Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

“I’ve always understood that the work of ministry is in the hands and hearts of all people of God and that if we are doing what it is we are called to do together than we are stronger, our community is stronger, and we have a sense of purpose going forward. I am always grounded by the gifted laity who are around me”

- Sandye Wilson, rector of St. Andrew and Holy Communion Episcopal Church in South Orange, New Jersey

Across the Episcopal Church, familiar clergy and lay roles are changing. Changing times and circumstances challenge the status quo; things we may have taken for granted suddenly look very different and our familiar practices aren’t working. There’s a growing recognition that to keep the body of Christ healthy, we need all of the gifts of all of the people of the church.

At ECF and ECF Vital Practices, we’re seeing what happens in congregations with well functioning lay+clergy leadership teams. And, we’ve also worked with congregations to help them strengthen their leadership teams. Recognizing an opportunity to help congregations across our church develop more effective leadership teams, ECF launched ECF’s Vital Teams, a program for strengthening the lay+clergy teams that are the heart of Episcopal congregations.

Soon after coming onboard, Vital Teams consultants, Rosa Lindahl and Ron Byrd embarked on a listening tour to gain insights on current leadership training programs in our church and to look for exemplary practices. Their trip took them to five dioceses, three seminaries, and several leadership institutes, at each stop they met with lay and clergy leaders involved with leadership development.

In this video, Sandye Wilson, rector of St. Andrew and Holy Communion Episcopal Church in South Orange, New Jersey, references 1st Corinthians and makes the connection between effective leadership teams and the body of Christ.

The listening process continued after this first trip. And, work began on developing the building blocks of the Vital Teams program: A training component for building and supporting effective lay+clergy teams, tools and resources for recognizing and developing leadership capacity, and active advocacy and networking in support of the lay+clergy team model.

We’re interested in learning more about what areas or aspects of team development would be helpful to you, where you see examples of strong collaborative lay+clergy teams, and which dioceses or organizations are presently offering leadership development programs. Networking and partnering are important aspects of the Vital Teams program: If you’re involved in a diocesan leadership development program we’d appreciate it if you would share the name of your diocese or organization as well as a contact person for the program.

Please share your responses in the comment box or, email ECF's Vital Teams consultant Ron Byrd at rbyrd@episcopalfoundation.org.