Church Assistant (12-month contract)

• Contract: 12-month fixed-term (12th August 2024-4th August 2025)
• Salary: £20,820.80 (with subsidised housing in the parish)
• Location: In and around All Souls Parish
• Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week (include early mornings, weekends, and evenings)
• Annual Leave: 25 days, plus bank holidays

Role Summary

Church Assistants provide practical support to the parish: you will facilitate a wide range of events and help keep our buildings ready for ministry. Although the bulk of the work is practical, each week you will also spend time participating in staff planning meetings, exploring a ministry of your choice and receiving theological training. You will work in shifts, and live together in shared accommodation. You will be in a team of five.

The work of a Church Assistant is extremely varied and requires a flexible attitude. No two shifts are completely alike, and an ideal candidate will demonstrate a willingness to jump into whatever needs doing. That said, you also carry a lot of responsibility. Church Assistants facilitate 20+ ministries, interact with high profile external clients, and work closely with the church family. You are the first response to any practical problem in the parish, be that a frustrated congregant or a leaking sink. Church Assistants also spend part of their time studying some theology and exploring church ministry. To this end we give you lots of training, from the practical (first aid, fire marshalling, safeguarding) to the theological (ministry training sessions, mentors, placements). Over the course of the year, you will be supported in building their leadership skills and growing in your Christian discipleship.

You will:

• Facilitate and support church events
• Help maintain, clean, and tidy parish buildings and facilities
• Spend a year in community worshipping at All Souls, exploring church ministry, and deepening your Christian faith

Person Specification

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a committed Christian in sympathy with the evangelical stance and mission of All Souls
• Is a hard worker with a servant heart
• Is prepared to undertake a wide range of physically demanding work
• Has a desire to grow an understanding of the Bible and develop as a disciple
• Will contribute to the shared life of the All Souls staff team and church
• Has excellent interpersonal skills and is able to communicate effectively
• Has excellent organisational skills and initiative
• Has the ability to handle pressured situations with tact and wisdom
• Is flexible and a team player
• Is able to work sensitively with a multicultural staff team and church family
• Will bring their own Christian experiences and background (local or global) to help support a diverse and international congregation

Hours

This is a full time job based on a five day working week with 35 hour weeks in 8 hour shifts. Shift times will change each week and will include early mornings, weekends, and evenings. The role will involve working some shifts over Easter and Christmas/New Year.

Housing

Subsidised accommodation, including council tax, utilities, phone, internet and water rates is provided in the parish in our shared or single bed flats. Accommodation is only provided for Church Assistants, not for their spouses or families.

Please note that because shared community is at the heart of the job, all Church Assistants must live in All Souls accommodation. This has often meant that married individuals or those with children are not suitable for the role unless the individual is willing to live apart from their family for a year.

Applications

Application closure: Sunday, 26th April 2024

Interview: From 6th May 2024

All Souls Today

In the centre of London’s West End, All Souls Langham Place is a conservative, Anglican evangelical church. At the heart of all we do as a church is our desire to be 'All for Jesus!’

We are deeply grateful for a diverse and international church family, a rich heritage and an exciting location and seek to use all God has given us in the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. We recognise that we are only a small part of God’s worldwide Church, so we aspire to a generosity and graciousness in our fellowship with other Churches while submitting ourselves to the authority of God’s unchanging Word.

We believe that Jesus is for all and we long to be all for Jesus.

The All Souls Church family is diverse as the global body of Christ is diverse and as London is diverse. Applications are welcome from people from ethnic groups which are a minority in the UK.

There is an occupational requirement that the job-holder is a Christian under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010.

We cannot sponsor a working visa for this role. Please make sure that you have the right to work in the UK.