Welcome!

St Michael le Belfrey (known as “The Belfrey”) is one of the most dynamic and influential churches in the North of England. Our calling is to serve God’s transformation of the North, particularly as a resource church. Our mission for the next few years is to Pray, Give & Grow. We have five established aims – to Serve York, Make Disciples, Nurture Disciples, Develop Leaders and Plant Churches.

We are effective in our calling because we seek Jesus first. Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.’ We are passionate about remaining in Jesus through the Holy Spirit in worship, prayer, studying the Bible, serving others, and living lives that honour Him.

We are looking for an Interim Associate Minister to join us in 2024 for three years, at a hugely significant and exciting time in our history.

The Big Picture

The Belfrey is a growing and dynamic community of around 600 people whose ages range from newborn to those in their nineties. Half of our congregation is under 40 and we have a thriving student ministry.

We are looking for an Interim Associate Minister to join our Leadership Team at an exciting and historic time. We have been given permission to renovate and reorder our 500-year-old church building, St Michael le Belfrey, which is located right next door to York Minster. This work (called the ‘Impact Project’) will begin in early 2024 and continue for around 2 years. Have a look here to see a short video about Impact:

In August 2023 we temporarily moved out of St Michael le Belfrey, 50 years after David Watson planted a growing evangelical, charismatic Christian community into the centre of York. While the building is being worked on, we are meeting around the corner in the De Grey Rooms, a beautiful Victorian building with plenty of room for our three Sunday services, and office space.

Following the move of our Vicar of the last 14 years, Matthew Porter, to become Bishop of Bolton earlier this year, our Associate Vicar Andy Baker has been made Interim Priest-in-Charge for the duration of the Impact Project. We’re looking for an Interim Associate Minister to join our team for this same timeframe, bringing foundational discipleship, evangelism and leadership support . There may be opportunities to church plant or to apply for a permanent role at the end of the contract.

Have a look here for an overview of a year in the life of our church:

About The Belfrey

Our Vision

The big vision of The Belfrey is to Serve God’s Transformation of the North. We dream of seeing miraculous rejuvenation across the whole region, not just in our city, led by the Spirit and fuelled by prayer and a value for generosity.

5 Aims

We have five aims to help us move towards our big vision: Serving York, Making Disciples, Nurturing Disciples, Developing Leaders and Planting Churches. Each one creates a pillar on which we build our ministry, structure departments and teams, and measure growth:

1. Serving York

To help us serve York well, we’ve begun a three year Social Action Programme supported by our Post Pandemic Fund (PPF). This fund was set up in 2021 with an anonymous donation of £1 million to help the community of York recover from the Covid pandemic through social action. The programme is running from 2021 to 2024, and projects set up by the programme will continue beyond that.

Poverty, Mental Health, and Young People and Families are the three pillars of the programme. We aim to make a difference in these areas by assisting charities and churches in York who are already working in alleviating poverty, improving mental health or supporting young people and families. We do this through grant-making to enable growth and sustainability, start up of new work where needed, and encouraging church members to get involved in charity volunteering. We are also starting our own projects to work in these areas where we see needs and gaps in current provision in the city, where possible in partnership with other organisations.

2. Making Disciples

We are passionate about seeing people meet Jesus, become his disciples and have their lives changed by him. We have a parish evangelist who is regularly out in the community meeting people and telling them about Jesus. 

Because of our city-centre location, we often have people who are visiting York just wander into church to see what is going on. It’s usually the music that gets their attention, and many stay on, hear about Jesus and ask questions. Many have come to faith through these conversations and the prayer ministry that is always available in our services. 

We also regularly run Alpha courses and have seen scores of people come to faith through this powerful course.  

3. Nurturing Disciples

We nurture those who are following Jesus through helpful, Biblical teaching in all of our Sunday services. We follow up on that teaching in our weekly small groups called Belfrey Groups. We know that disciples grow best in community and we encourage everyone to be part of a Belfrey Group. 

4. Developing Leaders

We have around 12 interns every year who take part in our Discipleship year and Leadership year. Many then go on to take up leadership positions in other churches or go on to consider ordained ministry. 

5. Church Planting

Since 2018 we have been implementing an ambitious church planting strategy together with the Diocese, facilitating the planting or revitalisation of vibrant and missional local churches who themselves plant churches. Two leaders and teams have been sent so far to St Thomas Newcastle in 2019 and Holy Trinity Heworth in 2022; the next planters will be sent to Hull in early 2024. We have a vision for other worshipping communities to be established in-between these major ventures which bring new life and hope in Jesus to different communities.

Staff & Leadership

Our Vicar’s Leadership Team consists of the Priest-in-Charge, Associate Minister, one or more Curates, the Operations Manager, and the Head of Worship & Creativity.

We have a staff team of 22 full- and part-time employees, plus a significant number of weekly volunteers and around 12 interns each year.

We have four Church Wardens (due to an historic combining of two parishes) who collaborate to assist the Priest-in-Charge and Leadership Team, contribute to the vision of the Belfrey and its implementation, and play an active role on Sundays.

