What is
"Transition Ministry?" Every church goes through times of change -
growing or declining, finding new energy, developing new ministries,
seeking God's will for the future. When there is a change in clergy
leadership, the diocese engages in a discernment and assessment process
to assist in moving forward toward continued health and vitality, to
help weather the normal anxiety that emerges from a new situation, and
to provide stability in the interim time between the leaving of one
priest and the arrival of another. As a part of this process, lay and
clergy consultants or "coaches" are used to be companions to vestries
and search committees. Here is how two members of parish committees
experienced the ministry provided by the Diocese in their own recent
transitions.
Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach - By Elise Balcom
I found myself on
the newly-formed Eastern Shore Chapel Discernment Committee in January,
2012. Picking a new rector - how hard could that be for our savvy group
of 10 parishioners? But, then, I wondered, where do we start? Do we post
a want ad somewhere and wait for resumes? How would we pick the "one"?
Hmmmm. Enter the Transition and Pastoral Consultant, and the Canon for
Transition Ministries and Clergy Development. We learned there was a
method to finding a new rector, and the hard work was just beginning.
The process started with discerning what the parish wanted for the
future of ESC. This gave the Discernment Committee what it needed to
post both its online profile on the ESC webpage, and to write what
became a kind of want-ad. All of this formed the basis for the questions
we would later ask of candidates, both in Skype interviews, and in
person for the finalists. Without this orderly process, it is unlikely
we would have had our new rector in just one year. It is also possible
we might not have found a rector who was like-minded and had a skill set
matched to what we need. Without the leadership provided by the
Diocese, we likely would have floundered in trying to figure out how to
proceed.
No process is
perfect, and we certainly encountered our share of bumps in the road,
but we called our new rector. Our parish is now working with him to
reach our long term goals set forth by the congregation in its
discernment process a year and a half earlier. Time will tell how good
the match is, but the process used, and the help of the consultant and
the Diocese were certainly valuable to ESC in its search.
St. Augustine's, Newport News - By Joyce Douglas
My experience as a member of the Discernment Committee was both
challenging and rewarding. I learned to listen to the parishioners and
to give them the feedback that engendered a relationship of trust and
respect. Because I learned so much about the Episcopal Church, our
parish, and the process, my question was, "How may I use my experience
to help parishes going through transition?"
The assistance of a
knowledgeable, patient, and caring consultant was essential to our
success. He guided us through the steps of the search process, which
made me a believer because it works! In addition, our diocese made sure
that we were financially stable, that our profile was a reflection of
our parish, and that we were prepared for the interview process. As a
result, we were able to call a priest who was (and still is) an answer
to our search prayer.
Your Diocesan
budget supports the training of our consultants and diocesan staff who
focus in this important area of church life and mission.
