Interregnum / Vacancy

The advert for our new vicar is now live and you can click here to view it on Pathways.

The Bishop of Southwark wishes to appoint a Vicar of Christ Church, Purley

Christ Church is a busy parish church with a welcoming congregation who celebrate life, are rooted in Scripture and are committed to taking the gospel out to the local community.

We are seeking a Vicar who dreams boldly, loves deeply and leads collaboratively. Someone with warmth, wisdom, courage and deep compassion who will join us in shaping a vibrant, outward‑looking church. We are looking for someone who:

Is a Christ‑centred, Spirit‑led, creative leader whose life is rooted in Scripture
Is deeply grounded in the Evangelical and Charismatic tradition
Embraces a variety of styles of worship
Teaches the Bible with clarity, relevance and engaging style
Is joyfully charismatic and open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit
Is a warm, compassionate pastor who listens well and visits willingly
Is a team leader able and willing to delegate
Offers courageous, sensitive leadership to guide us through change and renewal
As a church, we look forward to welcoming a new Vicar who will value our multicultural and intergenerational church family and join us as we continue fulfilling our mission statement –

‘Making Passionate Disciples for Christ’

For an informal conversation with the Archdeacon, please contact Kathleen.bailey@southwark.anglican.org to arrange an appointment.

Closing Date: Sunday 14 June 2026
Parish Visit and Interviews: Monday 13 July 2026

To find out more and to apply, please visit Pathways by clicking here.

To be appointed to an incumbent status post in the Diocese of Southwark, a priest must have served a title post in an Anglican church in the British Isles. We aim to be a diverse and truly representative Diocese, and particularly welcome applications from women and people of UKME heritage.

The Diocese of Southwark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment. This is appointment is subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS with Barred Lists check.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE VACANCY?

The wardens, as Bishop’s appointees, have formal responsibility for the parish church in a vacancy. There are a small number of things that only an incumbent vicar can legally do (usually signing bits of paper!) and in that case the Area Dean takes the role of incumbent for these. It is also the Area Dean’s role to maintain contact with the wardens and offer some support during the vacancy (but note – the Area Dean is not “in charge” and is not the boss of local clergy – its very much “first among equals” role and acting as a conduit for information from the Bishops etc down to local clergy).

The Archdeacon is directly responsible and will be keeping a close eye on the parish church and in fact is your first visiting preacher and clergy member, coming on 12th April (a week after I have left!) and will be at both services that day!

Services will run as normal as far as is possible and led by:

Local clergy (Simon and Jeremy Groombridge have offered to cover many services)
Visiting preachers from local churches including occasional mission partners
Usual teams for Worship for Everyone
A small team of lay leaders and worship band leaders for Third Service
Other volunteer lay leaders for the 10.15am
Your Readers
Other visiting clergy to preside at the 8.45am
The wardens (for gaps)
You?.....if you think you might be able to help let the wardens Alison and Bob or Jean in the office know….

Any questions, please let speak to the wardens Alison and Bob.

Announcement from 14 December 2025
Dear all,
It was announced today in church that I have been appointed Rector of All Saints with St Antony in Sanderstead.

The dates of my leaving Christ Church and starting in Sanderstead have stiil to be agreed (and are subject to the Bishop's diary!)

This is a call from God to one more parish and is a fresh start. In no way am I running away from Christ Church (!) and this news is tinged with some sadness at leaving as well as excitement for that new thing God has in store.

Further details to follow and happy to have a chat over coffee if anyone would like to.
Regards
Doug

Rev Doug McHardie
Vicar Christ Church Purley

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here

Planning your Visit

Welcome to Christ Church Purley

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The following information is aimed initially at those planning a visit but is useful for anyone visiting Christ Church Purley for the first time on a Sunday.

Where and When
We meet at Christ Church Purley (click here for directions). For our Sunday Services starting at 8:45am and 10:15am, for your first visit, we recommend arriving 15 minutes early to help you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard and will be happy to help.

We serve tea and coffee between the first and second services from 9:45am and then after the service at 11:30am. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. There are disabled toilets off of the Foyer.

Our Services
Our 8:45am Service is traditional in style with Holy Communion, liturgy and hymns on an organ. You will be lead through the service throughout by the leader.

The 10:15am service is relaxed in style and led by a band. It is broadcast online and past services can be watched here. It begins with a warm welcome from one of our team and opening prayer. We typically have two or three songs and notices lasting approximately 15 minutes.

At 10:30am the children and young people leave for their groups. A speaker will give a talk that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday lives after which there is usually a song and a led-prayers. One of our leaders will share news and notices, usually about what is going on in the life of the church and we then finish with a final worship song and blessing.

Every second Sunday of the month we share Holy Communion and the children and young people return to join as a whole church family otherwise parents will pick up their children at 11:30am.

On the first Sunday of the month at 10:15am we all worship together in a Worship for Everyone service, with round tables and activities.

Third service: This is a extended worship and word service led by a band and happens at 11.45am on the first and second Sundays of the month.

Gospel Service: On the last Sunday of each month at 6:30pm, an informal service of worship and word in the Foyer space.

Children and teenagers
We have a great programme lined up for children of all ages:

Stay & Play (Pre-school years). Parents/carers remain and join in with the fun
Kids 1 (5-7 years)
Kids 2 (8-11 years)
Youth (11-18 years)

Parents register their children aged 5-11 years prior to the start of the service from 10am and stay with their parent or grown-up for the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices.

The children’s group activities vary depending on the age but usually there are topic-themed activities, games, craft, bible story, music and ministry. Youth fill up on doughnuts whilst discussing how God is relevant to their every-day and those under five, stay and play with their adult whilst enjoying coffee, tea and chatting with other parents. Free-play and themed activities precede an interactive story and song time learning about Scruffy the puppet dog’s latest dilemma and Mr Bible’s always-great advice.

Getting Connected:

Discipleship Groups
While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our discipleship groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other through biblical study. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some morning and some evenings. If you would like to join one we can put you in touch with a discipleship group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering
If you want to get involved in the life of the church and community throughout the week, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Why not complete our Newcomer form and sign up for the Newsletter?