REPORT
REPORT FROM THE SEARCH COMMITTEE
July 1, 2010
St. John’s Search Committee has completed the application phase of receiving information from priests who are interested in a call to be the next Rector of St. John’s.
We are now in discernment of evaluating the desires of our parish in relation to priests’ ministry gifts. The search group is undertaking to know more about the priests who are continuing the search process with us by researching their present and previous churches’ websites and by informal conversations with each one. The Search Committee considers all names and personal information on a confidential basis at present and in the future.
The Search Committee continues to meet frequently, confers through e-mails almost daily, and sets schedules to keep the whole process moving forward. Summer progress is a bit slower because we must observe vacation schedules of everyone involved in discernment.
Please continue to keep our work in your prayers and to especially pray that our hearts are open to Christ’s direction in our discernment.
Ann Kinken Johnson
Search chair
Prayer for SJ’s Search
ST. JOHN’S PRAYER FOR THE SEARCH
Almighty God, you have appointed your Son, Jesus Christ, as head of The Church. May we be guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to seek your purpose for St. John’s. Give us grace and humility to hear your desire and the courage to follow where you lead us. Prepare the heart of the one you have chosen to be our Rector. We put our faith and trust in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Search Profile
The Search Committee is pleased to publish the 2010 Parish Profile of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Portsmouth Virginia. Download in two parts:
[part1] [part2]
The Search Committee is grateful to St. John’s congregation for sharing their thoughts and opinions during town meetings in September 2009 to assist in expressing the parish’s desires for the rector who will lead and share with us in St. John’s ministry, mission and vision. We have attempted to give a snapshot of St. John’s present community by describing our parish and surroundings, the history we built on and our hope for our future.
St. John’s Search Committee will receive nominations from our congregation, from the Clergy Deployment Office, the Diocese of Southern Virginia, and directly from interested priests. All nominations may be sent to searchcommitteesj@gmail.com. Current clergy profiles filed with the Clergy Deployment Office are the standard application; other supporting information is useful and encouraged. All nominations and applications are confidential to the Search Committee.
Ann Kinken Johnson, chair
searchcommitteesj@gmail.com
Printed copies will be available and announced when printer provides a delivery date. St. John’s parishioners may continue nominating prospective candidates directly to the Search Committee. Nomination forms are available in the parish hall in a mail box close to the information case. Earlier nominations are still active and those individuals, as well as incoming nominees, will be invited to apply.
All names of nominees sent to the Search Committee for consideration are confidential and not publicly announced. The Church Deployment Office is expected to officially list St. John’s vacancy in mid May. Then the Search Committee receives names from CDO of prospective candidates whose qualifications are computer matched to St. John’s qualifications for a new rector. This list is also confidential.
Search FAQs
When will St. John’s have a new rector?
We cannot answer with certainty. In most parishes the process is expected to last 18-24 months from the time a rector departs until a new rector is hired. Our vestry’s charge to the search committee set a somewhat shorter time table – to present a candidate by June 2010 with expectation to have a priest hired by end of August. We need to remember that identifying and calling our future priest is not like hiring a CEO. God is present in our search and it ultimately is His timetable, not ours.
What are the general steps in finding a new rector?
The vestry is working within the guidelines of a time-tested process followed by the Diocese of Southern Virginia – essentially the same one we used ten years ago. St. John’s vestry selected one committee of parishioners to coordinate a period of congregational discernment, lead a parish self-study that results in a parish profile, evaluate candidates and recommend one priest to the vestry.
What qualifications did the vestry use in selecting the Search Committee?
The vestry’s goal was to represent the various facets of parish life at St. John’s by selecting a cross-section of membership. This group includes those with interest in: discipleship/education, programs for children and youth, varied worship styles, activity in different ministries, ministry to all ages, new avenues for congregation’s growth and experience in St. John’s life history.
What role does the Diocese of Southern Virginia have in selecting the next rector?
The diocese makes certain services available such as identifying search consultants to assist the vestry and search committee. The Canon to the Ordinary, Win Lewis, also is this diocese’s chief deployment officer and is available for guidance as needed. The Canon is active in a large regional group that helps attract prospective candidates. When we’ve identified the finalists, Bishop Hollerith initiates a strictly confidential screening process to protect St. John’s interests. Essentially, the selection process is our own and we use the diocese as a resource.
What is the Church Deployment Office (CDO); how will it be involved in St. John’s search?
