Committee meeting dates: The committee has met twice, on November 10 and December 1, 2014. The next meeting is scheduled for January 9, 2015.
While you may expect that we are already busy sorting through names of potential candidates, we are actually far from that step. Much preliminary work needs to be done. Some of that work includes:
1. Committee members must educate themselves on what is expected of us, who we are as individuals, and how we can all work together as a committee.
2. An important early step will be a written survey of the congregation. Known as the CAT, or Church Assessment Tool, we will seek to first gather and then summarize the goals and values of the congregation. We hope to capture as large a group of respondents as possible, including not only those who pledge and attend St. James on a regular basis, but also those many others who might put more of themselves into St. James if their aspirations were included in our vision.
3. Once the process of analyzing the survey and outlining our values and vision for the future of St. James is concluded, your search committee, with the help of the vestry, will assemble a Parish Profile, a description of what makes our parish unique and what we are hoping to find in our next rector. Some elements, such as compensation and benefits, will remain confidential and largely in the province of the work of the vestry. The entire proposal will then be posted in a confidential nationwide database administered by the Episcopal Church.
4. Once our listing has been made public, there will be a 60 to 90 day period of lesser activity for the committee as we await confidential applications from potential candidates.
While you may expect that we are already busy sorting through names of potential candidates, we are actually far from that step. Much preliminary work needs to be done. Some of that work includes:
1. Committee members must educate themselves on what is expected of us, who we are as individuals, and how we can all work together as a committee.
2. An important early step will be a written survey of the congregation. Known as the CAT, or Church Assessment Tool, we will seek to first gather and then summarize the goals and values of the congregation. We hope to capture as large a group of respondents as possible, including not only those who pledge and attend St. James on a regular basis, but also those many others who might put more of themselves into St. James if their aspirations were included in our vision.
3. Once the process of analyzing the survey and outlining our values and vision for the future of St. James is concluded, your search committee, with the help of the vestry, will assemble a Parish Profile, a description of what makes our parish unique and what we are hoping to find in our next rector. Some elements, such as compensation and benefits, will remain confidential and largely in the province of the work of the vestry. The entire proposal will then be posted in a confidential nationwide database administered by the Episcopal Church.
4. Once our listing has been made public, there will be a 60 to 90 day period of lesser activity for the committee as we await confidential applications from potential candidates.