DIRECTOR FOR UNITY, FAITH AND ORDER

THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION OFFICE

POST OF DIRECTOR FOR UNITY, FAITH AND ORDER

The Anglican Communion Office, based at St Andrew’s House, London, England, is the permanent Secretariat for the Instruments of Communion of the Anglican Communion. It serves the Archbishop of Canterbury (in collaboration with staff at Lambeth Palace), the Anglican Consultative Council, the Primates’ Meetings, and the Lambeth Conferences as well as commissions, committees and groups that emerge from time to time, as the need arises. The Revd Canon Kenneth Kearon serves as Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.

The Anglican Communion is served by a number of international committees and commissions, among them an Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO). The mandate for that body states that it ‘shall have responsibility’

• To promote the deepening of Communion between the Churches of the Anglican Communion, and between those Churches and the other Churches and traditions of the Christian oikumene;
• To advise the Provinces and the Instruments of Communion on all questions of ecumenical engagement, proposals for national, regional or international ecumenical agreement or schemes of co-operation and unity, as well as on questions touching Anglican Faith and Order;
• To review developments in the areas of faith, order or unity in the Anglican Communion and among ecumenical partners, and to give advice to the Churches of the Anglican Communion or to the Instruments of Communion upon them, with the intention to promote common understanding, consistency, and convergence both in Anglican Communion affairs, and in ecumenical engagement;
• To assist any Province with the assessment of new proposals in the areas of Unity, Faith and Order as requested.

The Secretary General intends to appoint a Director for Unity, Faith and Order whose primary responsibility will be to support, enable and facilitate the work of this Commission. As well as support for the Commission itself, the appointee will provide leadership and support for international ecumenical dialogues of the Anglican Communion and associated work, commissions and other bodies concerned with matters of Faith and Order, and represent the Anglican Communion in these areas both internally within the Communion and to other churches and associated bodies. The post has become vacant because of the retirement of Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan.

The candidate will

• Be a communicant member of a church of the Anglican Communion, or of a church in full communion therewith;
• Have a university qualification, preferably at post graduate level, in the field of systematic theology, doctrine, canon law or a related field of theology;
• Have a passionate commitment to the work of Faith and Order and the unity of the Christian Church;
• Have experience of in-depth engagement with ecumenical and/or ecclesiological questions;
• Be prepared to and be able to travel extensively throughout the Anglican Communion and elsewhere;

It is desirable that the candidate will

• Have experience of drafting and writing formal reports for churches or similar bodies;
• Have the requisite IT skills to be able to communicate electronically while away from the office.

Under the direction of the Secretary General and in close co-operation with the Chair of the Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order, the appointee will

• Provide leadership and support in the work of the Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order and other related work;
• Provide support for ecumenical dialogues as appropriate;
• Provide support to Faith and Order bodies of the Anglican Communion;
• Report to the Standing Committee, Primates’ Meetings, Anglican Consultative Council and Lambeth Conferences as appropriate;
• Be prepared to represent the Anglican Communion and the Secretary General as appropriate;
• Undertake other work as requested by the Secretary General.

Applications are invited from members of the Anglican Communion or of a church in full communion therewith, lay or ordained, men or women. The application should include a full CV and the names of at least three referees (references will not be taken up until later in the application process). A letter of support from a Primate or senior bishop of the candidate’s church to accompany the application is desirable but not essential.

The secretariat is located in Westbourne Park, London W11. This senior position will be remunerated according to NCI salary scales, currently £46,769-51,959 per annum; reasonable relocation expenses may be paid. There is a defined contribution pension scheme and 25 days annual leave plus three privilege days.

The appointment will initially be for a period of 5 years, at which point a review will take place.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 27 August 2014. Interviews are likely to take place in London on Wednesday 1 October 2014. The position will be taken up on or after 1 February 2015.

Applications should be sent to: tim.trimble@anglicancommunion.org. All applications and enquiries will be treated in strict confidence.