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Postdoctoral Research Assistant

Equipping Religious Leadership in an Age of Science and Media

Reference Number

Location Durham City

Faculty/Division

Department St John’s College

Grade 7 St Johns College Graded Pay Structure

Position Type Full-time

Contract Type Fixed Term (three years)

Salary £31,343

Closing Date: 13th February 2015 at 5pm.

Interviews: 24th February 2015

Starting date: April 1st 2015

Job Description

A three year postdoctoral position is available to work with Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Professor Tom McLeish, and Rt Revd Professor Richard Cheetham at Durham University, in their Templeton World Charitable Foundation funded project ‘Equipping Religious Leadership in an Age of Science’.

This project seeks to transform the quality and increase the quantity of serious engagement with science amongst Christians in England, by focusing attention on the role of senior church leaders in shaping church leadership in an age of science.

We will target strategic leaders in conferences, provide training resources for a much larger number of trainee leaders, and develop a range of flagship local engagement projects to demonstrate where leadership in this area can take people. All of this will be underpinned by original research, which will itself be a significant contribution to public understanding of the relationship between religion and science.

This project will research the attitudes towards science of current strategic leaders both within the main denominations but also in new churches and parachurch movements, and explore how their leadership and thinking shapes the assumptions, priorities, practice and theological beliefs of leaders and laity within their organizations. It then will provide an already trialled form of conference where strategic church leaders are brought into transformative dialogue with senior scientists and theologians, so that they can own science as a key partner of theology and thereby of the Church’s ministry.

This work with senior leaders then gives added importance to the creation and use of resources in science and theology for the Church of England’s Common Awards programme. This began in September 2014 as a partnership with Durham University and structures the vast majority of training for church leadership in the UK involving 1500 students in the first year. It also gives a natural network and structure for a new “Scientists in Congregations” programme for England; and for ongoing support of senior church leaders in their thinking, media work and preaching.

A postdoctoral researcher will be based in Durham for the three years of the project and will be responsible for:

1. The research project on the attitudes towards and knowledge of science among key groups of religious leaders through a combination of questionnaires, face to face interviews and on-line survey methods.

2. Assisting in the administration of conferences for key religious leaders here in Durham

3. Assisting in the administration of the overall project with specific involvement in planning, communication and reporting

4. Management of the content of the project website

5. Presentation of the research in papers and conferences for both academic and ecclesial settings

The research project builds on a pilot survey focused exclusively on a group of senior church leaders. We will now carry out a quantitative survey of 1000 religious leaders, using the insights we have already gained, that would be able to probe the influence on confidence in engaging in the science and religion engagement of issues such as:

§Age

§Level of leadership with the religious organisation

§Gender

§Scientific education

§Theological perspective

§Media consumption

This will complement the work of Ecklund on attitudes among scientists[1], and more focused than other surveys of public opinions on science and religion[2] and the more specific surveys on young people[3]. It will be distinguished by its focus on key religious leaders and their influence on their communities.

In pursuing our big question, this work will need to explore further questions that go beyond our original work which investigate the influence of senior church leaders on other leaders. For example in what ways do senior church leaders influence the science and theology dialogue as role models, theological commentators, ‘permission’ givers, vocational encouragers, and influencers of theological training priorities.

It would use a combination of questionnaires, face to face interviews and on-line survey methods. Respondents would be recruited through our own networks within the denominations and para-church organisations (national communications e.g. EA Idea magazine; diocesan, district and geographical structures; theological colleges); through web presence and social media; and through staff presence at national events such as Spring Harvest, Greenbelt, Soul Survivor.

The methodology will be a combination of statistical analysis with narrative analysis of the face to face interviews.

The intended audience for the research will be both popular and academic. There will be considerable interest among the academic community of the science religion dialogue, and those responsible for training church leaders. However, we expect a great deal of general media interest. We will be able to show that the oft quoted views of new atheism that ‘church leaders oppose science’ or are all six day creationists are misleading.

