Tradition:central |
Monthly services:Each church has a weekly Sunday morning service; Holy Trinity has 2 Sunday evening services each month; other occasional services take place |
Schools, colleges:There are many educational establishments with the parish. Each church has a particular link with a local primary school which includes collective worship, governance, pastoral support, RE support, church visits, church services, Experience Easter and Christmas We respond to other requests from schools if we are able to accommodate them. and we also work with ecumenical partners in schools and colleges. |
Archdeaconry:Shrewsbury |
Training Incumbent
The Revd Preb Jo Farnworth
Trained: St John's College, Nottingham. Deaconed: 1999 Manchester
I served my curacy, and held posts as incumbent of various urban parishes and Young Adults Archdeaconry Missioner in Manchester Diocese. In January 2022, I was licensed as Team Rector of Central Telford Parish and Associate Archdeacon of Salop. I love ministry in Telford - challenging but deeply rewarding. The mix of traditional parish ministry with possibilities of new missional opportunities, working collaboratively with laity/clergy, provides an environment in which I thrive. I have been a TI previously.
The context
Ministry in Central Telford Parish is best described as urban/suburban but Telford is a unique place! Originally developed as a new town in the 1960s, incorporating many of the original villages, it continues to grow rapidly and the parish is large (c 60K population, and growing). We are a single parish with four churches, served by the Team Rector, Team Vicar, a Reader, locally commissioned lay leaders and a good number of willing volunteers.
Our Sunday worship is mainly eucharistic and weekly services are held in each church, along with other occasional services. We have a monthly Messy Church which is lay led. We are currently looking at developing the worshipping and praying life of the church. Our buildings are in good condition and two have been reordered with flexible seating and digital projection systems.
We have connections with many of the 15 Primary Schools in the parish, tots groups, food bank and other activities.
Occasional offices provide missional opportunities: there is a large funeral and baptism ministry, and we also have some weddings. There seems to be much good will towards the churches, and a desire from councillors, schools, police, charities and ecumenical partners to work together for the common good. We are starting to work towards becoming eco churches and we belong to the Inclusive Church network. There are challenges: church attendance is low, congregations are aging, and finances are a struggle. We have developed a mission plan to help us address these issues. We have seen a number of new people attending our churches in the last 12 months and our ethnic diversity is increasing. We are an active member of Central Telford Ecumenical Partnership and Christians Together in Telford.
Telford Minster, a pioneering resourcing church on a Bishop’s Mission Order, is situated within the parish.
We would be looking to use the Prayers of Love and Faith as part of our ministry here at Central Telford.
Mission statistics (2023)
| Electoral Roll | Usual Sunday Attendance Adults | Usual Sunday Attendance Children | Thanksgivings | Baptisms | Marriages | Funerals (church) | Funerals (crem) | |
| Dawley Holy Trinity | 53 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 20 | 20 |
| Ketley St Mary the Virgin | 22 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Lawley St John the Evangelist | 32 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Malinslee St Leonard | 32 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
| Total | 139 | 80 | 9 | 0 | 41 | 11 | 36 | 26 |