• living a life of prayerful formation and discipleship;
• promoting excellence in safeguarding;
• sharing in teaching and pastoral care;
• inspiring collaboration in worship, ministry and service;
• put prayer first, attend to their discipleship, well-being, and spiritual growth;
• promote excellence in safeguarding, including the attendance of core groups and promoting a learning culture in which good practice becomes embedded in the life of our parishes and communities;
• build up the people of God, exercise ministry in close collaboration with the Bishop of Portsmouth and a range of key stakeholders, preach the Gospel and preside at Eucharist in the diocese and archdeaconry;
• promote ecumenical partnerships and unity in mission;
• teach generosity in giving as an essential part of Christian discipleship;
• liaise with Area Deans, Deanery Lay Chairs and the Bishop‘s Chaplain to ensure the Bishop of Portsmouth is made aware of the pastoral needs and concerns of God’s people;
• present ordination candidates to the Bishop;
• induct, install and commission ministries as appropriate; conduct visitations of the parishes and have a particular care for the Churchwardens in their office;
• exercise an archdeacon’s statutory responsibilities and, where appropriate, delegate responsibility to colleagues, to enable timely support to clergy and parishes;
• attend to difficult and complex situations as they arise; follow these through to resolution, involving other colleagues, as required. This will include fact-finding, investigation of complaints, and briefing the Diocesan Bishop or the Bishop’s Chaplain on progress;
• deliver the Bishop’s Ministerial Development Review (MDR) scheme in the archdeaconry;
• share good practice, develop policies and co-ordinate practice in the areas of property, fabric, finance and mission with colleagues;
• liaise with the Property Department on issues relating to clergy housing, including the approval of clergy removal expenses;
• review the Archdeacons’ Fabric Inspection regime and update where necessary, liaise with the Area Deans on their pattern for inspections and quality assure the paperwork they are working with and returning, and ensure the inspections are undertaken in a timely manner and appropriately recorded;
• participate, with the Bishop, and deanery leadership, in appointment processes;
• respond to legal matters raised by Churchwardens and clergy through signposting to the appropriate sources of advice;
• play a leading role, as set out in practice guidance and the Clergy Discipline Measure (soon to be the Clergy Conduct Measure), in the discipline of the clergy: always bearing in mind the standards set for clergy in ‘Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy, 2015’;
• share the ordinary jurisdiction of the Diocesan Bishop and exercise the jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of the diocese as the Chancellor directs;
• oversee, and where necessary initiate, pastoral reorganisation to facilitate ministry and mission;
• keep records of correspondence and communication with clergy, churchwardens and others; ensure the Archdeacon’s Office or Bishopsgrove have copies of these as appropriate;
• undertake any tasks as the Diocesan Bishop may reasonably request or require.
• Closing date:5pm, November 28th, 2025.
• Interviews dates: Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th January, 2026.

Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight

Do you have the vision, sense of vocation, and experience to accompany the Bishop of Portsmouth, colleagues, and communities on the Isle of Wight in:

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight will:

For a conversation regarding the role please contact Bishop Jonathan on 01329 280247 or email.

The Diocese of Portsmouth is committed to creating and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents our context and wider community. We are aware that those of United Kingdom Minority Ethnic/Global Majority Heritage, women and disabled people are currently under-represented among our clergy, and we particularly encourage applications from those with the relevant skills and experience that will increase this representation. The appointment will of course be based on merit alone. Enhanced DBS will be required.