Rector Search Overview

These are exciting times at Grace Church. We actively seek a rector who will enthusiastically guide us and enable us to accomplish great things.

Our Parish Profile brochure is available for rector candidates to help explain our spiritual journey. We reflect upon our colorful past, assess where we are today, and describe a vision of where we want to go. We welcome you to view the brochure.

Below are weekly updates from the Search Committee to keep you informed throughout the search process. We encourage you to share your thoughts by contacting a member of the committee (listed below) or by dropping a note in the suggestion box in the Narthex.

Rector Search Committee Update

Parish Messenger, January

Dis-cern-ment (di-surn’ment)
“noun: an act of prayerful, informed, and intentional attempt to get in touch with God’s Spirit at work in a situation and to develop a sense of the direction in which the Spirit is leading.”

Grounded in God, by Farnham, Hull & McLean

The book “Raising the Roof” has been a helpful resource this past year. It tells of a prestigious Boston medical school that started to “raise the roof” – building a new seventh floor atop an older, six-story building. Construction was well under way before the architects discovered that the existing structure was not strong enough to carry the weight of the new addition. A good foundation is essential.

The cornerstone of our foundation is a rector who is a spiritual leader, supportive, and organized. We are focused on candidates who possess the following strengths:

• Spiritual guidance. In the words of our search committee chaplain, “Look for a rector who can break apart the Word and feed it to the people.” The words we speak, sing, and pray strengthen us spiritually and give us energy and direction to practice our faith. When experiencing personal crises or serious illness, our congregation wants personal contact with a clergy member. We seek a rector who will communicate through word and example the Good News of God in Christ.
• Liturgy/preaching. We seek a priest who will preside over the liturgy as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. Worship shall be joyful and meaningful, and include dynamic preaching of the Gospel.
• Leadership development. We need a priest who engages us in our mission, recruits potential leaders, and manages efforts for ongoing leadership education, ministry formation, program continuity, and improved communication (existing members, visitors, newcomers, and lapsed members). This requires effective skills in administration, process, delegation, and accountability. This also requires motivating lay leaders and the congregation to give time and talent to Grace.
• Church development. We have limited visibility within the community, making new member recruitment more challenging. We seek clergy involvement in local ministerial alliance and community organizations. We seek leadership in the development of spiritual ministries that will play a more vital role within our community.

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector that will help us practice our mission, focus on our goals, embrace us for who we are, and strengthen us for what we can become.

Candidate Conversations Are in the Works

12/11/08

We called the four candidates this week, and scheduled conversations with each before the Christmas holidays. We will then meet to evaluate these conversations, and in early January, will break into teams to visit those candidates we feel are best-suited for our parish.

We look forward to speaking with each candidate - learning more about them, and answering questions they have about Grace.

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector that will help us practice our mission, focus on goals, embrace us for who we are, and strengthen us for what we can become.

Four Candidates Remain!

12/04/08

We have reviewed responses from the rector candidates this week, scrutinizing resumes and responses to our questions. Our discussion focused on how well-suited candidates are in the four key responsibility areas (described in the parish profile):

• Lead and encourage others to develop a deeper spiritual life.
• Preach effectively within dynamic worship services.
• Discern and train leaders for mission and ministry.
• Reshape congregation and ministries with church growth resulting.

We are pleased to report that we have narrowed our search to four candidates! We will talk to each of these candidates this month (definitely before Christmas week). We will then meet to evaluate these conversations, and in early January, will break up into teams to visit those candidates we feel are best-suited for Grace at this point in time.

We are being very careful in this process. These four candidates are very promising – however we are prepared to regroup if not the right fit.

We are entering stages in the search process where our committee must keep candidate information confidential. We will continue to report progress. Thanks for understanding and we appreciate the trust you have in us.

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector that will help us practice our mission, focus on goals, embrace us for who we are, and strengthen us for what we can become.

Converting Words into Action

Parish Messenger, December

We have reviewed responses from rector candidates expressing an interest in Grace, and we will conduct phone interviews this month. We will then narrow our search to a “short list” of candidates that committee teams (two to three committee members per team) will visit shortly after the holidays. You can follow our week-to-week progress, by monitoring the “Rector Search” section of our web site (www.gracekirkwood.org).

