Team Vicar: Focal Minister for St Mary the Virgin, Dover
“Beacons of Hope in the Heart of Dover”
Are you a collaborative priest with a heart for civic engagement, choral worship, and community transformation? Do you long to serve in a place where tradition meets innovation, and where your gifts can flourish as part of a supportive team?
We are seeking a Team Vicar to join the Dover Town Team Ministry, with a particular focus on St Mary the Virgin – Dover’s Civic Church and a vibrant, inclusive, choral congregation in the town centre. This is a unique opportunity to minister in a richly diverse and historically significant town, where the Church is deeply embedded in civic life, port chaplaincy, and community outreach.
About the Role
As Team Vicar, you will:
- Be the focal minister for St Mary’s, leading its traditional, Eucharistic, and choral worship with the support of a gifted Director of Music, choir, sacristan, and lay leaders.
- Champion inclusivity, accessibility, and welcome in a parish that values diversity and community presence.
- Engage in civic and port ministry, including chaplaincy to the Town Mayor and Sailors’ Church.
- Collaborate across the benefice and deanery, sharing in worship, planning, and mission with a dynamic team of clergy and lay leaders.
- Help shape and deliver St Mary’s exciting mission plans, including a reordering project, digital outreach, and new wellbeing initiatives.
About You
We’re looking for someone who:
- Is a team player, ready to minister collegially and creatively across parish and deanery boundaries.
- Brings warmth, resilience, and a pastoral heart to a community with both deep need and great potential.
- Is confident in leading traditional liturgy and choral worship, while being open to new expressions of mission.
- Has a passion for community engagement and a desire to serve in a context of social complexity and opportunity.
About Us
The Dover Town Team Ministry serves four parishes with distinct traditions and shared vision. Our clergy team includes the Team Rector, two Team Vicars (including this post), a Curate, PTO clergy, Readers, and ALMs. We are supported by a vibrant Benefice Forum and work closely with Christians Together in Dover, local schools, and civic partners.
Dover is a town of contrasts – rich in history, facing real challenges, and full of possibility. With £63M in Levelling Up funding, a growing arts and cultural scene, and a strong ecumenical spirit, this is a place where the Church can make a real difference.
A choice of two well-appointed vicarages are available within the parish.
Closing date: 22 January 2026
️Interviews: 26 February 2026
View this vacancy on Pathways for more information and to see their Parish Profile.
For an informal conversation, contact the Revd Melissa Carter (Team Rector) at rev.melissa.carter@gmail.com or 07825 910116, or the Ven Darren Miller (Archdeacon of Ashford) via Louise Mills (PA) at lmills@diocant.org or 01233 712649.