Vestry
By Haley Bankey
Tragically, active shooter preparedness is something all residents of the United States would benefit to learn about. In Gentle as a Dove, Wise as a Serpent, Haley Bankey shares resources to help you navigate the difficult co…
By Scott Evenbeck
Just as the Great Commission—“Go therefore into the world to make disciples of all nations”—does not go into great detail on how exactly to accomplish that mission, so the canons of the Episcopal Church are not particularly s…
By Michael Hanley
It’s a standard joke. The bishop and the parish priest are in the sacristy just before the start of the service marking the bishop’s visitation to the congregation.
By Toni Daniels
I recently received a phone call from a rector seeking information about what to pay her staff.
By Lindsay Hardin Freeman
We asked two questions from rectors of Consortium congregations: What are five best traits in a warden? What would you like your warden(s) to know, but that is hard to articulate face-to-face?
By Tom Ehrich
For a better future to happen, vestries need to recognize that business-as-usual is over. Over the next two to three years, vestries need to undertake six radical shifts in how they operate.
By Caroline Fairless
A young woman who has asked for a spot on a vestry agenda comes right to the point: “I speak for those of us who don’t like the changes in the worship service.”
By Blair Pogue
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in St. Paul, MN has been re-envisioning the role of the vestry over the last five years: inviting vestry members to understand their role as that of a spiritual discernment team.
By Nancy Davidge
Highly functioning, fruitful vestries are built on transparency and respect.
By Barbara Bartocci
One day before Christmas, my four-year-old grandson Danny was acting particularly obstreperous. His exasperated mother finally said, “Danny, settle down and behave or Santa’s going to bring you rocks and sticks.” Danny’s eyes…
By Rebecca Hendricks
The Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon provide the option of an all-church vestry.
By Jeremy Sierra
Churches are often full of secrets. Nothing sinister, just quirks you wouldn’t notice unless you spent a lot of time sitting at the receptionist’s desk or in the parish administrators’ office.
By A. Wayne Schwab
Is not God most concerned about how we live from Monday to Saturday?
By Ann Hallisey
“The spiritual leadership of the parish is the rector’s job!”
By Anna Olson
The photo project was designed to give the Vestry the opportunity to take a closer look at our neighborhood. It was not intended to lead directly into strategic planning, but rather to shift our perspective and open our eyes …
By Judy Hoover
St. Edward the Confessor in suburban Minneapolis burned to the ground last April after a young man threw gasoline-filled bottles at the structure late on a stormy night. We asked the rector to share tips with our readers on c…
By Jim Lemler
We sing about it. We hear about it, and we pray about it...the firm foundation on which our faith rests. However, at this moment there is some significant seismic activity.
By Randy Ferebee and Alan Akridge
Why do so many vestries go on retreats? Why do they clear their busy calendars and make such time a priority for the health of their congregation?
By Loren Mead
“I really had a bad experience my first time on the vestry,” Anne said to me. Of course that upset me — in my years as a pastor I really did all I could, especially with my senior warden, to make our work as a vestry EFFECTIV…
By Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook
“Our Story” by Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook explores the roots of our democratic style of governance and invites us to consider ways to balance an organization’s need for order with its equally important need for creativity and ris…