Last month, we talked about our mission statement which describes what makes Grace unique. This month, we are discussing our goals for the next several years.

As a result of our meetings over the last year, we have identified many ways to achieve these goals and enrich our spiritual life at Grace. Below is a sampling of ideas (in SWEEPS format) our committees are considering:

ervice… that is more visible and viable in Kirkwood and neighboring communities by making our facility more available for use by others, encourage our new rector to be actively involved in community organizations, participate in joint outreach partnerships with other churches, and develop a signature project with which we can be associated. Our goal is to be a more outwardly focused church.

orship… that is more meaningful, joyful and spiritual. We want relevant and meaningful sermons to provide direction and strengthen our Christian life. We want to increase participation. We are interested in exploring a variety of content, timing and music that fits within our worship service. Reinstitute occasional special worship opportunities such as “Kirkin’ of the Tartans” (with bagpipe music) and “The Flying Wallendas” (sermon preached from a high wire). Continue youth-led services and services led by The Royal School of Church Music.

ducation… that is enhanced for youth and adults. We hope to hire a director of Christian education to expand our age-specific programs, incorporating Christian beliefs and practices in everyday life. Expand fellowship activities as an educational way to attract members of all ages. Expand support interest groups (such as family/parenting classes, marriage encounters, Bible studies, singles, young adults), with the goal to increase individual and parish-wide spiritual growth. We want our programs to educate us to the relevance of being a Christian in today’s world.

vangelism… that expands our reputation for being a friendly, welcoming church to new and current members. Improve communication with visitors, newcomers and lapsed members. Become more efficient and all-encompassing by expanding our communication process (i.e., parish newsletter, bulletin boards, web site, e-mail, etc.).

astoral care… that expands our current program such as Stephen Ministries, visitation teams, prayer chains, and lay Eucharistic ministers who care for the homebound and individuals during time of need. We recognize the value of lay leadership, but we also want to increase staff availability for additional guidance. We each want a personal relationship with clergy members, and when personal crises or serious illness occur, we want congregation members to receive comfort from a clergy member.

tewardship… that promotes year round giving of one’s time, talent and treasure. Develop a master facility plan to enhance and maintain our building, beautiful wooded grounds, and better utilize space. Increase our staffing to enhance and maintain parish facilities.

We believe these goals can be entirely funded in two years if our annual average pledges increase 15% each year and we grow by 24 pledging families. Our focus in Year 2009 is to start converting these words into action!

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector that will remind us of our mission, keep us focused on our goals, embrace us for who we are, and strengthen us for what we can become.

Wishing all of you and our new rector (wherever you may be) a Merry Christmas and a spiritually fulfilling New Year.

Collecting Rector Inquiry Replies

11/13/08

We are in a holding pattern as we wait for responses from rectors who were sent inquiry packages. All replies should be received by next week. We will then review resumes and questionnaire responses. We hope to complete this review before Thanksgiving.

We continue to prepare for phone interviews – discussing questions we want to ask and planning the phone interview process. Several members of our committee will lead each conference call, and remaining members of the committee will sit in on the conversation. This will allow all of us to hear each candidate’s story, and independently gather observations during the call. We hope to schedule these calls in early December.

We are considering a “Rector Search Forum” after a 10AM service in mid-December to discuss the Parish Profile, the search status, and answer questions you have. Sound interesting? Let us know by approaching one of us or leave a note in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex).

The Holy Spirit is at work as rectors contemplate their replies to our inquiry. Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

The Holy Spirit is at Work

11/06/08

Inquiry packages have been mailed to 32 people in our rector candidate pool. Replies should be received next week, which will include their resume and questionnaire responses. Each reply will be carefully reviewed by all of us, and we will identify candidates that 1) possess the rector qualities addressed in the parish profile, and 2) intrigue us to know more!

We are now preparing for phone interviews - compiling questions and refining the phone interview process. Several members of our committee will lead each conference call, and remaining members of the committee will sit in on the conversation. This will allow all of us to hear each candidate’s story, and independently gather observations during the call. These calls will likely occur in early December.