Publication will be in journals such as Science and Christian Belief, Theology and Science in Society. In addition we will make the data available to other scholars via our already existing website community.dur.ac.uk/christianleadership.science/

The successful candidate will be highly motivated and able to work independently. This post is fixed term and is available from April 1st 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter for a period of 3 years.

Interested candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter detailing his/her interest in the research and qualifications for the position.

Requirements

Survey work will mainly be carried out at Durham University. However, travel off-site for interviewing may be required.

Responsibilities

·Develop detailed programmes of work and assess progress against the work plan.

·Keep comprehensive, accessible and secure records of survey and interview responses, data and analyses.

·Liaise effectively with and assist other members of the research team.

·Prepare monthly and quarterly reports; participate in scheduled electronic and face-to-face meetings including presentation of research results.

·Present research at national and international conferences.

·Write or assist with the writing of papers for publication in international journals and conference proceedings

·Management of content on project website

Person Specification

Essential

Masters level qualification in science, social sciences or humanities

Excellent English language skills, both written and verbal

Excellent team-working and interpersonal skills

Ability to work independently and exercise personal initiative

Good time management skills and ability to focus on the objectives of the project

Desirable

Doctoral level qualification in science, social science or humanities

Expertise in questionnaire design and analysis
Expertise in producing web resources and on-line survey methods
Expertise in face to face interviewing
Knowledge and understanding of church leadership structures and networks

Knowledge and understanding of theological issues in relation to science

Applications

Please apply via CV and covering letter to David Wilkinson, St John’s College, 3 South Bailey, Durham DH1 3RJ (david.wilkinson@durham.ac.uk) including the names of three referees

Interviews

Interviews will be held on 24th February 2015 at St John’s College, Durham.

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to give a ten minute presentation on what might be the key questions within an on-line survey to explore attitudes to science among the clergy.

Project Manager and Research Fellow

Equipping Religious Leadership in an Age of Science

Reference Number

Locations Durham City

Mission and Public Affairs team, Church House, London

Faculty/Division

Department St John’s College

Grade Church of England Litchfield Scale

Position Type Full-time

Contract Type Fixed Term (three years)

Salary £24,420 + Housing allowance £13,652 + Resettlement Grant in First Year £2,280.

Closing Date 30th January 2015 at 5pm

Interviews: 10th February 2015 (Church House, London)

Starting date: April 1st 2015

Job Description

A three year postdoctoral position is available to work with Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Professor Tom McLeish and Rt Revd Professor Richard Cheetham at Durham University, in their strategically important and exciting Templeton World Charitable Foundation funded project ‘Equipping Religious Leadership in an Age of Science’.

This project seeks to transform the quality and increase the quantity of serious engagement with science amongst Christians in England, by focusing attention on the role of senior church leaders in shaping church leadership in an age of science.

We will target strategic leaders in conferences, provide training resources for a much larger number of trainee leaders, and develop a range of flagship local engagement projects to demonstrate where leadership in this area can take people. All of this will be underpinned by original research, which will itself be a significant contribution to public understanding of the relationship between religion and science.

This project will research the attitudes towards science of current strategic leaders both within the main denominations but also in new churches and parachurch movements, and explore how their leadership and thinking shapes the assumptions, priorities, practice and theological beliefs of leaders and laity within their organizations. It then will provide an already trialled form of conference where strategic church leaders are brought into transformative dialogue with senior scientists and theologians, so that they can own science as a key partner of theology and thereby of the Church’s ministry.

This work with senior leaders then gives added importance to the creation and use of resources in science and theology for the Church of England’s Common Awards programme. This began in September 2014 as a partnership with Durham University and structures the vast majority of training for church leadership in the UK involving 1500 students in the first year. It also gives a natural network and structure for a new “Scientists in Congregations” programme for England; and for ongoing support of senior church leaders in their thinking, media work and preaching.

The Fellow will be primarily based in the Church of England Mission and Public Affairs team in Church House, London but will also be embedded in the research team at St John’s College in Durham University. This will involve frequent and regular visits to Durham. Management will be provided by the Durham project leaders and by Revd Dr Malcolm Brown at Church House.

