The discernment process: on track

The discernment process

A progress report from the discernment committee co-chairs

By Jay Moore and Shelley Spalding

St. Stephen’s discernment committee is the group of parishioners charged by the vestry to guide our parish through the transition from our ministry with our former rector and our new one. For some people in our parish, this is an anxious time, and we’re glad to give you this written update. (In the January 9 Sunday Forum, we reported on the committee’s work thus far. Visit ststephensRVA.org/discernment to see a video of that presentation.)

We’re happy to say that through the yearend holiday season and ups and downs in the pandemic, we’ve been able to remain on track in this process, which typically takes between 9 and 12 months and includes three phases. Phase 1 is the discovering/visioning/ planning phase and is typically the longest and most time-consuming part of the process. It involves a parish self-study along with the creation of a portfolio and then a posting of the position.

In Phase 2, the discernment committee receives applications and conducts interviews.

We’re happy to say that there are already a number of highly qualified priests who are eager to apply when we begin accepting applications.

In Phase 3, the committee presents a finalist to the vestry, whose canonical responsibility it is to issue the call. Once the person chosen accepts the call, we will begin our transition to a new ministry led by him or her.

The committee began Phase 1 by thoroughly reviewing the important work done by many of our parishioners through the Envisioning Our Future process conducted before the pandemic. This work involved 20 months of engagement coordinated by five parish leaders along with “ministry liaisons” for 24 ministry areas. Dr. Susan Wilkes, the project consultant, met with the discernment committee to review the findings. With this background, and knowing that the world has changed since March 2019, the committee engaged a firm to conduct a parish-wide survey late last fall. We had a fantastic response, with 687 people participating in the survey.

In January and February, the committee held listening sessions—some in person and some virtual—to give people an opportunity to share in a way that they could not with a written survey instrument.

Following the survey, the committee began listening sessions—some in person and some virtual—in January and February. These listening sessions give people an opportunity to share in a way that they could not with a written survey instrument.

Using what we’ve learned from these three things, the committee turns its attention to compiling a Community Ministry Portfolio. The portfolio is the official document that lists the rector’s position in the database of the Episcopal Church’s national Office of Transition Ministry. It provides some basic background information about St. Stephen’s, but most importantly allows us to describe our ministry to prospective applicants.

As many know, in the past it’s been customary to supplement the parish portfolio with a printed publication, usually called a “parish profile,” to expand upon the information in the portfolio. More recently this printed document has been replaced with a video and Web profiles. These will convey who we are at St. Stephen’s, and the vibrancy and diversity of our ministries.

Our goal is to invite applications this spring.

We’ll return to the Sunday Forum on April 3 to provide another update.

Thank you for your prayers and support, and thanks to the members of the discernment committee for their dedication to this important task.

THE DISCERNMENT COMMITTEE

Gussie Bannard Robert Birdsey Becky Boyers Bob Dibble Thomas Goode Richard Kay Sharon Machrone Jay Moore, co-chair Mary Ashburn Pearson Martha Proutt Shelley Spalding, co-chair

A prayer for the discernment committee

The discernment committee begins its deliberations with a prayer composed by Bob Dibble, a member of the committee who serves as its chaplain. This is the full version. A briefer version is included in our prayers each Sunday during worship services.

O God, in whom we live and move and have our being, who knows us better than we know ourselves, guide us in our discernment processes, as we search for a new Rector for St. Stephen’s. Empower each one of us to use our unique gifts, to share openly and honestly our thoughts, to respect the opinions of others, and to encourage humility, patience, and joy. And as we progress through this discernment process help us, above all, to trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that it may take a very long time. And so it is with us; our ideas mature gradually—help us to let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste, trusting that God is shaping what this new spirit gradually forming within us will be. Let us give you, O God, the benefit of believing that your hand is leading us, and accept the anxiety of feeling ourselves in suspense and incomplete. Instill within each of us a vision of this Church’s family; that guided by your Holy Spirit we will be united in love and joyfully accomplish our sacred charge, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

—ADAPTED AND INSPIRED BY A PRAYER OF PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, SJ

As we’ve been emphasizing in recent months, it’s important to ensure that the parish office has up-to-date contact information so that we can stay in touch with you about this process. We want everyone to be well-informed and to know when there is an opportunity for you to participate in this process. If you’ve moved in the past several months, or your phone number or email address has changed, be sure to let us know. And if you have not subscribed to the eSpirit, please do! It’s the best way to ensure you receive important communication.