Clergy Transition
By Victor Conrado and Louisa McKellaston
While transitions are disruptive, they can also be times of increased energy, activity and even evangelism. In No Time to Hibernate, Victor Conrado and Louisa McKellaston share ideas for developing your church while making th…
By Susan Tamborini Czolgosz
When should a congregation begin to think about planning for a clergy transition? Susan Tamborini Czolgosz’s “Transition Planning” provides a framework for shifting thinking about a clergy transition, recasting it as a natura…
By Anne Burns
Think of this time as the longest Advent season you have ever experienced.
By Jim Sell
Thou shalt…encourage more lay leadership. All too often, the last rector might have simply found it easier to “do it
him/herself.”
By Sandra Clark Kolb
As a vestry member during a change in ordained leadership you play a critical role in making the transition a healthy one. Both the change and the transition need to be managed. Returning to the example of Moses we used last …
By Sandra Clark Kolb
Change in ordained leadership in a congregation creates a time of both challenge and opportunity. As a vestry member you play a critical role in making the transition a healthy one.
By Mike Ehmer
Our responses to change and transition in congregational life vary because our understanding of them is influenced by our experiences and individual temperament.
By Donald Romanik
For many churches, the one church one priest model is no longer possible, creating opportunities for different models of leadership. In “Equal Partners,” Donald Romanik shares a story of a congregation – and a diocese – commi…
By Henry Parsley
In “I Really Miss Vestry Meetings,” Henry Parsley, retired bishop of Alabama states “vestries should be one of the most exciting ministries in the church – joyful, in fact” and then shares the key components that he, after wo…
By Jan Henderson
During the time of clergy transition, the senior warden is responsible for leading the congregation in their search for a new rector. In “Leading through Transition,” senior warden Jan Henderson shares the process she and her…
By Anne Rudacille Schmidt
Days before being installed as senior warden, Anne Rudacille Schmidt learned her rector had accepted a call elsewhere. “Clergy Transition: Tips for Senior Wardens” shares strategies Anne and the vestry used to navigate this u…
By Greg Syler
With his own job about to change, Greg Syler explores what the role of a rector is from perceived expectations to the church-wide Canons.
By Van Sheets
Saying goodbye to a beloved rector and starting the process of seeking a new one can be an unsettling journey. In Invite the Holy Spirit, Van Sheets shares some practical methods to work together, and spiritual ways to includ…
By Dorothy "d'Rue" Massey Hazel
The feelings of grief and loss that may accompany a clergy transition may also heighten levels of anxiety and stress. In “Expectations Matter: Choose Faith,” Dorothy “d’Rue” Hazel advocates for working through these feelings,…
By Susan Elliott
For some congregations, transition means giving up the familiar structure of full-time clergy as well as their understanding of the way authority and tasks are distributed. Susan Elliott’s “From Challenge to Opportunity” sha…
By Cathie Caimano
Across our church congregations wrestle with decisions related to clergy staffing. Recognizing many congregations may associate moving to part time clergy a ‘failure. ‘ Cathie Caimano suggests reframing the conversation by as…
By Kimberlee Auletta and Sarah Kooperkamp
Kimberlee Auletta and Sarah Kooperkamp are co-Priests-in-charge at their parish and share how it allows for more time to truly live into their ministry and personal lives.
By Charis Bhagianathan
ECFVP Editor Charis Bhagianathan introduces the May 2018 issue of Vestry Papers featuring resources on clergy and lay transitions.
By Nathan Kirkpatrick
Can inexperience be a desirable quality in a candidate? In Would You Hire a Job Candidate with an Unconventional Background?, Nathan Kirkpatrick examines how we typically fill leadership roles in the Church, and asks us to co…
By Hope Eakins
What are best practices for periods of transition? In Good Transitions, Hope Eakins shares lessons from her experience as an Interim rector, offering suggestions for both congregations and priests on how to be open to change,…