Updates in the Search for a New Priest at St. Paul's
January 2022
Since the arrival of COVID nearly two years ago, times have been particularly challenging for churches, and St. Paul’s is no exception.
Virtually everything in our church life as we knew it has been upended – worship, HOT, Courageous Conversations, coffee hour; however, in every aspect, we are carrying on and adapting as we go … as best as the current climate allows. This holds true for the Search Committee efforts during the past year as well.
After the first three months of 2021 passed without receiving any candidates, the Search Committee asked to meet with Bishop Hollingsworth in March to address the direction of the search. When that meeting eventually took place in June – the sole candidate for the entire year having been submitted in the interim -- the Bishop lamented the “paucity of priests looking to move at this time” due to the pandemic, and “the demand far exceeding the supply” as contributing factors in the ongoing lack of viable and appropriate candidates.
After an ensuing summer of quiet from the Diocese, the possibility of candidates was dangled in September when the Rev. Canon Percy Grant from the Diocesan Office of Transitional Ministries attended a regional transitional ministry conference, and she offered the hope that her counterparts could provide some insights and recommendations.
With that ultimately netting no results, however, the Search Committee met with Vestry to review the on-going challenges faced in the Search, discuss the changes the church had undergone since the Search formally launched in August 2019 with submittal of documents to the Diocese, and determine how best to proceed.
In October, with the Vestry’s resulting new charge, the Search Committee shifted gears to discern a full-time priest-in-charge for St. Paul’s, rather than a rector. Because so much had happened to affect the life of the church since the search was undertaken -- particularly in the months following March of 2020 -- the Search Committee set to work on updates to the parish profile and the Diocesan database form to reflect changes and adaptations necessitated by the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, and to present a more accurate picture of St. Paul’s in 2021.
However, the last quarter of the year ended as the first had begun: in a continuing “dry spell” with regard to candidates.
Consequently, in December we again requested a meeting with Bishop Hollingsworth, which took place Jan. 20. He assured the committee that the search for a new bishop will not override Diocesan efforts related to St. Paul’s search; however, he regretted that the lack of prospects continues to be an issue. The bishop commented that he “wants to do better than just send us someone with a pulse,” and the Search Committee made it clear that we would hold the Bishop to that commitment, and that we will accept nothing less than someone who will make OUR pulse quicken, who excites US, and who will excite YOU, our St. Paul’s family.
In the meantime, St. Paul’s can be thankful for Fr. Phil shepherding us through these trying times, and for the commitment of Search Committee members Douglas Colmery, Marilyn Dickinson, Olivia Johnson, Bill Kendrick and Dick Reinbold in staying the course.
As we begin 2022 with the hope for the future and the promise of a fresh start that each new year holds, may the people of St. Paul’s embrace the words of Romans 12:12: “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer,” as the Search process presses onward.
Respectfully submitted,
Barb Anderson, Search Committee Chair
October, 2021
A change in the search for St. Paul’s new priest
The Vestry is changing its charge to the committee searching for a new priest for St. Paul’s.
The Vestry is in the process of asking the Search Committee “to initiate a search for a priest-in-charge, whereupon the Diocese will submit one candidate at a time to the Search Committee for consideration and review, until such time as a suitable candidate is discerned.”
The anticipated change follows a joint meeting of the Vestry and Search Committee, in which Search Chair Barbara Anderson outlined a three-year process that, to date, has yielded no candidates for rector who are a good fit with St. Paul’s. The discussion included the spiritual, philosophical and practical pros and cons of three options: 1) full-time rector, 2) part-time priest or 3) priest-in-charge. We had been looking for a full-time rector.
We’ll continue to update you as the process unfolds.
November 2019
With the pertinent materials relating to St. Paul’s rector search in the hands of the Diocese, the Search Committee turns its attention to preparing for applications! This involves using the congregation’s priorities as set forth in congregational workshops and surveys, the parish profile, and the Vestry’s “job description” as criteria to determine the applicant’s “fit,” and thus formulate a “short list” of candidates to interview.
Before the applications reach the Search Committee’s hands, however, the process involves the Bishop's office screening the applicants to confirm that each is a priest in good standing in his/her respective Diocese, with the Bishop approving all applicants prior to our receiving the applications. This initial screening process both assures a solid slate of qualified candidates and also facilitates the bishop's approval when the Vestry calls the rector.
