Parish Transition

ADULT FORUM

On September 22, 2024, the Adult Forum at St. Stephen’s brought together individuals who had served on the last transition committee to talk about their experiences and answer questions. Below is a video of the event.

THE CAT IS COMING!

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we will once again be using Holy Cow! Consulting’s Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) to gather your input about abilities and skills we seek in our next Rector. The survey will also help us create an overview of our goals and attitudes on a variety of topics related to our church/school community and its ministry, as well as our demographics . Links will be sent by text and email and will also appear in next week’s Sunday bulletins and E-Star, and responses will be collected through August 25. If you want to participate by other means, please call the church at 713-528-6665 and we will accommodate your needs.

At the July Vestry meeting we formed a subcommittee of Vestry members that will soon be soliciting applications to serve on our Rector Search Committee. An application form will be made available to any member that wishes to nominate themselves or another member for Search Committee service. Once the application window has closed, the subcommittee will refer the applications to the Vestry with its recommendations.

As a reminder, the Diocese has set the following guidelines and requirements for members of the Search Committee:

Member in good standing who is faithful in regular attendance at worship
Has served in leadership capacities in various of our ministries
Has pledged or given regular financial support to the church
Can collaborate with and listen to others and be part of consensus decision making
Demonstrates a mature commitment to the vision, mission, and core values of our community
Is a person of prayer and faithful living
Demonstrates the wisdom and capacity to hold in confidence sensitive information

Per Diocesan policy, the following individuals are not eligible to be on the Search Committee:

The Interim Rector or other clergy
A member of the staff or related to any parish staff
A spouse, partner, or relative of a Vestry member
A spouse, partner, or relative of any member of the clergy in the Diocese

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Yours in Peace,

Dave

PREVIOUS LETTERS TO THE CONGREGATION

As summer heats up, so does the work to find our next rector! Last Sunday, June 30, marked the first meeting of our Parish Profile Committee. This group will be working throughout the summer to create the Parish Profile. This profile will be based on a template provided by the Diocese and is an important next step in our search process. The Parish Profile is a document that communicates who we are as a church and school community to potential candidates, from our services and ministries, to our parish life, history, finances and goals. This Profile will serve to highlight what makes St. Stephen’s unique and help us find clergy candidates who align with our values and practices. Once completed and approved by the Vestry, it will be posted with the Diocese, a prerequisite to moving us into the active search stage of the transition process.

The Parish Profile will be created by a team of parishioners, building upon our 2021 CAT (Congregational Assessment Tool) and the community work done around our Mission Real Estate efforts. In addition, a new CAT will be coming soon which is more focused on the leadership skills and qualities sought in our next rector. Those serving on the Parish Profile Committee include Emily Paul, Lee Lozano, Tyler Darnell, Dan Maxwell, Alexis Lattner, and Chris Nelson. Stay tuned for updates, and feel free to contact any of the committee members with further questions. You’ll be hearing more as this work progresses.

Yours in Christ,

Chris Nelson, Chair of the Parish Profile Committee.

Continuing on from Chris Nelson’s note about the Parish Profile Committee, I wanted to share some additional updates from the Vestry on our progress in our transition process:

As Chris noted, we will once again be using the Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT) to seek input from the congregation on the skills and abilities we seek in our next rector. Though it’s been just two and half years since we last used the CAT, that survey was geared towards engagement and communication post-COVID. This new iteration of the CAT will include modules addressing the search process and desired leadership traits. It will also allow our newer members to be included in the process and help us look for any changes in our makeup since the prior survey.

At our July Vestry meeting we are planning to form subcommittee of Vestry members who will be soliciting and reviewing applications to serve on our Search Committee. Once established, an application form will be made available to any member that wishes to nominate themselves or another member for Search Committee service.

The Diocesan guidelines set forth some of the qualifications for a Search Committee member as follows:

Member in good standing who is faithful in regular attendance at worship
Has served in leadership capacities in various ministries at the church
Has financially pledged or given regularly to the mission of the church
Can collaborate with others and be part of consensus decision making
Demonstrates a mature commitment to the vision, mission, and values of the church
Is a person of prayer and faithful living
Demonstrates the wisdom and capacity to hold in confidence sensitive information

Per Diocesan policy, the following individuals are not eligible to be on the Search Committee:

The Interim Rector or other clergy
A member of the staff or related to any parish staff
A spouse, partner, or relative of a Vestry member
A spouse, partner, or relative of any member of the clergy in the Diocese

I’ll do my best to continue to provide regular updates on our progress. As your Vestry, we are grateful for your continued prayers and support!

Yours in Peace,
Dave