January 2016
‘Reboot’ Your Vestry

Preparing Members for Vestry Service

This article is also available in Spanish here. Este artículo está disponible en español aquí.

What are the biggest challenges in the election and maintenance of an effective vestry or Bishop´s Committee and how we can we help people understand that the vestry´s administrative work is in fact a ministry?

Latino Episcopal congregations are different from other American Episcopal congregations. Although many members of Latino congregations are native Spanish speakers, their children, and the young adults in their lives force them to communicate in English so many are also bilingual. Latino parishioners also have less experience in the Episcopal Church and are learning its customs and norms. Few parishioners have been members of a board, and most are not experienced in organizational management. The governance of the Episcopal Church was created within a cultural context that is very different from most Latino cultures.

Nevertheless, members of Latino Episcopal congregations want to contribute their visions, talents, and spiritual awareness to the Episcopal Church community.

As Latino parishioners, we are in the process of determining what we should keep of our own, what we should leave behind, and what we should embrace. An area where this is being addressed is within congregational committees. Committee members frequently discuss how we can acculturate our ways and norms into the church structure in a way that meshes with the existing American Episcopal community. We ask the same questions while trying to organize ourselves in ways that enable us to advance the mission of our congregation so that the will of God can manifest itself on Earth as in Heaven.

Our aim to always remember, first and foremost, that we gather together because God calls us to proclaim and to live His Word. Fortunately, there are many very useful tips and resources, on the spiritual side, so I will focus on practical and organizational aspects that are seldom mentioned.

When I think about the challenges faced by a vestry in a Latino congregation, and when I see how things have worked at my church, Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd), I am convinced that much depends on the care that we take in building a strong base. Before the annual meeting, which is when we elect new members of the vestry, we should evaluate how we’ve laid the ground that enables the vestry to grow, bear fruit, and yield a good harvest.

In our congregation, we try to make sure that the congregation truly understands its role in the governance of the Episcopal Church. We then ask ourselves how we can recruit good nominees for the vestry. I’ve seen gradual progress, and think that this year was better than last, particularly regarding our nominee process and how we have followed up with members who are strong candidates. This year we were more thorough in asking the existing vestry, as well as other church leaders, who they thought had shown commitment that would endure for three years of service (and potentially longer), as well as having the emotional balance and the necessary skills to do their jobs. We also asked if the parishioner been part of the congregation long enough to get to know others. Does he or she have the required education and do they have steady work? Are they physically and spiritually healthy? Does he or she have enough time to dedicate to vestry work? Is he or she a member in good standing? At present, is there a connection between the abilities and the needs of the parishioner and the needs of the vestry to achieve its goals? Do we have a deep enough sense of brotherhood/sisterhood to explore these issues together?

To retain members of the vestry, we need to communicate clearly from the moment we introduce the idea of vestry service. Candidates need to know what is required of them before we nominate them. They need to be familiar with the location and timings of our meetings, and they need to be prepared for special meetings or unexpected tasks.

In some congregations, the vestry works through lead committees. In the long run, this system can make us more efficient, but in the short run we need to learn how to lead and work in individual committees. I have heard pastors and leaders say that if one can organize a “quinceañera” you can organize anything. Well, yes and no. In a committee we work as a team on decisions that have been made jointly.

The first task after the election of the candidates is to train the group. I have found that the Canons of the diocese related to a vestry are indispensable. They show that we are an integral part of the diocese, that we have rules in common, and that the vestry and its members have rights, duties, and rules. Our members have a day of training in Spanish. We also have the Canons and the Episcopal Church Foundation’s Vestry Resource Guide to consult or deepen their knowledge.

I have heard complaints that the vestry only talks about money. I like the way Father John Rawlinson put it in a workshop we attended: The vestry’s work is the business of the church. The management of its finances touches every aspect of its work. The Episcopal Church, through the power of its members and vestry handles issues in ways that are different from other Protestant or Roman Catholic churches. In those churches the authoritative responsibility falls mainly on the ordained hierarchy, and many live with the expectation that what is needed will appear without the necessity to plan ahead or gather resources to accomplish it. Training is key to the health of the vestry and its members.

I also emphasize that it is important to set a date and time for vestry retreat. It is known that members often have great difficulty in setting aside an entire day for any activity, let alone a retreat, so we try to incorporate training elements into the retreat so that we can maximize our time. I think it would be great to have more time, but realistically we can’t yet ask for more of a time commitment.

There are many more things I have not mentioned. For example, it is almost a given that there will be conflicts among the members of the vestry. There will be times in which, for whatever reason, a vestry member’s life may be in turmoil. That will undoubtedly affect the work of the vestry. Everything that belongs to programming their lives will affect the programming of the activities of the congregation. Nevertheless, when facing troubles as well as celebrating victories we need to keep our eyes on the road ahead.

Many mentors have advised me to do the best that I can and that God will do the rest. I often turn to the words of St. Paul in Phi 3:13b-14 to guide me, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things that are before me”. Paul talks about reaching the goal of the heavenly reward. Paul´s advice also pertains to every aspect of our lives. I think that this is excellent advice for committee work. It helps us take that small part that corresponds to each one of us in the divine process of doing God´s will on earth as in heaven.

Anna B. Lange-Soto is vicar at the El Buen Pastor Episcopal Church in Redwood City, California. At this stage of her priesthood she has the joy of baptizing the children of parishiors who celebrated their First Communion and quinceañeras with her. She divides her free time between the Buen Pastor Mission, her husband Russ, her stepson Richard, and the struggle for immigration reform and fair housing practices. Anna also sets aside time to stay in touch with her family in the US and Mexico.

Don't miss an issue of Vestry Papers! Sign up for your free subscription here.

This article is part of the January 2016 Vestry Papers issue on ‘Reboot’ Your Vestry