January 2013
Vital Vestries

Called to Serve?

Does this story sound familiar? The parish annual meeting is two weeks away. The congregation needs to elect two new wardens and a new treasurer. Minutes before the Sunday service begins, the senior warden shares with the rector that there are no candidates. Will he say something during the service?

In this short video, Christopher Webber, Episcopal priest and author of the popular book The Vestry Handbook shares how he responded when this happened to him.


Every year Episcopalians seat a brand new vestry, elected by the congregation and consisting of the gifted and willing in our congregations. Yet too often the vestry’s – and the congregation’s - understanding of the vestry roles could be better. As congregational leaders, we have a responsibility to support these generous leaders the best we can, starting with the way we invite parishioners to consider serving on the vestry.

As a first step, we invite you to consider these questions for reflection and discussion:

  • What is your response to Rev. Webber’s approach?
  • How would you rate your current process for calling new vestry candidates? 
  • Reflecting on when you first felt called to serve on the vestry – how would you describe the process you went through? 
  • Thinking about the way your congregation calls leaders to serve – what works well? What would you change and what would that change look like?


Chris Yaw is an Episcopal priest and former journalist. He created ChurchNext to “help you and me connect with the very best mentors around.“ ChurchNext offers free interviews, as well as affordable Master Classes, on a number of topics. The video presented in this article is an excerpt from the Vestry 101 Master Class produced by Chris Yaw and ChurchNext and is used with permission. 

Christopher L. Webber, a graduate of Princeton University and the General Theological Seminary in New York is the author of a number of books ranging from a guidebook for Vestries to a study of Christian marriage. He has also written hymns included in several major hymnals in the United States and Canada. 

Resources




This article is part of the January 2013 Vestry Papers issue on Vital Vestries