Ministry Assistant Scheme Information

Starting in September 2026, St Ebbe’s Church is seeking to appoint a team of Ministry
Assistants (MAs) to be with us for one year, with a possible second.

We are a lively, diverse, multi-congregation, evangelical, city-centre church.  We are
made up of Oxford University undergraduates and postgraduates, families, young
adults, elderly, people affected by homelessness, and those from our local parish, one of
the more deprived areas of Oxford.  As a St Ebbe’s MA you would get involved in every
aspect of our life together as God’s family, working alongside and embedded in one of
our ministry teams.

Why do we have a Ministry Assistant team?

St Ebbe’s has a passion to see God glorified through reaching out, building up and
sending out. The MA scheme is a key part of that vision, as we seek to train and build up
God’s people for a lifetime’s service. We want to enable those on the scheme both to
capture a vision for full-time Christian ministry and to discern whether they are suited to
it. The various aspects of the scheme aim to do this: training in Christian ministry,
particularly teaching God’s word, putting this into practice with focussed ministry in a
variety of contexts and practical service of the church.

Each Ministry Assistant focusses their work in one main ministry area: e.g.
undergraduate ministry, postgraduate ministry, 20-30s ministry, young mums, youth or
parish and homeless ministry. This is a context where key skills can be observed,
practised and developed. It includes prayer, overseeing a small group Bible study and
meeting up one-to-one to read the Bible with Christians or non-Christians.

A key part of the scheme is working alongside a senior staff member as a mentor. You
will have an opportunity to see ministry life close up, with all its struggles and pain, as
well as joys and fulfilment. Your mentor will oversee your involvement in the ministry
and meet with you regularly for pastoral care and ministry development. Each of the
team is usually also involved in some area of children’s and youth ministry (Sunday and
mid-week clubs) which gives a breadth to the training and experience of church life, in
addition to personal study of God’s word.

St Ebbe’s hosts the regional Ministry Training Course (see here), which runs on Tuesdays.
All MAs are part of the course along with around 50 others from the region. With Bible
expositions, doctrine, practical ministry, workshops and a detailed Bible overview it’s a
wonderful part of the training the scheme provides.

As a busy city-centre church, we have a full diary and lots of activities taking place week
by week. MAs serve these very practically, as each week time is given to moving chairs,
organising events and generally assisting the smooth running of church life.

Who are we looking for?

•  Those who love Christ and are seeking to grow as his disciple.
•  Those discerning their suitability for set-apart gospel ministry.
•  Those with a passion to serve Christ’s church, including in practical tasks.
•  Those committed to our Declaration of Faith (see the Application Form).

What are the goals of the scheme for each Ministry Assistant?

Our overall aim for the scheme is to enable a wide range of people to gain a vision and a
passion for Christian ministry with the prayer that suitable candidates would continue
on to further training and ministry. To enable this we aim to develop three areas:

•  To help grow in Christ-like character, through many opportunities to listen to God
in his word, by serving practically, by being part of the team and through the
personal oversight of their ministry mentor.

•  To develop strong gospel convictions that will stand them in good stead for a

lifetime of service.

•  To  develop competence in teaching God’s word, through the opportunities they
have had to teach others and the feedback they have received, as well as a range
of other skills.

What is distinctive about the St Ebbe’s Ministry Assistant Scheme?

Opportunities to teach the Bible, to share life, to be trained in ministry and be shaped by
service are common to a number of other schemes. However, each scheme is different
and serving as an MA at St Ebbe’s will give you a distinctive experience in the following
ways:

•  Being a member of a city-centre church with multiple ministries and multiple

congregations. There is a real breadth of ministries at St Ebbe’s.

•  We seek to offer a rounded experience, offering equal opportunity for training,

practical service and ministry.

•  Being a member of a large staff team, benefitting from the focussed support and

input of your ministry mentor.

•  Gaining hands-on experience of a diversity of ministries across the church family

whilst focussing on one particular ministry area.

•  Benefitting from the South Central Ministry Training Course and sharing with

other MAs, as well as church members, from across the region.

•  Enjoying the unique place that St Ebbe’s has in the vibrant and historic University

city of Oxford.

What are the next steps?

•  Speak to Josh Skidmore (josh.skidmore@stebbes.org) who leads the scheme.
•  Complete the Application Form and the Confidential Declaration Form (both

available from http://stebbes.org/jobs).

•  Return your application forms, along with your CV, to Josh Skidmore, St Ebbe’s

Church (josh.skidmore@stebbes.org) by 31st March 2026.
•  We plan to hold interviews in mid-January and mid-April.

Some further details:

•  The MA ‘year’ starts on Sunday 1st September 2026 and ends on Sunday 18th July

2027 (unless continuing for a second year).

•  Fundraising: We provide free accommodation for those who are single on the

scheme and can give equivalent support for accommodation costs to those who
are married, where needed. We ask each MA to fundraise (through a Stewardship
Account) for their living costs (around £7000 for those in the UK with additional
costs for those travelling from abroad). We will provide support in your
fundraising efforts, but are unable to provide financial support beyond
accommodation.

•  Fundraising for the year or two with St Ebbe’s is an important way of getting

other people involved, supporting and praying for you.  You should aim to have a
large portion of this in place or promised before starting in September 2026.
•  Holiday is 30 days for the MA year which can be taken flexibly in consultation with

your ministry area and supervisor.

•  We will pay for you to attend the 9:38 Maximise conference in January 2027.