From the Rector's Desk

This month we will elect members of the vestry, a church warden, and other parish officers at the Annual Parish Meeting (APM) on 25 January 2004. The wardens asked the rector to reflect on the work of a vestry member and church warden and he does just that herewith.

The vestry is the lay governing board of the parish, similar to a board of trustees. The canons of the Episcopal Church give the vestry only a few required functions, but in this parish, the vestry has responsibility to work with the rector and the other members of the staff across a wide variety of functions and ministries. The members of the vestry are, therefore, the leaders of the parish.

Therefore the members of the vestry should be the most active, committed members of the congregation. The bylaws require that a member of the vestry shall be regular in attendance at the Eucharist, regular in financial support of the congregation, and over 18 years of age. I look for a somewhat deeper level of commitment than that, however. Vestry members should be confirmed, communicant members of the parish—that is, they should have been received or confirmed by the Bishop, and they should be in church every Sunday unless, as the prayer book used to put it, "by good cause prevented." A member of the vestry will be a pledging supporter of the parish and should set a good example both by making a generous pledge within one’s appropriate resources, and by keeping that pledge current. A member of the vestry should attend the various events of the parish according to interest and schedule and should set an example by his or her support of what we are doing in this good place.

When a member of the parish is elected to the vestry, she or he should immediately put all the vestry meetings on his or her calendar and give them priority over other commitments. We all know that emergencies arise and that all members of the vestry will have to miss a meeting every year or so—that is life the way things are scheduled. But vestry meetings are important and they should claim our primary attention.

The kind of person who should consider running for election to the vestry is this sort of person. He or she should be able to understand a simple financial statement, or else be willing to learn. A vestry member should have an appreciation of the importance of business affairs in getting done the work of the church. An appreciation of the role and function of canon law, not necessarily an extensive knowledge of it, would also help. A general sense of what the parish priorities should be will help in the allocation of resources.

A vestry member should have strong convictions and ideals, but one of those convictions should be that we are all committed to working together. Opinions are often strongly held and clearly articulated, but in order for all of us to work together, we need to agree to respect the individuality and energy of those who may disagree with us. The reason why we have strong convictions is that we care about the Church and about our parish and want the best for it, and for it to do the best it can in serving Christ. But we also need to agree to serve and respect each other.

The church wardens have a similar role to that of the vestry members. But, the wardens work very closely with the rector and advise him on a number of matters. In this parish, the wardens meet with the rector frequently, sometimes weekly, and together they help to give the parish its overall leadership direction. When the rector is away, the wardens are the ecclesiastical authority in the parish. This is a canonical legal term and it means that when the rector is away, the wardens can exercise his administrative authority. In the rector’s absence, the wardens are also responsible for arranging for the spiritual and liturgical ministrations of the parish, securing and compensating assisting or supply clergy to provide liturgical and pastoral care to the congregation.

In this parish, as of last year, the warden of longest standing is also our representative to the diocesan convention of the Diocese of New York. Because of this work, the warden needs also to have a broader picture of the work of the church than the average parishioner. It is not uncommon for wardens to be involved in committee or commission work of the Diocese of New York, and in that way, the wardens take a part in the councils of the diocese and the broader church.

The vestry also elects a treasurer and a clerk of the vestry. The parish treasurer position is complicated and sensitive because it is the treasurer who monitors the resources available for doing the work of the church. The treasurer reports to the vestry each month, and at the end of the year, leads the vestry through the process of budget planning. The treasurer must be well acquainted with accounting procedures, electronic data processing, and financial planning. The treasurer should have some knowledge of endowment management and market strategy, because he sits on the board of the Colony Trust, the endowment fund of the parish. The clerk of the vestry takes simple minutes of each vestry meeting and submits them for publication. Clear writing skills and a basic understanding of parliamentary procedure are essential for carrying forward the work of the clerk.

Right now, the parish is blessed with excellent wardens, a competent and thorough parish treasurer, a solid and faithful clerk, and vestry members who are devoted to the work of the parish. If you think you would like to serve as a warden, vestry member or officer of the parish, begin by being involved in one of the committees of the parish and think about what difference you could make as a member of this parish.

The Rev’d Lloyd E. Prator
Rector