The PCC meets every two months, alternating with a smaller Standing Committee. Members are representative of different age groups and contribute to a variety of subgroups for the Impact Project, HR, World Mission, the Social Action Fund, and the Church Planting Fund.

Connections & Partners

The Belfrey has a significant number of established partnerships, friendships and connections with local, national and international organisations. These include:

• We are a New Wine church, hosting and contributing to our local leadership network and to ministry teams  including Youth, Young Adults, Worship and Operations

• Our PCC has responsibility for G2 York and St Cuthbert's House of Prayer. It has constitutional links with The Spurriergate Centre

• Ministry partnerships with CAP, Wellspring Therapy and Training

• Support of world mission partners and many local York charities.

About the Parish

As a city centre-based Resource Church, our primary calling is to minister beyond our immediate area, reaching out across York and the Diocese with vision to serve the whole of the North. However, our parish is an interesting one, consisting mostly of shops, restaurants and offices with just 650 residents. It covers about one third of the central shopping and tourism district, and encompasses the York Minster Neighbourhood which brings upwards of 600,000 visitors to our doorstep annually (we see 35,000 of them). We love being invitational to residents from within and without our parish and particularly to visitors to York from all over the UK and the world, theming some of our seasonal services to enable a warm welcome and an evangelistic message to be shared with many. Our temporary home at the De Grey Rooms gives us a slightly different vantage point for 2023-2026 to the one the restored St Michael le Belfrey will after that, as here we are surrounded by locally-owned businesses, galleries, universities and theatres.

Population, Employment, Housing and Schools

York is a city built on a long and significant history, but one which has also experienced the growth of industry, and its subsequent decline from the 1980s. Countering this contraction has been diversification into the tertiary and quaternary sectors of the economy. Now with a population of just over 200,000 (of which the parish has just six to seven hundred), the city’s population is growing relatively slowly compared with other parts of Yorkshire and England as a whole.

Despite a fall in employed numbers since 2011, York was ranked in February 2023 as having the 8th highest employment rate in the country and the highest in the North of England - 81.6% (4.4% growth since 2020-21). Major employers are the Health Service Trust, the retail sector, hotels and restaurants and Nestle Rowntree.  York is also placed 4th highest in the country in regard to the percentage of people with high-level qualifications, reflecting the fact that science, technology and finance are significant activities.

The city continues to have the lowest unemployment benefit claimant count in the country. York, also ranks 5th lowest in the country for ‘hidden unemployment’ at 8.9% - compared to, for example, Hull who rank 4th highest at 19.4%.

Nevertheless, real deprivation exists, whether visible on the streets, or in areas of run-down or social housing. Disability rates are higher than elsewhere in Yorkshire and it also has a disproportionately ageing population.

The housing and building stock of central York includes hotels and restaurants, and major new student residences, some in or on the doorstep of the parish. Our curiously shaped little parish embraces domestic housing (old and new), retail and finance and the heart of a city which has recently been added to the Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage Status.

With a significant student population numbering more than 20,000, and with tourism an important element in the economy, York sees many who visit for just a day or a week or for courses lasting from one to four years before moving elsewhere.  Since The Belfrey stands at the centre of the historic city, and because we do major work with students, there is opportunity to reach out not only to the parish and the city, but to the North of England and the World.

About York

York is a city of wonder. A stunning place at the heart of a great county, it boasts world renowned locations like York Minster, a heritage of chocolate makers, Viking invasions and Roman rule. But despite its reputation, York’s wonder isn’t found solely in its history, it is the home of innovative businesses, fantastic universities and is a Unesco city of media arts. York is a melting pot of traditions and backgrounds with a mix of luxury and grass-roots commerce. 

The city centre is contained within ancient walls. The meandering ancient streets are adorned with traders ranging from independent coffee shops and retail outlets, to famous department stores and Michelin starred restaurants. There is something for everyone, driven by a tourism sector which dominates the makeup of the centre. It’s a city that many find worth travelling to, therefore as a resident you are never without a plethora of options of things to do, eat and see. It’s a fantastic place to call home. 

The geography of York is based around the walls, and close outskirts. The renowned shopping area of Bishopthorpe Road (Bishy Road) is 15 mins walk from the centre, the train station sits just 5 minutes from York Minster, and nowhere is more than 30 mins walk away. Buses, and trains, as well as taxis and electric bike and scooter hire mean that lots of locations are quickly accessible. York is also the gateway to many fantastic locations in the country, with metropolitan areas like London, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh all linked by a superfast train system. London and back in a day is very achievable, and Leeds is only 20 mins away. 

That’s only really if you find a reason to leave, there is so much going on in the city, from food festivals, to Shambles market, to the street food of Spark, and the National Railway Museum. Whether single, a couple, or as a family, York has so much to offer, you’ll never be short of fun.

Education wise, the schooling system in York is of a high standard. There are many primary schools which, with York’s accessibility options, aren't limited to catchment areas. In terms of senior schools, Archbishop Holgate’s school is a high achieving Church of England Secondary School which offers a sixth form, Manor School is on the other side of the city, another CofE Secondary which runs up to year 11, and there are plenty of other high achieving schools. Private education also has St Peter’s School, which is a world famous establishment, alongside Bootham School, both right in the city centre. 