The Fellow will be responsible for:

1. Managing the project in close collaboration with the project leaders. This will include management of the Postdoctoral Research Assistant who will be working on the three year research on attitudes to science among clergy.

2. The delivery of theologically and scientifically informed research and consequent resources as part of the Mission and Public Affairs team of the Church of England.

3. Assisting in the administration and delivery of conferences for key religious leaders here in Durham

4. Managing the ‘Scientists in Congregations’ programme, liaising in particular with senior church leaders

5. Creating resources for the Common Awards

Resources in the science and religion dialogue are now present in a variety of UK locations. The network created by this project, with its Durham base, however is an ideal place to provide specific resources for the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England, and then offered to other senior church leaders across the different denominations and parachurches.

The employment on a three year initial contract of a scientifically and theologically literate person (lay or ordained) who understands key networks in the Church of England for three years is crucial to this part of the project. This person will constitute the central element of a bridge between senior leaders in the Church of England and the resources of the project not only at Durham but on wider scale. This Project Manager and Research Fellow will become part of the Church of England Mission and Public Affairs team and have a base both in Church House, London and Durham. The Fellow will therefore need to be in sympathy with and supportive of the mission of churches in the UK.

This will lead to:

·Advising the Church’s social policy advisors in the Mission and Public Affairs Division (MPA) to ensure that position papers and media outputs are scientifically well-informed. There are many aspects of MPA’s work which the presence of a scientifically literate person on the team, engaged with a wider scientific community, will enhance. We estimate that this will influence c. 30 papers and media releases over the three year period..

·Working with MPA staff to initiate the discussion of key scientific topics within the Church of England. This will includepreparation of position papers on scientific issues for the church. Within the next three years we see the need for theological work on SETI, artificial intelligence, human enhancement, geoengineering and nuclear energy among many others.

·Developing a virtual network of senior church leaders with leading scientists, liaising in particular with Christians in Science, the Faraday Institute and other key networks. We note in this that there are also scientists who are not part of these networks who would be open to being involved in this project. We will begin this on the basis of personal relationships built through the conference programme and support it through a virtual community hosted on our website.

·Being available to give media advice to 200 senior church leaders[1] on the impact of science on the church

·Horizon scanning to alert senior church leaders of forthcoming issues such as the discovery of Earth-like planets and policy decisions on energy. We estimate that this will lead to over 300 emails and web-posts over the period of the project.

·Case studies for related training resources in the Common Awards.

The successful candidate will be highly motivated and able to work independently. This post is fixed term and is available from April 1st 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter for a period of 3 years.

Interested candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter detailing his/her interest in the research and qualifications for the position.

Responsibilities

·Management of the project

·Delivery of key resources

·Generate networks to achieve the goals of the project

·Develop detailed programmes of work and assess progress against the work plan.

·Liaise effectively with and assist other members of the research team.

·Prepare monthly and quarterly reports; participate in scheduled electronic and face-to-face meetings

·Advocate the resources of the project at national and international conferences.

·Write or assist with the writing of papers for publication in international journals and conference proceedings

Person Specification

Essential

Masters level qualification in science, social sciences or humanities

Excellent English language skills, both written and verbal

Excellent team-working and interpersonal skills

Ability to work independently and exercise personal initiative

Good time management skills and ability to focus on the objectives of the project

Experience of managing a project

Desirable

Doctoral level qualification in science, social science or humanities

Expertise in delivery of a project involving resources and research
Knowledge and understanding of church leadership structures and networks

Knowledge and understanding of theological issues as they relate to science

Applications

Please apply via CV and covering letter to David Wilkinson, St John’s College, 3 South Bailey, Durham DH1 3RJ (david.wilkinson@durham.ac.uk) including the names of three referees

Deadline: 5pm 30th January 2015.

Interviews

Interviews will be held on 10th February 2015 at Church House London

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to do a ten minute presentation on ‘Key challenges and opportunities involved in this project’.