The CDO is an office of the national church that provides resources to match church openings with interested candidates. St. John’s will use data from our self-study meetings to file a Parish Search Request with CDO outlining information about our parish and the ministry skills we seek in prospective candidates. If clergy are interested in making a change, they file a similar Personal Profile. A computer search provides a list of best possible matches from the geographical area specified by our vestry. This process allows us to identify candidates not otherwise known to parishioners.
How will St. John’s use the list of best matches?
The search committee reviews the clergy profiles to select those we think could be a good fit for St. John’s. Then we invite the selected candidates to complete an application that will provide us further information for narrowing the list of candidates.
Are there other ways to nominate candidates?
Absolutely, yes. Any member of congregation may nominate a prospective candidate; forms for that purpose are available at the Search Information Center in the parish hall and from church office. A self-nomination may be made by a prospective candidate. Any nominations made to search committee will be held in strict confidence to protect privacy of candidates.
How will congregation know about progress the Search Committee is making?
During the first phase when we are conducting the self-study forums and listening to your opinions and comments, search committee will be in a position to give continuing updates until after publication of parish profile. When selection and review of candidates begins, search committee must honor strict confidentiality and has agreed not to discuss candidates with family or closest associates. What we can report then is bare fact that we are working.
What is the Search Budget and how will it be used?
The vestry allotted $5000 to accomplish the search process. The bulk of the budget is to cover costs of search committee representatives’ travel to interview and access candidates that are considered serious finalists and also to have the one finalist travel to this area to evaluate St. John’s in person. Background checks initiated on our behalf by the diocese also cost several hundred dollars per individual. Publication of St. John’s parish profile is an additional expense although printing is not as costly as previous hard-copy editions since we will be able to make it available on St. John’s website. We pledged to use funds only for issues that directly affect the search process.
Are finalists announced?
Search committee is charged with narrowing candidates to a small number of finalists, interviewing candidates by phone, checking personal references, evaluating previous ministry positions. No, finalists are never identified by the search committee. One candidate is presented by search committee to the vestry for final decision and negotiating the hiring letter of agreement
Will congregation know when the finalist is visiting this area?
In keeping our promise of confidentiality, no notice of the finalist’s visit is public. It’s a private visit for candidate and family to look at area, see St. John’s facility, and make acquaintance with the Canon and Bishop. But as soon as the vestry calls the new rector and the position and contract are accepted and signed, the vestry will make that happy announcement.
Timeline
Phase I July – September 2009
Search committee is organized, studies responsibilities and writes Prayer for St. John’s Search. Committee begins general plans for consulting the congregation to discern where God is leading our parish. Parish self-study town meetings are held to provide congregation opportunity to discuss St. John’s future.
Phase II October 2009 – January 2010
Search committee spends quiet time digesting information from the self-study town meeting. The first step will be writing the parish profile, the public document to be used in acquainting prospective candidates with St. John’s. The profile is accepted by the vestry and is reviewed by Bishop Hollerith.
Phase III February – June 2010
Profile is published on St. John’s website. Copies are available to congregation.
Search committee submits Parish Search Request form to the Church Deployment Office with the specific qualifications St. John’s is seeking in a priest. Nominations of prospective candidates begin to be received from CDO and from congregation.
The confidential time begins as search committee studies applicants and begins process of selecting the candidates that closely match the characteristics we desire in a new priest. Applications are studied, phone interviews and consultations are conducted, and recommendations are considered as search committee selects finalists.
Search committee does in-depth scrutiny to narrow candidates to approximately three; confidential visits are made by search representatives to candidates’ parishes. Search committee votes and presents one candidate to vestry.
Phase IV July – August 2010
Vestry accepts (or can reject) the candidate and issues call to priest to be St. John’s rector. Priest may make an unannounced visit to area. Final hiring negotiations are responsibility of vestry.
Revised January 2010
Search Committee
It’s an exciting time at St. John’s! We’re in the midst of our journey to find a new rector for our parish. Our Parish Profile is in the final review process. Watch for the profile here: Parish Profile
The St. John’s Search Committee consists of:
Lt. Erin Carrico, USN
Nathaniel Colby, COL, USA (Ret.)
Patricia Devers
Ellison Gregg
Ann Kinken Johnson (Chair)
Wendy Lang
Kirk Morrison
William H. Oast, III
Margaret Perkins
Mills Tomlin
Donna Vick
David A. Wiley
