We are looking for someone who wants to harness the potential of engaged church members for the church of the future.
At the Härnösand Diocese's chancery, we work for the benefit of the parishes. We are a welcoming and recruiting pilgrimage diocese, preparing for the church we want to see in the future. The diocese is now embarking on a major initiative to engage church members in order to adapt to the future and shape the church we envision.
Are you a priest who wants to help shape the church of the future? We are starting a process to engage in dialogue with the diocese's elected representatives, employees, and volunteers to discuss and educate ourselves to meet the challenges we already face as a rural diocese. Here, you will have the opportunity to plan, organize, and implement a five-year initiative aimed at strengthening the church and the diocese alongside a dedicated chancery team.
The position we are seeking is located within the unit of faith and life, which currently has 13 employees with various roles in promoting worship, education, diaconia, and mission. This includes areas such as recruitment, worship development, church music, baptism and confirmation, Sámi church life, pilgrimage, institutional pastoral care, spiritual care, the Church of Sweden's youth, and volunteerism.
**Job Responsibilities**
As a diocesan assistant in volunteerism, you will contribute to developing a theological and practical approach to vocation – the calling as a foundation for community and volunteer engagement – inspired by the Church of England's work in this area. Here, vocation is understood as something that applies to all baptized individuals, and volunteer engagement is seen as a place for spiritual growth and meaning.
The assignment involves working together with a colleague to:
- Develop methods, timelines, and frameworks for dialogue and education for all elected representatives and employees in the diocese, with a particular focus on training parish councils to build the congregation based on local conditions, grounded in vocation.
- Conduct dialogues and training sessions for all elected representatives and employees in the diocese, using the Church of England's understanding of vocation as a starting point.
- Create methods, timelines, and frameworks for an initiative aimed at strengthening the parishes' ability to harness the power and engagement of volunteers – not just as practical assistance, but as an expression of individuals' calling.
- Perform other tasks as needed within the unit and the chancery.
**Qualifications**
We are looking for an ordained priest with substantial experience in parish life within the Church of Sweden. You have experience taking questions from concept to implementation. You possess strong pedagogical skills, excellent verbal and written communication abilities, and good collaboration skills.
**Requirements**
- Ordained as a priest in the Church of Sweden
- At least three years of service in a parish or pastorate within the Church of Sweden
- B driver's license
- Member of the Church of Sweden
**Meritorious**
- Experience working with volunteerism
We also want you to identify with the core values of the chancery:
Integrity – We are objective, factual, and consistent
Engagement – We are interested, curious, and supportive
Learning – We are open, developmental, and responsible
**Working Hours/Location:**
The position is a permanent full-time employment based at the chancery in Härnösand. Start date is negotiable. The main working hours are daytime, Monday to Friday. We apply a local collective agreement on annual working hours with a time bank, as well as time off on bridge days and half-days before public holidays. Travel is required for the position, sometimes including overnight stays. Time spent traveling for work counts as working hours.
**Härnösand Diocese Offers:**
We offer you a pleasant environment centrally located in Härnösand. We care about your professional development and encourage various forms of skills development. As an employee of the Church of Sweden, you will receive a pension plan. We also offer benefits such as an annual wellness allowance, one hour of wellness per week, and access to occupational health services.
**Contact Persons:**
For more information about the position, please contact:
Unit Manager Göran Lundstedt at tel.: 0611-254 14 or via email:
[email protected].
Selection and interviews for the position are planned around weeks 2-3 of 2026.