churches allows us to offer diversity: Christ Church adopts a more liturgical format and St George’s a more informal style embracing café church, our weekly carer and toddler group and Messy Mondays Holiday Club.

We are blessed to have live music and contemporary worship at Sunday services and we strive to achieve a good balance between the familiar and new. We also appreciate teaching from our six‑strong preaching team. We benefit from considerable and capable lay leadership, including six new Community Ministers recently licensed to lead ministries in places where life is tough; bereavement support, prayer spaces, befriending and gardening are just a few of their projects.

We are praying for a priest‑in‑charge who is faith‑filled, enthusiastic and a people person, able to inspire us with spirit‑filled teaching to grow as disciples. Collaborative and enabling, we are seeking someone who will work closely with our strong leadership team to develop a shared vision and culture; where everyone, whether new or existing, is valued and encouraged to share their gifts. You will share our heart for young people and help us to grow younger. Missionally‑minded, your wisdom and discernment will build our existing civic relationships and keep us at the heart of community life.

Across Middlesbrough this vacancy comes at an exciting time, as we are in the middle of discerning how the Spirit of God is calling us over the coming years. We seek a priest who will be a key part of this. Later in 2026, the diocese, with the encouragement of the national church, is seeking significant new investment to support these plans. If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!

About Us

The Diocese of York, led and guided by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, takes in much of North and East Yorkshire. As the largest diocese in England, geographically, the area is very diverse, featuring a multitude of needs and opportunities. This includes the bustling urban centres of York, Hull and Middlesbrough, the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors National Park, and the incomparable Yorkshire Coast; as well as areas of deprivation in some of our urban and smaller rural and coastal communities.

Our mission and ministry relies on thousands of people – lay and ordained, volunteer and paid. Our diocesan teams provide a wide range of support services to our mission and ministry, including lifelong learning for ministry, the care of church buildings, and safeguarding. Together, we are striving to be a people who are ‘Living Christ’s Story’. We want to be a simpler, bolder, humbler church which in its diversity reflects the communities it serves. We are bringing renewed focus and fresh energy to achieving our aims:

• Becoming more like Christ
• Reaching those we currently don’t
• Growing in discipleship, influence and numbers
• Transforming our finances and structures

Informal enquiries are welcome: The Bishop of Whitby, Barry Hill | bishopofwhitby@yorkdiocese.org | 01642 593 273

The Diocese of York is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. Appointment is subject to pre‑appointment checks including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure. Under current immigration rules, it is not possible for us to appoint clergy who are not already eligible to work in the UK. Closing date for applications Thurs 12 February, midday Interview date Tues 3 March.