Our Diocesan vision is about confident clergy equipping confident Christians to live and tell the good news of Jesus Christ. For all our appointments we seek clergy who have a joyful and confident faith which has inspired a track record of church growth. Here, we are looking for a leader who can take Fountains Church Bradford into the next stage of its young life, continuing its pioneering role as a city centre resource church for Bradford. The new leader will need to operate on a city-wide stage, working with the Bishop and Archdeacon of Bradford as well as the other leaders of Fountains to continue realising the vision set for the church since its inception. (S)he will therefore be an experienced and strategic leader of leaders, who can enable each person and each worshipping community to play their part in such a way that the overall team is much greater than the sum of its parts. (S)he will also be comfortable with the governance and accountability demands related to a church of this size and complexity. The Bishop’s Mission Order and associated CIO for Fountains Church Bradford were set up in May 2019. Initial Strategic Development Funding (SDF) for the church of £3,116,623 was awarded in November 2018, split approximately 50:50 between money to refurbish premises and funds for salaries, stipends and running costs. The identified property was a large building (c30,000 sq. ft.) of modern construction located in Bradford city centre. It had been built in 2002 as night clubs, comprising main units on 4 levels and a separate kiosk. The church was launched in September 2019, with the hope and expectation that it would subsequently plant or revitalise other churches every 2-3 years. However, the intention was not simply for Fountains to grow and plant, but to raise the spiritual temperature of Bradford as a whole.
The key stated goals in the initial SDF bid were that by the end in 2024 there would be:
* Worship and prayer 7 days a week and a worshipping community of at least 500;
* One plant or revitalisation fully established and a second started;
* Multiple, successful social enterprises, engaging with a widening fringe of people;
* Fully covered operating costs, including Share paid to the Diocese, and surplus being generated to allow the purchase of the building lease;
* Good reputation with the district council, police, civic, business, faith and education leaders.
In 2022 a new bid, named “Mountains into Roads”, unlocked a further £3 million in SDF, of which £2,196,538 was for building works to refurbish the rest of the property. These were successfully completed in September 2024. The remaining monies enabled the funding window for staff and running costs to run two years longer to the end of 2026. The goals for Fountains and its network churches (St Margaret’s Frizinghall and St Michael’s Shelf with St Aidan’s Buttershaw) were updated for this bid, and the end date moved to 2027. These included a further 4 new plants or revitalisations (now reached), increased numbers of worshippers and new disciples (currently behind target), new lay leaders (already surpassed) and ordination candidates (on track). Fountains has therefore made good progress against its agreed SDF objectives, although at a slower pace than had been envisaged in 2018. Hence, the last annual review for the SDF reporting was Amber/Green. The church is developing a good track record in starting new worshipping communities and supporting church revitalisation, not least Saturday Gathering and Wrestling Church. It has a strong leadership team, comprising ordained and paid staff as well as mature and experienced lay people.
Fountains has continued access to Church Commissioners’ SDF this year and next year to support its planting and revitalisation work in the city. This funding is providing a contribution to the employment costs of the Operation Manager, three Mission Apprentices, and a Creative Director role, as well as covering rent payments to the Diocese of Leeds. In return, Fountains is committed to support church planting and revitalisation within the Bradford Episcopal Area, sharing resources generously with other churches and sending people graciously to revitalise and plant churches. Income from congregational giving, as well as rental and event income from the building, are enabling positive growth towards financial sustainability, but these income streams need to keep growing for that aim to be achieved. For an informal chat about this role please contact Archdeacon Andy Jolley on 07973 458403. Closing date for applications is 25th May with interviews scheduled for 5th June.