- Why do we need a new rector?
After ten years of distinguished service, Fr. Mark Delcuze retired in November 2023 as rector of Christ Church Parish Kent Island (CCPKI). We have now begun the process of finding a successor.
- Who will minister to us until we get a new rector?
CCPKI has an interim pastor, Fr. Frank Crumbaugh, to minister to our needs. Father Frank began serving as interim in November 2023 and CCPKI is fortunate to have such an able and godly person serving as interim rector until our search for a new permanent rector is completed.
- How does one go about searching for a new rector?
While the search for a new rector may include some of the same administrative tasks as recruitment in business or academia, it is different in the sense that the Search committee and the candidates will attempt mutual discernment, that is, they will try to understand and heed God’s call. The steps in this process are laid out in question #4 and explained further in the questions that follow.
- How long will the transition take?
That is impossible to say but the charge given to the Search Committee by the Vestry lays out some dates that may serve as guidelines. The committee’s first task is to conduct a survey of the parish that will be used to inform the committee about the type of rector it should be seeking. This survey should be, according to the instructions given the committee, “developed, taken, and the data from it collated” by 15 March 2024. This data, combined with information gleaned from the parish-wide listening sessions that were held in the fall of 2023, will be used to create a Parish Profile. The Parish Profile, which is defined and discussed in a later FAQ, should be completed by 1 May 2024. The committee will then embark on a search to identify “no less than two nor more than five candidates.” The committee is to compile this slate of candidates by 15 October 2024 when the Vestry will begin deliberations on who, if any, of the candidates that the Search Committee has suggested should become our rector. The timeline given above is a suggested timeline and may be adjusted depending upon circumstances. The Vestry told the Search Committee to value getting the right rector rather than speed when doing its work.
- Is the search process open?
No, the search process is confidential, especially when candidates are being considered.
- Why is the search confidential?
The committee should never discuss whether any priest is or will be a candidate or talk about any aspect of their discussions with any candidate. It would be devastating to a candidate’s relationship with their present church were it known that they entertained any thought of leaving them.
- Who is on the Search Committee?
Ms. Jenifer Leach, Chairperson, Ms. Caroline Aland, Mr. Dennis Conrad, Ms. Juanita Dombkowski, Ms. Samantha Hoffman, Mr. David Lee, and Mr. Jeffrey Pike. Short biographies of Search Committee members can be found in the Search Committee Info section.
- What is the first step in the Search Process?
As its first step, the committee is developing a strong foundation of trust and spiritual support for each other and identifying each other’s strengths and weaknesses as we begin work on the tasks that define the search. As seen above in question #4, the first task of the committee is to develop, conduct, and collate the results of a parish-wide survey.
- What is the purpose of the survey and how will it be conducted?
Every voice matters and we on the Search Committee want to hear from everyone in the parish. While the small-group discussions held in the fall were useful in providing a sense of who we are at CCPKI and what we want to see the church become, those discussions involved only a minority of the parishioners. To glean the ideas and aspirations of as many parishioners as possible, the committee will conduct a survey of the parish. It is hoped that this survey will provide useful data and anecdotes that will be used in the parish profile and will engage the congregation in the transition process. If some of you have concerns about how things have gone in the recent past, the survey will enable you to process and articulate those feelings. It will also encourage you to prayerfully envision the church’s future and your role in it. At this time (January 2024), the committee is working on the mechanics of how to conduct this survey so that the greatest number of parishioners can have an opportunity to provide meaningful and thoughtful input.
- What is a Parish Profile?
Many Episcopal churches in transition introduce themselves to prospective candidates with a parish profile that describes the church and the local community and may provide a vision for the future, characteristics sought in a rector and so forth. The profile serves multiple purposes:
- It distills the church’s understanding of where it is and where it wants to go.
- It markets to potential candidates and people who may be able to refer good candidates.
- It helps candidates get beyond superficial or secondhand impressions and to see the church’s potential.
- It helps set up effective dialogue between the committee and candidates by framing some of the subjects to discuss and by accelerating the candidate’s understanding of CCPKI.
- It helps to introduce Kent Island. We should not assume that candidates know this area or understand it.
- It enables us to share photographs or videos that demonstrate, possibly better than words, who we are and what we are about.
- It advertises what we are seeking in a rector and how prospective candidates should contact us.
Another, equally important, tool to introduce candidates to CCPKI is the website. The parish will need to make sure that it is attractive and current.
- What happens next?
After we have posted the Parish Profile, we begin actively to solicit candidates for the position of rector. As discussed in question #2, the process is different from corporate or scholastic recruitment in that we are trying to “discern” who is being called by God to be our next rector. Hopefully, through the survey and parish profile we will have a good idea of the kind of candidate we seek. Theoretically, we can call any ordained Episcopal priest in good standing or any priest in good standing in a Church in full communion with the Episcopal Church, which includes Anglican Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a few others are in communion with the See of Canterbury. However, in its charge to the Search Committee, the Vestry asked the Committee to ensure that candidates “should be regularly ordained, seminary trained Priests of The Episcopal Church, with special preference shown for persons who have graduated from a seminary of The Episcopal Church.”
- Who is available?
In 2022 a survey of clergy in the Episcopal Church found that:
- 60% were male; 40% were female.
- 87% were white.
- 76% were heterosexual; 16% were gay or lesbian.
- 54% were solo rectors; 17% were assistant rectors; 14% were specialty ministers; 12% were senior rectors; 3% were bishops.
A 2015 survey found that 15.1% were under the age of 45; 17.5% were between age 45 and 54; 34.1% were between age 55 and 64; and 33.2% were age 65 or older.
These surveys give you an idea of who is out there.
- How will the search be conducted?
It is too early to lay out the steps that will be used, except to say that all avenues will be explored including the Episcopal Office of Transition for Transition Ministry, the transition minister of the Easton Diocese, and recommendations from parish members and friends of CCPKI. Once we begin the process of actively seeking candidates, the FAQ will be updated to detail the steps being taken.