We are talking about having a “Rector Search Forum” after a 10AM service in mid-December to discuss the Parish Profile and answer any questions you may have. Sound interesting? Let us know by approaching one of us or leave a note in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex).

The Holy Spirit is at work as rectors contemplate their reply to our inquiry. Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

What Makes Grace a Special Place?

Parish Messenger - November

After several marathon meetings reviewing candidate profiles, we have reduced the candidate pool to 32 individuals. We recently sent a package (containing the Parish Profile, example Parish Messenger, and a questionnaire) to each candidate, asking for a resume and questionnaire response within two weeks. We have some very strong candidates.

We seek a spiritual leader that shares our values, helps us focus on our goals, and possesses the skills and experience described in the Parish Profile. Before discussing our goals (which we will do next month), we wanted to discuss our character and values.

As you enter Grace (either in the Narthex or basement), visit our web site, or read the Parish Messenger, you will find a friendly reminder of what makes Grace special…

Grace Episcopal Church strives to be a growing spiritual family inviting others to share the journey of discovering and living out God’s word.

We offer meaningful and joyous worship in the Anglican tradition, Christian teaching relevant to everyday life, and diversified fellowship and support programs that will enable personal and spiritual growth. Our clergy, staff and members create a friendly, fun-loving and caring atmosphere.

The Parish Profile provided to candidates talks about past successes and shortfalls. We seek a rector that will help us practice the values described in our mission and frequently refer us to it. When we have difficult decisions to make, will our action(s):

• Promote being a growing spiritual family that invites others to discover and practice God’s word?
• Enhance meaningful and joyous worship?
• Enhance Christian teaching relevant to everyday life?
• Enhance fellowship and support programs that further personal and spiritual growth?
• Promote our (clergy, staff, and members) actions to be friendly, fun-loving and caring?

When a visitor asks about Grace, recall our mission when describing us. When you witness a parish member doing a good deed - thank them, and tell them that they are what make Grace a special place.

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector that shares our mission, embraces us for who we are, and strengthens us for what we can become.

Moving On to the Next Step…

10/23/08

After several marathon meetings reviewing candidate profiles, we have reduced the candidate pool to 32 individuals. Each of these candidates (working from profiles that contain their self-appraisal of skills and experience) matched all of the rector qualities described in our Parish Profile document. Candidates represent men and women located throughout the United States.

Our months of preparation are now paying off as we move into Step #4 on our to-do list. These candidates will be sent a package (Parish Profile, example Parish Messenger, and a questionnaire), asking for a resume and questionnaire response within two weeks. Their reply will allow us to better understand them and their attraction to Grace. We have some very strong candidates, and we can’t wait to hear back from them.

This process is different than a typical recruiting process. Most of these candidates were identified by using a “skills match” provided by the national church database of available clergy – however only a few actually applied for this position. Thus, our inquiry package will arrive unanticipated by most candidates.

There is still time to submit questions for candidates. Please share your thoughts and suggestions by approaching one of us or leave a note in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex).

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

Reviewing Candidate Profiles

10/9/08

During a near-five hour session, we completed review of almost two-thirds of the 100 candidate profiles provided by the diocese. Candidates are individually reviewed by each member of our committee, assessing skills and experience with the rector qualities described in our Parish Profile document.

The candidate profile form primarily represents each candidate’s self-appraisal of his/her skills and experience, but does not include commentary typically found in a resume. Rev. Dan Smith stayed with us the entire evening to help answer questions - we really appreciate his help.

We meet again Thursday, October 16th to complete the review. On Thursday, October 23rd, Dan will join us as we tally our evaluations, share individual observations / perspectives, and reduce the pool to only those candidates that best match the rector qualities we seek. We will be careful to make sure great candidates are not overlooked.

The remaining candidates will be sent a package (Parish Profile, example Parish Messenger, and a questionnaire), asking for a resume and questionnaire response within two weeks. Their reply will allow us to better understand them and their attraction to Grace.

