TI / parish profile form

This page should help you provide all the information we need to compile a profile for each potential curacy placement.

Curacy being a partnership between parish and diocese, we set out each opportunity in a consistent format tailored to the needs for prospective curates. You can see some examples from parishes that from 2021: set 1, set 2, set 3.

Please use the word-counts suggested as guidelines and if your situation needs an adjusted heading, do say. For example, a multi-parish benefice may need some sections dividing to profile the key facts for each church. In 2021 profiles analysed, while the total number of words in the parish section was 1500 words, actual examples range from 550 to 3000!

Word counts have not included data for tables which is also required.

Unfortunately the diocese website isn't sophisticated/expensive enough to allow you to part-fill the form and return to it at a later date - we suggest you prepare the content elsewhere (eg in a word processor such as Word) and add it in one sitting. Do add any useful comments/explanation for us in curly brackets and we'll (probably!) remove them before proofreading!

Photos

We need good quality, high resolution photos to enhance the profile: they should be sent separately to simon.jones@lichfield.anglican.org as attachments to an email or using a file transfer service such as WeTransfer.com which is free and simple to use.

Photos must be

  • at least 1000 pixels wide or 300kb or larger if jpeg files.
  • not overly processed (whacky effects or colours) though black and white are fine.
  • without border effects
  • in focus

The front cover contains 5 photos, 3 from the parish/benefice. It's often easy to find nice pictures of your buildings but we recommend that some/most should reflect the ministry of the parish - so people in relationship, activity, worship etc. They can be pictures that are used again later within the profile.

Pictures in each section also bring the parish to life, so please provide as many as you think may help. Do add a note in each section with the photo filename or description to help us place them in the right place. Depending on the text flow, they may be put in the main columns or outside columns. Captions are rarely helpful unless conveying info that helps an ordinand who doesn't know the parish - so it doesn't matter if it's Mrs Smith or Mrs Jones, but knowing that it's a school service in St Michaels or which building (where more than one church/hall/school is part of benefice life) is useful.

Filling in the profile

Please note the following for each section:

Intro

typically 32-400 words

summarise the context of the parish(es)– 

  • Where is it – if not a major town, where’s it near/between?
  • what kind of settlement is it – inner city, urban, suburban, county town, rural or the mix in a MPB.
  • indicate the population size (either per parish or in total) and something about the demographics – lots of older people, or young familes, or key cultural factors – eg ethnic or multifatih breadth.
  • What’s the area like – leafy, rural, wilderness, gritty…
  • Any notable historic events – either that impact nationally or give the parish a specific character?
  • What kinds of employment is key here?
  • What facilities are in the communities? Especially schools, shops, healthcare etc
  • What’s the character/culture of the church(es) like, what matters most

Don’t worry about squeezing every detail onto this page, there's space to expand later on.

Services in the churches:

typically 1-300 words, depending on number of churches/services

{use this column to say something about the worship in the benefice – contrast different churches or congregations, liturgies used – formality or not, robes, leading of music etc.}

{You might refer to the facilities that facilitate worship (modern AV system, or famous pipe organ/organist, or kitchen facilities for the all-important refreshments…}

{You may have space to mention special services – the termly high-school assembly, Christmas/Easter, monthly afternoon christening special or midweek Eucharist or Messy Church}

{You might want to comment on your experience or future plans for online worship / continuing to include the housebound/shiftworkers}

{Adapt the table in the next column to make clear the normal pattern }

Also include the data for the service tables making clear the weekly/monthly pattern of service times/types

Buildings / Community

typically 150-200 words

{Use this section to say something about the buildings – some parishes revel in the history, others in the variety of community groups they host each week}

Training Incumbent

typically 1-200 words

Please start with the following data:

{Title & name}

{insert address}

  • Trained:           {theological college}
  • Ordained:        {year, diocese}
  • Curacy:            {name that church!}
  • (Team) Vicar/Rector/PiC:               since {year arrived here}

{Sell your vicar – what life experience did they have before ordination, what makes them tick…

Also need to say what they hope to bring… to a curate’s experience...

{a good, friendly photo is vital}

The Context

typically 1-200 words

{- what’s the area like, what’s the context, history, characteristic mindset of the community? What’s in the community that affects ministry – historic tensions across a border? Closure of a major local employer or massive housing development?}

The Ministry

typically 4-800 words

This is the place to give candidates a real taste of the ministry they will experience and share with you.

{- what will the curate get a lot of experience of? - if it’s a beautiful church, maybe dozens of weddings. A hospice – ideal for someone called to that type of chaplaincy. If you have three schools, that may draw a brilliant candidate who was a gifted youthworker or a keen person knowing they have a deficit in working with young people that they need to rectify. A post-charismatic or Reform/FiF chism? A church or council scandal that still has sore wounds in the village?}

{List the organisations attached to and ministries running within the parishes. Say something about the leadership team – whether you have an office full of administrators and 17 Readers, or just a PtO and part-time PA}

{Be clear whether the PCC has passed any pertinent resolutions (Petitioning Parishes re ministry of women etc)}

{The benefice vision / Mission Action Plan /ecumenical partnership or whatever motto or guiding principle is the steering wheel of the ministry should be clear. Are they the same for incumbent and PCC?}

{Some numbers will help candidates – the table gives the minimum. }

{Are there any particular responsibilities that the TI or PCC expect or hope the curate will take on?}

{Unlike parish profiles for incumbents, financial detail is unnecessary but big fundraising projects are worth mentioning.}

Make sure to include data for the 'Congregation in numbers' table.

Back page

The navy box is for you to give a one - column summary for the benefice - think of it like writing a small ad!

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Page last updated: Tuesday 16th March 2021 11:26 AM
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