Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

In elementary and middle school, we learn about the importance of being good citizens. We place a high value on civic-mindedness, on tending to your community and neighbors.

But we often lose sight of this value when it comes to our churches and leaders. Too often, we want to hoard the talent of our priests, staff, and lay leaders. The thinking falls somewhere along the lines of, “We’re paying them to work in our church, diocese, agency, etc. Not to gallivant off to some other congregation for a training program or to serve on a diocesan committee or to assist with decision-making and planning on a church-wide level." I suspect there’s a latent sense of not-enough-ness. If our priest/staff member/bishop/lay leader is spending time helping someone else, he or she might not have enough time for me/my family/our church.

I hear those concerns. And it is important to maintain a balance between the primary place of service and ministry beyond that location. But we are called to minister to the Church (capital C) and to the world. Our baptismal vows do not limit us. We don’t promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship only in our neighborhoods. Our response to seeking and serving Christ in all persons is not, “I will, but only where I worship (or get paid).” Rather we are called to serve Christ in all people, to respect the human dignity of every human being. 

For my entire adult life, I have been a part of church work, either through my husband’s ministry as a priest, or, for the past dozen years, my own ministry on diocesan staff and now at Forward Movement, an agency of The Episcopal Church. I have been blessed that my bishops and supervisors not only see the value of service in the wider church but also encourage it. 

Here’s an example: Several years ago, I led the development of marketing materials for the Diocese of Southern Ohio. We created complementary campaigns for TV, radio, billboards, the sides of buses, and theater screens, as well as direct mail collateral and posters. The materials were branded with The Episcopal Church, not the diocese, and when we finished, we offered the creative elements to any congregation or diocese in The Episcopal Church. Most people were very appreciative and used the marketing items in their own context. But a few were incredulous:What’s the catch, they asked. Why would you give away these materials? 

My answer then, as now, is that we’re all in this together. What builds up the body in one place may help build it up in another. If we see our work and ministry through a competitive lens, then we’re missing a key point of our faith. We treat God as a finite resource instead of understanding the full of expanse of God’s grace and promise. 

My current diocese of Lexington has a rich history of living out this covenant, with bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders serving in a variety of contexts. Some members have been a part of church-wide boards, like the United Thank Offering, Episcopal Communicators, Daughters of the King, and Episcopal Church Women. Others have served on the official governing bodies of the church, including Executive Council. 

Still others have offered their expertise and guidance in particular programs, from helping spread the ministry of Reading Camps nationally and internationally to offering training in leadership and congregational systems. 

In my letters of agreement – and in my husband’s, as a priest—there’s a section that articulates the importance of service beyond the local context. Here’s text from one sample letter of agreement (this one for a priest): 

“The rector’s ministry includes not only activities directed to the parish and its well being, but also in The Episcopal Church in Minnesota and the community.…In addition, the rector shall, on an ongoing basis, participate in the councils of the Church, including Episcopal Church in Minnesota activities such as clergy conferences, convention, etc. The rector is strongly encouraged to participate in a clergy support group or spiritual direction monthly.” 

This language gives form to the ordination examination from The Book of Common Prayer, which bids that priests commit to “take [their] share in the councils of the Church.” 

I encourage you to look at the letters of agreement for your paid staff, ordained and lay, and make sure that this sense of service to the wider church is articulated. Just as importantly, examine whether volunteers also are encouraged to express and share their gifts beyond the congregation. 

We need only turn to scripture for reinforcement: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help… And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 9:4-12).