We are still gathering interview questions for the candidates. Please share your thoughts and suggestions by approaching one of us or leave a note in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex).

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

Getting Ready for a Busy Month

9/25/08

This week we refined an assessment form to help screen candidate personal profiles, focusing us on their qualifications. We also discussed a cover letter and three questions that will be sent to screened candidates. We began to collect thoughts about how to conduct telephone interviews.

Every member of our Committee expressed a willingness and desire to participate in the review of each candidate, rather than break into subgroups. With approximately 110 candidate profiles to be received from the diocese, we want the process to be well organized – making sure every Committee member’s perspective is shared and each candidate’s first impression of Grace is warm and welcoming.

We received several great candidate question suggestions from you this week. Thanks to those who contributed. Please continue to share your thoughts and suggestions by approaching one of us or leave a note in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex).

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

Please Read the Parish Profile on the Web

9/18/08

Our Parish Profile brochure is available on the web for your review! Please take fifteen minutes to read it by accessing our church web page www.gracekirkwood.org , click the “Rector Search” link on the left side of the home page, and then click the brochure link in the second paragraph. The document can also be printed or downloaded from your computer. For those of you without computers, we have several hard copies at church for you to read (one is next to our suggestion box in the Narthex and several copies are in the library). Please do not remove these copies from church so others can read them.

We are excited about the journey described in the brochure, and will talk about it in more detail in future articles. Please give us your feedback.

We appreciate Marsha Smith’s and Tom Petrie’s generous contribution of time and talent. Marsha, our webmaster, did a wonderful job making this easy to access on our website. Thanks Tom for the brochure layout help and generously (via your business Bad Dog Pictures, Inc.) reproducing brochure hard copies at your cost (and free labor). Tom saved us a bunch of money!

Our committee will meet with Rev. Dan Smith on Thursday, October 9th to receive and review many resumes. We will make sure every candidate is carefully reviewed and no one slips through a crack.

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

Questions for Candidates

9/11/08

Rev. Dan Smith is scouring the national church database for candidates and talking with peers in other dioceses. He is very positive about God’s will and excited for what lies ahead for us. If you know of a good candidate, please have them contact Rev. Smith (edsmith@diocesemo.org or 314-255-1373) by the end of September.

We anticipate receiving close to 100 candidate profiles from the diocese early next month. We are preparing a procedure for each Search Committee member to review every profile. Committee member’s observations will be compared and discussed as a group, with the goal of sifting the candidate pool down to only those that best match our rector responsibilities.

Those remaining in this candidate pool will be sent a copy of our parish profile brochure and a questionnaire. We are now working on questions that we want the candidates to answer. If you have questions you would like us to consider, please share them with one of us or drop them in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex).

Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

Help Wanted: Passionate and Dynamic Rector

9/4/08

We are pleased to report that the Parish Profile brochure and diocese search form were recently approved by the Vestry, and the national search process has begun!

This phase of our rector search will last through September (more or less) to give candidates time to find our opening and respond. This is also a time when you can help by contacting a rector(s) you know who possesses the qualities described below.

Taking our many Learning Team discussions over the last year into consideration, this is how we described Grace on the diocese search form:

Description of Grace Church (330 characters or less, including spaces)

We are worship centered. We strive to grow spiritually through joyful and meaningful worship and other ministries. We are committed to our music, youth, education, and outreach programs and will work to strengthen them. We look forward to an exciting leader to join us in our “Journey of Faith.”

After lengthy and thoughtful discussion, we unanimously agreed upon these most important rector responsibilities, supported with successful experience in a parish at least our size:

Most important Rector Responsibilities/Skills (in priority order)

1. Lead and encourage others to develop a deeper spiritual life.
2. Preach effectively within dynamic worship services.
3. Discern and train leaders for mission and ministry.
4. Reshape congregation and ministries with church growth resulting.

Our Parish Profile brochure explains the above, our challenges and goals and more. We will communicate more in the weeks ahead, but as this phase is upon us, we wanted to share enough information at this time to help you describe Grace Church and rector responsibilities in a manner consistent with our national search.

