From choral Eucharist to Café Church, the Trinity Benefice offers rich worship, strong community roots and a longing for renewed confidence. Come and help us shape what God is doing next.
Are you a prayerful, hopeful priest who loves people, values tradition and creativity in worship, and feels called to help a benefice heal, grow and flourish? The Trinity Benefice—three distinctive, vibrant churches serving west Folkestone and the coastal village of Sandgate—are praying for a shepherd who will lead us with faith, warmth and imagination into the next season of our shared life.
Following a challenging period, our congregations are ready for renewal. We long for a priest who will stand with us in rebuilding confidence, deepening discipleship, and strengthening our witness to God’s love in our communities.
Three Churches, One Vision
The Trinity Benefice brings together:
- Holy Trinity, a beautiful Grade II* listed Victorian church with a strong choral tradition, sacramental worship, and deep community connections.
- St George’s, an inclusive, intergenerational church with band-led worship, Café Church, and a heart for hospitality and community engagement.
- St Paul’s, Sandgate, a friendly, welcoming coastal church offering accessible worship, strong pastoral links, and faithful lay leadership.
We rejoice in the diversity of our worship styles—from choral Evensong to contemporary band-led services—and come together regularly as one family of faith. Each church has an active ministry with children, older people, and the wider community, and all are seeking to rebuild and strengthen this work.
What We’re Praying For in Our New Vicar
We hope God is calling someone who is:
- A true shepherd: joyful in worship, gentle in pastoral care, and able to unite people across different traditions.
- An inspiring preacher and teacher who can deepen prayer, scripture engagement, and discipleship.
- Confident in leading both traditional Anglican liturgy and more informal, contemporary worship.
- Passionate about mission, hospitality, and creative use of our buildings as focal points for community life.
- Committed to nurturing ministries with children, youth and families, working in partnership with schools.
- A collaborative leader who values lay ministry and can help gifted volunteers flourish.
What We Offer
- Warm, faithful congregations longing for renewed confidence and spiritual growth.
- An experienced Ministry Team (clergy, Readers, ALMs, Anna Chaplains) and a supportive staff team.
- Strong ecumenical relationships through Churches Together in Folkestone.
- A spacious five-bedroom Victorian vicarage with a large garden, set close to Folkestone’s seafront.
- A thriving town with excellent schools, a vibrant Creative Quarter, stunning coastline, and fast connections to London and France.
- Full support from the Diocese of Canterbury, including the Canterbury Diet for ministerial wellbeing, formation and growth.
Our Context and Calling
Folkestone is a wonderfully diverse town: creative, generous, and full of potential. The benefice serves communities experiencing both opportunity and real need, and all three churches have strong missional partnerships—especially with the Folkestone Rainbow Centre, working alongside those facing homelessness and hardship.
Across the benefice, we are committed to:
- Deepening prayer and discipleship
- Rebuilding children’s and families’ ministry
- Strengthening community connections
- Developing sustainable, hopeful ministry for the future
“Our Benefice is truly blessed by our churches’ diverse worship styles – there’s a place for everyone.”
If you are a priest who can bring compassion, resilience, imagination and joy; who can hold together tradition and innovation; and who longs to see God’s people flourish—we would love to hear from you.
Come and help us shape a hopeful future, as together we seek to live out the gospel with generosity, creativity and love.
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For an informal conversation, contact the Ven Darren Miller (Archdeacon of Ashford) via Louise Mills (PA) at lmills@diocant.org or 01233 712649.
Closing date: 26 March 2026
Interviews: 20 April 2026
The priest appointed to this role must have been ordained in the Church of England or a church in communion with it and must have successfully completed a training post with the appropriate sign-offs required to apply for an incumbency or other ordained role. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK as this post does not currently qualify for visa sponsorship.
The priest appointed will serve as an office holder under Common Tenure, and the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Regulations will apply.