LONDON — The Church of England is setting up a church on the Web and is advertising for a Web-pastor to run it.
The initiative comes from the diocese of Oxford, using money given by the Church Commissioners to each of the Church of England’s 44 dioceses to fund pioneering projects that would support the church.
The church on the Web already has its own Web site — www.i-church.org — which sets out its purposes. The church exists to provide a focus of Christian community for those who wish to explore Christian discipleship but who are not able, or do not wish, to be participant members of a local congregation. Besides that, the Internet-based church is there to provide additional support to those who do not find all they need within their own worshiping community and to provide continuity for those who because of their work or their lifestyle are traveling around to such an extent as to make it difficult to establish and maintain relationships with a geographical Christian community.
The Web-pastor needs to be “a dynamic, confident Christian — lay or ordained — who is able to build this new community.” It will be a half-time post, receiving half the stipend of an incumbent vicar or rector (i.e., about $16,500 a year), and will be for an initial period of three years, with a six-month probationary period.
“If the community flourishes and the funding can be identified, it may be extended to a full-time post,” potential applicants are told. (TAB)
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