Mission and Ministry Trainer

About the Role: We wish to appoint a Mission and Ministry Trainer to join our Mission and Ministry team.  This is an exciting opportunity to support the vision and strategy for missionary discipleship and lay ministry within Winchester diocese.

You will be responsible for developing, resourcing, delivering training and creating formation opportunities as part of the Mission and Ministry team for individuals wanting to explore Christian growth, lay leadership and ministry.  

There will be specific emphasis on making these programmes appealing and accessible to a greater range of contexts in the diocese with focus on location, tradition, missional and congregational demographic and in particular, commitment to the ‘Growing Younger and More Diverse’ strategy.

Through the vision laid out in the ‘Walking the Wessex Way’ document our values closely connect with the national strategy of the Church of England to grow missional disciples including a commitment to become younger and more diverse.

Our values

• Serving

Prioritising the common good. Being humble ourselves, looking to the needs of others, especially those on the margins and where their need is greatest. Paying attention to the local, within a care for the whole.  

• Learning

Open to ideas and the gifts of others in collaboration. Looking for mutual learning opportunities and growth in wisdom and excellence. Honouring the past whilst focusing on a sustainable future for all. 

• Growing

Recognising our potential both personally and for mutual flourishing. Seeking to equip and encourage others, enabling them for the challenges of this generation and beyond. Recognising and wanting to make best use of the experience, wisdom and talent across our parishes.

• Loving 

Acting as good stewards of all that is entrusted to us. Respecting & valuing every person; seeing God’s image in others. Engendering a sense of mutual care, community and interdependence. 

Job Summary

As part of a wider Mission and Ministry Team, the Mission and Discipleship Trainer will equip and support lay ministers and all interested learners in their theological understanding, spiritual growth, and practical ministry skills. They will contribute to the teaching and worship life of the diocese, engaging with a breadth of Anglican traditions.  There are three key aspects of the responsibilities in this role.

• The first is, in communication with the Mission and Discipleship Enabler, to develop more contextual and locally based training contexts for existing and emerging learning and training programmes to facilitate more accessibility for parishes and benefices for which the diocesan offices are less accessible. This will involve working with strategic places identified in the South, Southwest, and North of the diocese to implement the vision to establish ‘satellite’ training centres. Initially this will focus on BPP (Bishop’s Permission to Preach); BCM programmes (Bishop’s Commission for Mission); and introductory theology and discipleship programmes.  
• The second is promoting discipleship and ministerial training through networking and intentional communications to accelerate efforts being made to equip a broader demographic of Christians with leadership skills in view of the diocesan and national Church of England vision and values to become ‘younger and more diverse’. This will involve working collaboratively with the Mission and Discipleship Enabler, the Young Vocations Team (team under development), and the Racial Justice Advisor, alongside other team members and also work with clergy to understand specific contexts of training needs arising. Success in promotions and ‘recruitment’ of more diverse Christians will require working with the COMs team to support effective use of social media to target younger audiences, facilitate fast updates of events, and identify opportunities for story sharing. 
• Thirdly, there is a responsibility to oversee, grow, and develop the network of Children, Youth and Families ministers/workers. This will include responsibility for organising, hosting and, where appropriate, delivering training at these events, and overseeing the BCM in Children, Youth and Families work. Part of the work will also be to support specific CYF workers including, where helpful, visiting them on site to encourage and advise them in their work and put them in communication with the network for mutual ongoing support. It will involve keeping up to date with the national initiatives for CYF to facilitate a connected approach. An important development in this aspect of the role will be to help implement a vision for more collaborative work with the Education Team to promote and help facilitate close working between churches and schools across the diocese. 

Key role requirements:

This is an office-based role, with the expectation to work for 2-3 days per week from home. The role will involve travel across the diocese, with occasional evening and weekend commitments.

About you: We are seeking someone who can demonstrate the following background and experience:

• A BA (Hons) or equivalent in theology is essential. An MA or higher degree in theology is desirable. Excellent level of English both spoken and written. 
• Demonstrated success in training, and supporting volunteer teams is essential.
• Experience in developing and maintaining digital learning environments and online resources is essential.
• Track record of evaluating learning outcomes and adapting training approaches based on participant feedback. 
• Experience in teaching theology and facilitating worship across diverse Anglican traditions. 

Please refer to the Job Description for detailed information about the role and person specification.

What we offer:

Salary

• A salary of £40,144 per annum. 

Terms

·       Full-time, 35 hours per week on a permanent basis (subject to a 6-month probationary period)

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus eight bank holidays
• Employer’s pension contribution of 10% of your salary
• A recently refurbished office environment with landscaped gardens and plenty of on-site parking
• Access to Health Assured, an Employee Assistance Programme 

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Amy Roche, Head of Mission and Ministry.

Applications must be received by 12 noon on Thursday 18 September 2025. Interviews will be held in person on Thursday 2 October 2025. 

CVs not accepted. To apply, please complete and return the 2-part application forms.