If you know a rector possessing the above strengths, please have them contact Rev. Dan Smith (our Dioceses contact) at edsmith@diocesemo.org or 314-255-1373 to inquire about our position.

Exciting times are ahead! Please keep Grace in your prayers as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

The Search is On

8/26/08

We are pleased to report that the Parish Profile brochure and diocese search form are completed and approved by the Vestry! The meeting with the Vestry focused on the parish goals, challenges, and rector quality sections. We immediately initiated the national search process with Rev. Dan Smith (our Dioceses contact) the next morning.

We remind you to please share your thoughts with one of us, or drop a note in the suggestion box in the Narthex.

Please keep Grace in your prayers, as we search for a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

Waiting for the Green Light!

8/21/08

We are pleased to report that the Parish Profile brochure and diocese search form are completed! Copies of these documents are being provided to the Vestry this weekend, and we will meet with them at a special meeting Tuesday, August 26th. The meeting with the Vestry will focus on the parish goals, challenges, and rector quality sections. If we receive a green light from them, expect us to initiate the national search process with Rev. Dan Smith (our Dioceses contact) the next morning!

We feel that the Parish Profile document gives the reader a good flavor for what makes Grace Church unique. We discuss our colorful past, candidly assess where we are today, and create a vision of where we want to go. This document is the road map for our spiritual journey, and will be referred to frequently in the days ahead to maintain our focus. We will use this document to attract a passionate and dynamic rector, capable of embracing us for who we are and strengthening us for what we can become.

We received one verbal comment this week. We remind you to please share your thoughts with one of us, or drop a note in the suggestion box in the Narthex.

Please keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Only Christie Boyle’s “Finishing Touch” Remains

8/14/08

The Parish Profile text is now complete, and Christie Boyle has graciously agreed to help with grammar corrections and provide a consistent tone throughout the entire document. We have received many great photos (thank you!) to add to the document.

We conceptually agreed to our parish description, parish goals, and rector responsibilities on the diocese search form. This form has limited space, so what remains is for our subgroup to get these sentiments within the characters allowed.

In an effort to keep the process moving, a special meeting has been arranged with the Vestry on Tuesday, August 26th to present the Parish Profile brochure and dioceses search form, and obtain their approval to proceed.

Once we have Vestry approval, we will immediately begin communicating this information with you, and move on to Step #3… approaching prospective candidates! This will involve Rev. Dan Smith (our “diocese coach”) scouring the national church database and networking with his peers in other dioceses. We will also encourage you to help us identify candidates.

We received four comments from you this week. Thank you and we continue to encourage you to share your thoughts with one of us, or drop a note in the suggestion box in the Narthex.

Please keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Preparing for Vestry Review and Approval to Proceed

8/7/08

Rev. Dan Smith, our Diocese “coach”, joined us this week to review the Parish Profile brochure draft. He provided some excellent feedback. Final revisions are currently in motion, and our goal is to have the brochure ready for Vestry review and approval in several weeks.

We received five comments from you this week. We sense a frustration that the search process takes so long. Please know that we are moving as fast as we can. The Parish Profile and Diocese search form are our means to locate and attract a great rector. We are working diligently to paint an accurate picture of our parish in the brochure, and appropriately code the Diocese search form to match with rectors indicating these strengths and interests. We are very close to completing this step.

Once the Parish Profile is approved by the Vestry, we will share and discuss it with you. We will ask you to share it with rectors you consider good candidates for Grace. If interested, they will apply through the church system (via Rev. Dan Smith).

Please continue to share your comments with us, and keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Parish Profile Draft Almost Ready for Review

7/31/08

This week’s meeting was focused on the most important responsibilities of our new rector. We are a diverse group with many perspectives – which is a very good thing. After considerable discussion, we agreed to a skill set list that we feel will allow us to achieve our parish goals and flourish. We will talk more about this in the weeks ahead.

A first draft of the Parish Profile text will be shared with the Rev. Canon Dan Smith (our Diocese “coach”) early next week. Rev. Dan will review this, and provide us with his feedback at next week’s meeting. After receiving his input, final revisions will be made and photos will be incorporated throughout the text to help tell our story.