January 2022
Since the arrival of COVID nearly two years ago, times have been particularly challenging for churches, and St. Paul’s is no exception.
Virtually everything in our church life as we knew it has been upended – worship, HOT, Courageous Conversations, coffee hour; however, in every aspect, we are carrying on and adapting as we go … as best as the current climate allows. This holds true for the Search Committee efforts during the past year as well.
After the first three months of 2021 passed without receiving any candidates, the Search Committee asked to meet with Bishop Hollingsworth in March to address the direction of the search. When that meeting eventually took place in June – the sole candidate for the entire year having been submitted in the interim -- the Bishop lamented the “paucity of priests looking to move at this time” due to the pandemic, and “the demand far exceeding the supply” as contributing factors in the ongoing lack of viable and appropriate candidates.
After an ensuing summer of quiet from the Diocese, the possibility of candidates was dangled in September when the Rev. Canon Percy Grant from the Diocesan Office of Transitional Ministries attended a regional transitional ministry conference, and she offered the hope that her counterparts could provide some insights and recommendations.
With that ultimately netting no results, however, the Search Committee met with Vestry to review the on-going challenges faced in the Search, discuss the changes the church had undergone since the Search formally launched in August 2019 with submittal of documents to the Diocese, and determine how best to proceed.
In October, with the Vestry’s resulting new charge, the Search Committee shifted gears to discern a full-time priest-in-charge for St. Paul’s, rather than a rector. Because so much had happened to affect the life of the church since the search was undertaken -- particularly in the months following March of 2020 -- the Search Committee set to work on updates to the parish profile and the Diocesan database form to reflect changes and adaptations necessitated by the once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, and to present a more accurate picture of St. Paul’s in 2021.
However, the last quarter of the year ended as the first had begun: in a continuing “dry spell” with regard to candidates.
Consequently, in December we again requested a meeting with Bishop Hollingsworth, which took place Jan. 20. He assured the committee that the search for a new bishop will not override Diocesan efforts related to St. Paul’s search; however, he regretted that the lack of prospects continues to be an issue. The bishop commented that he “wants to do better than just send us someone with a pulse,” and the Search Committee made it clear that we would hold the Bishop to that commitment, and that we will accept nothing less than someone who will make OUR pulse quicken, who excites US, and who will excite YOU, our St. Paul’s family.
In the meantime, St. Paul’s can be thankful for Fr. Phil shepherding us through these trying times, and for the commitment of Search Committee members Douglas Colmery, Marilyn Dickinson, Olivia Johnson, Bill Kendrick and Dick Reinbold in staying the course.
As we begin 2022 with the hope for the future and the promise of a fresh start that each new year holds, may the people of St. Paul’s embrace the words of Romans 12:12: “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer,” as the Search process presses onward.
Respectfully submitted,
Barb Anderson, Search Committee Chair
October, 2021
A change in the search for St. Paul’s new priest
The Vestry is changing its charge to the committee searching for a new priest for St. Paul’s.
The Vestry is in the process of asking the Search Committee “to initiate a search for a priest-in-charge, whereupon the Diocese will submit one candidate at a time to the Search Committee for consideration and review, until such time as a suitable candidate is discerned.”
The anticipated change follows a joint meeting of the Vestry and Search Committee, in which Search Chair Barbara Anderson outlined a three-year process that, to date, has yielded no candidates for rector who are a good fit with St. Paul’s. The discussion included the spiritual, philosophical and practical pros and cons of three options: 1) full-time rector, 2) part-time priest or 3) priest-in-charge. We had been looking for a full-time rector.
We’ll continue to update you as the process unfolds.
November 2019
With the pertinent materials relating to St. Paul’s rector search in the hands of the Diocese, the Search Committee turns its attention to preparing for applications! This involves using the congregation’s priorities as set forth in congregational workshops and surveys, the parish profile, and the Vestry’s “job description” as criteria to determine the applicant’s “fit,” and thus formulate a “short list” of candidates to interview.
Before the applications reach the Search Committee’s hands, however, the process involves the Bishop's office screening the applicants to confirm that each is a priest in good standing in his/her respective Diocese, with the Bishop approving all applicants prior to our receiving the applications. This initial screening process both assures a solid slate of qualified candidates and also facilitates the bishop's approval when the Vestry calls the rector.