Church and Community Organiser

Church & Community Organiser Vacancy 

Employment Type: 0.6 FTE (Three days a week, some flexibility for evenings and weekends may be required)

Responsible to: The PCC of St Peter de Beauvoir 

Salary: £20,000 per annum

Duration: Two-year fixed term, renewable for two further years with available funding.

Purpose of role: to utilise the methodology of community organising to build and develop relationships and new opportunities for worship and social action in the parish of St. Peter de Beauvoir Town, particularly amongst estate and low income communities.

Deadline: Saturday 21st September 5pm

Interviews: week beginning Sunday 26th September.

Application is via application form submitted to frsimon@stpeterdebeauvoir.org.uk available here.

For more information, please contact frsimon@stpeterdebeauvoir.org.uk.

Job Summary: 

The Church & Community Organiser is a crucial and exciting role that aims to support mission in and amongst estate and low income communities in the parish of St Peter de Beauvoir Town. This role has been enabled by a grant from the Hackney & Islington Programme as part of the Church of England’s Diocesan Investment Programme. The role includes oversight of a small budget awarded as part of the grant, and line management of a .4 FTE Operational Support Officer to be recruited following the successful appointment of the Church & Community Organiser role.

The successful candidate will utilise a community organising methodology to 

• build relationships
• listen and discern existing community leadership and institutions on estates and among low income communities 
• work to organise communities to overcome identified need whilst building relationships and a habit and culture of acting together to deliver agency, ownership, and change
• signpost to/create appropriate groups/spaces to meet identified need or to enable action to be taken together to deliver social and community change
• to create new worshipping opportunities and nurture disciples from low income communities
• create and devise mindful and prayerful spaces and worshipping activities in St Peter’s and in appropriate spaces in the community with the aim of launching a new worshipping community or service

Role Description

Main Duties

• to oversee membership with and relationship to Citizens UK/Centre for Theology and Community or another recognised partner institution utilising community organising
• to undergo community organising training (if not done so already) in order to be able to train local leaders and congregation members in community organising 
• to building relationships with and discern the spiritual and material needs of residents of estates and low income communities through a regular pattern of 121 conversations (on average 3 a day)
• to identify local leadership and institutions on estate and low income communities, and to help develop local leaders 
• to convene small groups and local actions to discern and meet identified need to enable action to be taken together to deliver social and community change
• to listen actively via a programme of 121s with members of St Peter’s congregation (and Warm Welcome guests) especially those living in estate and low income communities to develop St Peter de Beauvoir’s ability to welcome and develop agency of guests and worshippers from estate and low income communities 
• to create spaces and opportunities to meet spiritual needs of residents of estates and low income communities through creation of prayer spaces, worshipping opportunities and new services/worshipping communities, in addition to signposting to existing services and activities currently taking place at St. Peter’s. 

Person Specification

Essential:

• Experience of setting up a new or consolidating an existing project
• Experience of working with and developing the leadership potential of volunteers
• Experience of working with different faith communities, as well as those of no religious faith
• Experience of risk taking to create a project/ situation/event that illustrates your values
• A working knowledge and good understanding of St Peter de Beauvoir and its communities (or a similar community and clear desire to do so locally)
• Ability to inspire, motivate and lead (particularly people who are different than you)
• Ability to organise yourself and others and to work responsibly in an unstructured environment
• Ability to use imaginative strategies to help improve disadvantaged communities
• Ability to plan and organise under pressure
• Ability to work with and relate to all types of people
• Ability to teach and facilitate workshops 
• Ability to develop the potential of others
• A passion for justice, and the role of church communities in achieving justice for all at a local level, especially amongst those from marginalised communities 

Desirable:

• A demonstrable track record of successful Community Organising 
• Experience of carrying out a power analysis and using the results to initiate new relationships
• Experience of successful fundraising
• Clear evidence of campaigns won
• Financial management skills including ability to set and manage a budget

The Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9 part 1(1-3) applies to this post. The post is restricted to practicing Christians as leading prayer and devising opportunities for prayer are part of the responsibilities of this role.

The Community Organiser will be required to undertake a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check.

The above list of tasks is not intended to be exhaustive and may be subject to change, which will be done in discussion with the post holder and line manager.