We received several comments this week. Please send us your thoughts by either speaking with one of us or dropping a note in the suggestion box (located in the Narthex). Your comments are shared at each meeting.

Please continue to keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Rector Search Work Continues

7/24/08

Despite vacation season, your Search Committee continues to meet each week and is making good progress preparing the Parish Profile brochure and diocesan search form. These documents are instrumental to characterize our parish and attract rector candidates that wish to lead us on our spiritual journey. At our last meeting, we agreed to: 1) the four most important rector qualifications, 2) four key parish goals, and 3) a brief description of our parish (staying within the 330 character limitation!). We are shooting to have a first draft of the Parish Profile brochure completed by the end of July, which will then be submitted to the Vestry for review and approval.

David Jayne recently asked to resign from the Search Committee due to his inability to participate during his recovery. The Vestry has asked Mike Heyer to fill the vacant position. We wish Dave a full recovery, and appreciate Mike’s willingness to help us.

We remind you to look for our poster in the Narthex which highlights the search process and has a suggestion box. Please share your thoughts with us. We have received several thus far, and read your comments at each meeting.

Please continue to keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Parish Profile “First Draft” Text is Near Completion

7/17/08

This week we reviewed the second half of Parish Profile draft. Two key sections remain. Our homework assignment is to draft our thoughts for one of these sections, and share it with the group next week.

We received one suggestion this week, and welcome you to share your thoughts with us (contact one of us or leave a note in the suggestion box in the Narthex).

We missed Dave Jayne this week, and prayed for him. Dave was in the terrible traffic accident at Hwy 40 & Mason on Tuesday, and suffered serious (fortunately not critical) injuries. He is scheduled for surgery this afternoon.

Please include Dave, Ruth, and their family in your prayers, as well as Grace Church, the Vestry, and the Search Committee.

First Draft of Parish Profile is Underway

7/10/08

We began our work this week by sharing our reflections on our discussion with the Rev. Canon Ralph McMichael who has agreed to serve as the Chaplain to the Search Committee. It was clear from these remarks that his words opened our eyes and our hearts to ways of approaching our work that we hadn’t considered. We sincerely thank him for this.

We reviewed the first half of the first draft of the narrative Parish Profile Brochure that has been assembled by a subcommittee using information from the Learning Team, SWEEPS information and other parish documents. This is the descriptive brochure that will be used to recruit our new rector, as well as serve as an introduction and invitation for those that may wish to join our congregation. We hope to be able to present this to the parish in August.

Please check out our Search Progress Poster and the Suggestions Box in the Narthex. We’ve already received a few suggestions, and we appreciate the thoughts and ideas that have been brought to us. These will be read at each Search Committee meeting, and prayerfully considered.

Please keep Grace Church, the Vestry, and the Search Committee in your prayers.

Check Out the Search Committee Display in the Narthex

7/3/08

Please check-out our display in the Narthex! The poster illustrates our status in the search process, and lists our names and phone numbers. There is a weekly update binder and a comment/suggestion box. Please share your thoughts and/or questions with us (anonymous if you wish). Your comments will be read at the next Committee meeting.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend, and please continue to keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Ten Steps to Calling our New Rector

(Parish Messenger, July)

After meeting with Canon Dan Smith, our Diocese CDO (Church Deployment Office) resource, members of the Search Committee are enthused with the Diocese’s resources and commitment to help us succeed. Below is our condensed ten step overview of the search process.

Step #1 – Define what makes us unique. This involves a parish survey, strategy sessions, and planning meetings. This work is nearly complete.

Step #2 - Prepare Parish Profile and Diocese Search Form. These documents define what makes Grace unique, and will show candidates who we are. This work is now in process.

Step #3 - Approach prospects. Canon Smith’s office (diocese) scours the national church database and networks with CDO representatives in other dioceses. Grace parish members are also encouraged to identify candidates. All candidates must reply through the national church CDO system (i.e. Diocese).

Step #4 - Interview and visit candidates. The Bishop and Canon Smith will provide resumes of candidates that appear compatible (hopefully 40+ names). The Committee will review candidate resumes, reducing candidates to approximately a dozen resumes. Phone interviews are conducted. Three committee members will visit remaining candidates for a personal interview, and experience a service and sermon.