York is a vibrant city, unique in so many ways. There’s something for everyone, and it’s a city ready to be reached with the transformational love of Jesus. Jesus loves York, The Belfrey loves York and we’re sure you will too.

Services

9am - Morning Worship

Average attendance 100

11am - Contemporary Morning Worship with Children's & Youth Groups

Average attendance 180 including around 30 young people

6pm - Contemporary Evening Worship

Average attendance 200

12.30pm - Wednesday Lunchtime Service

Average Attendance 50

Sundays

Sundays are a celebration of Jesus, and with three services our church has a breadth of styles and traditions. A common theme across the services is praise, prayer and teaching with each of the 9, 11 and 6 services then having their own expressions and unique flavours. Community is a strong theme at them all; our worship is charismatic; and we love to spend time diving into the word of God.

Our 9am is our most traditional service, but is far from what most people would think of as “traditional”. It has a mix of contemporary worship and beloved hymns, Bible teaching and intercession. The 11am is attended by a wide range of ages and often lots of visitors, with provision for under 18s in groups during the service. The worship at the 11am and the 6pm is upbeat and contemporary, with lots of space to wait on the Holy Spirit. The 6pm is popular with under 40s and Students but has a wide range of ages attending. It is a longer service, with more room for worship, teaching and Holy Spirit-led response.  Prayer ministry and community time are also significant parts of each service, and we celebrate communion on at least monthly at each one.

Church* by age group

0-17’s: 157

18-69’s: 874

70+’s: 170

* according to ChurchSuite, our church member database

Major Events 2023-2027

About the Role

As the Interim Associate Minister, you will have significant responsibilities as part of your role. For full details please refer to the role description, but these are the key areas you will be focusing on:

General Leadership - You will be a member of the Vicar’s Leadership Team, which has delegated responsibility for the day-to-day management of the church and for developing vision and strategy alongside the PCC, of which you will also be a member. As one of the clergy, you will be expected to lead, preach and participate in the general life of the church.

Pastoral Support and Belfrey Groups - The brief for the Associate Minister includes the oversight of the pastoral ministry and our midweek “Belfrey Group” housegroups. These are both established ministries with leadership in place, so you will hold the overall vision, line management and strategic development.

The 9am Service - You will be the leader of The 9, our first morning service. The congregation is made up mainly of older members of our congregation, some of whom planted the church back in the 70s with David Watson, but has a growing group of 18-30s attending too. The 9 is a bit more reflective, and the service is a varied mix of traditional and contemporary elements.

Social Action - We are actively growing in our commitment to social action as a church. We have recently had a strategic look at what we do, and thanks to a very generous financial gift have set up a CAP Centre, a Counselling service and employed staff members to focus on outreach-based ministries for children, youth and families ministries in York, often in partnership with the Diocese of York and other organisations. You would be responsible for line managing and being an ambassador for this department, alongside existing staff members.

Evangelism - We have a strong vision for evangelism and alongside the work of our parish evangelist, run Alpha, missional events and invitation events throughout the year. We would love to develop this further, so this would be an area we would want the Associate Minister to bring their experience and vision to.

About You: Qualities We’re Looking For

The Belfrey has a heritage of growth, creativity, Holy Spirit ministry and orthodox Bible teaching. We are looking for a faithful, godly leader to be our Interim Associate Minister, someone who will embrace our values and culture and be a person with whom the priest-in-charge can share leadership. This person will be able to support the existing vision of the church and assist in the strategic development that is needed to build on our rich heritage, respond to the challenges of the time and place in which we are situated, and help to pastor our congregation through a significant season of change.

While we recognise that no candidate will display every attribute that we might hope for, the successful candidate will embody many of the following qualities: 

• A spiritually mature leader with integrity, walking closely with God, who loves worship, is Spirit-filled, spends time in prayer and knows the Scriptures intimately;

• A good listener who is open to feedback and challenge, builds trust and is confident without being arrogant;

• A resilient leader who has experienced handling complexity, who knows how to delegate well, empower others, get hands-on when necessary, and juggle many balls at once;

• A credible communicator who is at ease engaging with people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Able to speak with unchurched people in our 21st century culture and convey the love of God to them;

• A passionate evangelist, with a desire to see the gospel demonstrated through social action, preaching and acts of faith;

• A pastoral heart for people, caring for the emotional and mental  health of the church, with a deep love and empathy towards those who are poor or facing other life challenges;

• A leader who multiplies leaders, by identifying gifts and raw talents in people and who can then help, equip and empower them, raising up future leaders.;

• A team player.

How To Apply

Do you think that God might be calling you to this role? We would love to hear from you!

Questions are very welcome - contact Revd. Andy Baker

Click here to apply

Deadline for applications: midnight on Sunday 14th January 2024

Interviews will be held on 7th February 2024, in York

This is an ordained position in the Diocese of York, with a stipend, expenses and housing in York included.