Bromsgrove Parish

With clergy vacancies expected in all the parishes of the town during 2009 the opportunity was taken to review the pastoral organisation of the Anglican Church. The need to reduce clergy numbers across the Church of England, together with a vision for more collaborative work between parishes, led to a proposal in the autumn of 2008 to form a single team parish for the communities of Catshill and Bromsgrove, with three full time parish priests working collaboratively. This aimed to build on the foundation of the Bromsgrove Anglican Group (BAG), an agreement between the parishes that promoted co-operation and that had been in place for a number of years.

After wide consultation all PCCs agreed to this plan in March 2009. Whilst the necessary steps to bring into being the new parish will take a further year at least, the appointment of clergy to the team will proceed with clergy being appointed as Priest-in-Charge of the different existing parishes and Team Rector or Team Vicar designate of the new larger parish. It is expected that the clergy will work as a team from their appointment.

Dodford, with its distinct dispersed and rural community, will remain as a separate parish, but without a parish priest in residence. One of the three clergy of the wider Bromsgrove Team Ministry will be designated Priest-in-Charge of Holy Trinity and St. Mary Dodford, though it is anticipated that much of the day to day pastoral and sacramental ministry will be delegated to local retired clergy.

None of the churches of the new parish has passed resolutions A or B under  the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993.

The Churches of the Parish

The new parish, to be known as the Bromsgrove Team Ministry, will cover the urban area of Bromsgrove, Finstall and Catshill, with a population of almost 40,000. This includes the area presently covered by the four parishes of All Saints Bromsgrove, St. John’s Bromsgrove, Christ Church Catshill and St. Godwald’s Finstall. Within this area there are therefore four main parish churches, with services also held weekly at St. Andrew’s Charford.