Step #5 – Committee selects final candidates. The Committee shares findings, and following candid and open discussion, will vote for final candidates.

Step #6 - Diocese background check. Canon Smith speaks with peer CDO representatives, and Bishop Smith speak with the Bishop in each final candidate’s diocese. These discussions are very open and honest. Canon Smith will report back to the Committee.

Step #7 – Committee recommends final candidates to the Vestry. The Committee recommends two to four final candidates. Committee comments are provided with each candidate.

Step #8 - Vestry elects final candidate. The Vestry considers Committee recommendations, invites each final candidates (and spouse, if applicable) to quietly visit Grace Church and Vestry. The Vestry will vote for the rector they feel is the “best fit” for Grace at this time.

Step #9 - Obtain Bishop approval. Final candidates meet with Bishop George Wayne Smith when in St. Louis to visit Grace Church. Bishop final approval is required.

Step #10 - Vestry issues the call to the new rector and negotiates letter of agreement.

This process is a delicate dance between God’s will and our best intentions. We will get to know each candidate as well as possible, and allow them to know us. We will not rush the process.

Please continue to keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Spiritual Direction is Provided by Our Chaplain

6/26/08

The Rev. Dr. Ralph McMichael, a Grace Member and Canon Theologian for our Diocese, has graciously agreed to serve as our Committee Chaplain. Ralph met with us this week and provided theological insight that will help equip us for the search discovery process. He will periodically check-in with us to maintain spiritual direction.

Writing assignments have been made for both the Parish Profile Brochure and Diocese CDO (Church Deployment Office) Form. Although we will not meet as a group next week (to observe July 4th weekend), we will each be diligently drafting our respective sections. Many hands make light work.

We agreed upon a conceptual drawing of a poster for the Narthex that will communicate the search process and our current status. Member names with contact information will also be provided, as well as a “Comment Box” for you to provide input. Your comments will be collected and read at every Committee meeting.

Work is well under way. Please keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your prayers.

Describing our parish in 330 characters or less!

6/19/08

The Diocese rector search application form provides a “snapshot” of parishes looking for rectors. If a rector prospect is intrigued, he or she will want to know more. While our parish profile brochure allows more description; this form is instrumental to spark interest from candidates. A key section of this form requires us to describe our parish in 330 characters or less. So after our many planning and learning team meetings, we now must focus on describing how we are unique… in 330 characters or less!

Referencing our planning material, each of us came to this weeks meeting with a draft of thoughts for this section. While we all had varying perspectives and lengths (ahem, a couple of us misunderstood 330 words instead of characters), certain words and themes resonated from each version. This is what we hoped would happen. Several members were out of town, and have yet to contribute their thoughts, so we will defer discussing these themes with you until the entire group’s thoughts have been synthesized.

We are also beginning work on our parish profile brochure. We reviewed, and agreed upon, a table of contents for the brochure. We will address Grace and Diocese history, our significant ministries, our dreams, our challenges, important rector qualities, financial information, and a description of Kirkwood and the surrounding community. We want the brochure to be an informative light read that will include photos of members at parish activities. Now that the sections have been agreed upon, writing assignments will soon begin. We are on the look-out for great photos (please provide us with copies of your favorites) and let us know if you have a printing resource that would give us a price break.

Please know that weekly updates are now available on the web at www.gracekirkwood.org. Click the “Rector Search” link on any page, and it will take you to a log of every status report. This allows you to catch-up on progress when you may have missed a week. Marsha Smith, our webmaster extraordinaire, launched this website feature and did a great job. Thanks Marsha!

Work on the Parish Profile document begins!

6/12/08

Work on the parish profile document is underway! We agreed on a concept, and a subgroup is now drafting a table of contents for review at next week’s meeting. Once sections are agreed upon, we will make drafting assignments to committee members. By the way, we intend to incorporate many pictures throughout the booklet. If you have a great picture from a church event, please provide one of us with a copy.

