Worship & Creatives Ministries Pastor

Vision

We are one church family across Andover seeking the presence of God, rooted in Word, Spirit and Sacrament, and sent to make disciples, plant congregations, and seek the good for our town and villages.

Worship lies at the heart of this vision. We long to become a people among whom God is pleased to dwell and to make his presence known. We seek worship that welcomes the Holy Spirit, honours Jesus Christ, and creates space for lives to be transformed - worship that is wholehearted, expectant, accessible, excellent, joyful, and shaped by the presence of God.

Context

The Parish of Andover is a growing multi-site church serving the town and surrounding villages through several congregations, of a variety of traditions. We are committed to mission, discipleship, evangelism, church planting, raising leaders and social transformation.

We are seeking an outstanding Worship and Creative Ministries Pastor who can help grow both the quality and capacity of worship across the parish by leading worship personally, raising up others, and building teams and systems that enable flourishing worship in multiple settings.

We are committed both to faithfully stewarding and strengthening our existing worship life, and to developing new expressions of worship as part of our mission. This is a strategic appointment for the next season of parish life.

Purpose of the Role

To strengthen and deepen the worshiping life of the Parish of Andover, supporting and enriching existing worship across our congregations, while also prayerfully developing new expressions where appropriate.

This will involve cultivating worship that delights God and in which he is pleased to make his presence known, raising up worship leaders, musicians and teams, and increasing the quality, depth and capacity of worship across the parish.

The postholder will also help awaken, nurture and release the creative gifts already present within the parish, including music, visual arts, media, design, storytelling and other expressions of creativity, so that these may serve worship, mission and community life.

They will oversee the development and coordination of audio visual, livestream and lighting environments at St Mary's, working with volunteers and staff. Technical expertise is welcome but not essential; the ability to lead people, build teams and grow systems is more important.

Key Responsibilities Worship Leadership

• Lead worship regularly at Sunday services, prayer gatherings and special events.
• Help cultivate a culture of encounter with God through worship.
• Work with clergy and service leaders to plan services that are coherent, expectant and lead to encountering God.
• Support worship across a range of traditions and contexts within the parish.
• Introduce new songs, arrangements and expressions of worship with pastoral sensitivity to each congregation's context and tradition.

Team Development

• Recruit, organise and encourage musicians, vocalists and production volunteers.
• Identify emerging worship leaders and invest intentionally in them.
• Create a pathway for training new leaders, musicians and team members.
• Coach individuals in musical skill, leadership presence, spirituality and teamwork.
• Build healthy rotas and sustainable team structures.

Strengthening and Growing Worship Across the Parish

• Strengthen worship in existing congregations while enabling multiple congregations to develop strong local worship leadership.
• Support newer or smaller congregations that need development.
• Raise standards while growing participation.

Creative Ministries

• Identify hidden or underused creative gifts within the church family.