Some seventeen Church of England parishes in the market towns and villages of the South Cotswolds have come together to share clergy, mission resources, expertise and experience. We want to help people in our communities to know more about the love of God, to explore what it means to live a Christian life, to grow and develop in discipleship and to worship God.
The Team Ministry is located in the South-east corner of Gloucestershire bordering Oxfordshire and Wiltshire – in fact Castle Eaton is in Wiltshire. The Team identity uses 17 grains of seed, each representing one of the 17 parishes that made up the Team when it was formed (since then three parishes have merged into one). Together the grains create a radiating shape with a cross at its heart: Jesus the centre reaching out to the world around. The identity shows that by coming together, the individual parishes create a new thing, which is more than the sum of its parts. The SCTM is a collection of diverse people and parishes in partnership for the Gospel. Whilst all the parishes retain their own status, individuality and character, we come together to do things which cannot be done alone or can be done better together with a critical mass or through drawing on different traditions. We also like having fun together!
The SCTM is served by:
• 4 stipendiary clergy (which includes our Team Rector John Swanton)
• 3 house for duty clergy
• 1 self-supporting minister
• 1 Assistant Curate
• 1 Licensed Lay Worker (Youth Worker)
• 2 Young Leaders/Interns
• 7 Lay Readers
• a number of active retired clergy