While the primary goal of the parish profile is to attract a “right fit” rector, we also see it as an excellent piece to acquaint new members and the neighboring community with Grace Church. We want to do this as inexpensively as possible. We are looking for someone in the printing business that could help us print an attractive, cost-efficient booklet. Please let us know if you, a family member, or a good friend can help.

In order to communicate what makes our parish family unique, we need to describe “who we are” and “our goals.” This was addressed in the many Learning Committee meetings over the last year, and now needs to be summarized. Referencing these reports, we will each come to next weeks meeting with a draft of our interpretation of this information. We are confident that consistent themes will resonate for us to focus on. We will share discussion with you in the weeks ahead.

We want to hear from you throughout the search process! We are planning a large poster board to be placed in the Narthex that will graphically display steps throughout the search process, indicate where we are in the process, weekly updates, list committee member names with contact information, and provide a “suggestion/input box” for your thoughts and/or questions. Your comments will be shared with the group at each meeting.

Please continue to keep Grace, the Vestry, and our Committee in your daily prayers. We are counting on the Holy Spirit’s help to guide us through this process!

Search Committee meets with Canon Dan Smith

6/5/08

We met this week with Canon Dan Smith. He explained the Diocese’s search process and answered our numerous questions. He stated that the Diocese knows that Grace Church is a great parish, and stressed his commitment to assist us in every way to find a great spiritual leader that is a great match for Grace. We left the meeting informed and enthused.

Our first, and perhaps most significant, task is to prepare a parish profile document. This document will give rector candidates a good idea of what is unique about Grace. In it, we will address our colorful history, our community, our ministries, our strengths, our blemishes, and our vision. We will also address rector skills and qualities that we believe are most important at Grace. To achieve a great fit, we will communicate openly and candidly with the candidates. We want our new rector to have a very good understanding about us, and enthusiastically join our spiritual journey.

Church profiles can be in brochure form, electronic (i.e., web or slideshow), or a combination thereof. We will need to decide what works best for us. We have many resources to begin our work, such as our parish survey (completed in June 2006), the SWEEP goals & strategies (a result of First Quarter 2007 workshops), the Year 2007 Narrative Budget, and the Learning Team Report (issued last month). As we sort through this information, we have much to decipher. We will share highlights of profile text discussions in future updates, and ask for your input. Once the profile document is completed, we will use it extensively to get the word out. And yes… we will again ask for your help with this!

Expect to hear from us each Sunday via bulletin and pulpit announcements, monthly Parish Messenger updates, graphic displays in the Narthex, and a dedicated search status blog on our web-site. While detailed candidate discussions will be confidential, we want open and frequent dialog with you throughout the process. Please let us know if there are questions you would like addressed, or concerns you wish to share. You can speak with Dick Entenmann (our Committee Chairman, 822-0881) or any of us on the Committee. Every Committee meeting begins with us sharing comments that we hear from you.

Please keep our church, the Vestry, and our Committee in your daily prayers. The wheels are in motion!

Search Committee for New Rector is Announced!

5/28/08

We are pleased to report that the Vestry recently appointed us to conduct the search process for our new permanent rector. We thank them for their confidence in us.

• Dick Entenmann (chair)
• Becky Wooldridge (co-chair)
• John Adams
• Debbie Caby
• David Jayne (vestry liason)
• Steve Jianakoplos
• Jan McMichael
• Jim Moore (vestry liason)
• Sue Nixon
• Sandy Padgett
• Tom Petrie
• Ron Ryan

We have met several times to address housekeeping matters, and intend to meet (at least initially) on a weekly basis. We will be meeting with The Rev. Canon Dan Smith during the first week of June. Rev. Canon Smith is the “right arm” of the Bishop and has many contacts throughout the national church. In this meeting, he will explain the search process to us. He will be a tremendous resource throughout the search process, and we feel very fortunate to have him at our side.

While the content of our meetings will be very confidential, we intend to provide you with frequent communication to help understand the process of finding a new rector, and understand where we are in the process. In addition, please do not hesitate to contact any of us with any questions you may have.

These are exciting times for Grace Church, and we ask that you include Grace and the Search Committee in your prayers. Stay tuned!