"Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, 

and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a priest for this Congregation, 

that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen."    Collect 13 (BCP p.818)

 

 Report of the Search Committee

 September 21, 2008    (please scroll down to "STEPS"  for the most current report)

Search Committee members:

David Quittmeyer, (chair), Leslie Flukinger (vice-chair), Robbie Baker, Allison Castle, David Clothier, John Galanos, Anne Gill, David Jeffries, Vivian Maitland, Mark McLean, Lewis Odom, David Platt, Carol Suffich, and Sue Ann Turnipseed.

 

April 22, 2008

 
 
[Please scroll down to see the steps in the search process 
and the committee's status on each step.]
___________________
 
       We are pleased to announce that the Trinity Parish Profile is now available. A direct result of the congregation’s discernment process, the Profile gives prospective applicants a sense of who we are, where we are going, and whom we are seeking to be our new rector. The Search Committee is very grateful for your participation in this process and trusts you’ll find that the Profile reflects well the Trinity Church we love.

    The Profile was will be made available on Sunday, April 27 and May 4, after each morning service. It is also available on Trinity’s website in pdf format. If you want a printed copy but can’t get by to pick one up, you may call the church office to have one mailed to you.

    The publication of the Profile marks a decisive shift in the activities of the Search Committee because, with the Profile in print, the search becomes officially open through the Church Deployment Office of the Episcopal Church. The Committee will now be receiving and acting on applications, and consequently has entered the phase of the search in which all specific information and deliberations are strictly confidential.  This confidentiality is required by policy in the Diocese and in the Episcopal Church.  To Episcopalians who are accustomed to openness in all areas of church life, this confidentiality can be awkward and unfamiliar, but it is an important principle meant to preserve integrity and candor in the process.

    The Search Committee will be happy to receive suggestions for possible candidates from any of you who know, or know of, someone you think would be a good rector for Trinity. We ask that you help us by following these steps for making your suggestions:

    If you are personally acquainted with people you’re suggesting, please speak to them and direct them to the online Profile, and tell them that if they are interested they should contact the Search Committee or the Diocesan Office in Pensacola. 

    If you are not acquainted with candidates or you are reluctant to speak to them, you may give us the name, along with the person’s current location (city and parish), in writing. Just slip one of us a note or e-mail David Quittmeyer at davidq@handarendall.com. 

    Any application considered by the Search Committee must first be reviewed by the Bishop, so we can give no assurances that an application will necessarily be acted upon by our committee.

    Because of confidentiality requirements we will not be able to tell you if the person has become part of our search process.

    You have placed considerable trust in us to do this task well, and we in turn trust you to help us, not only by keeping us and our work in your prayers but also by expecting us to maintain the confidentiality required of us.

    Faithfully,   The Search Committee

     David Quittmeyer, Chair


 STEPS   In the Search Process

 

October 2007    (updated September 21, 2008)

    The Search Committee has been actively at work since its formation in July.  Much of the summer was spent in saying our good-byes to Laurie Brock and Albert Kennington.  Now that we are officially in our "interim" period, we want to give you a report on what we have done and what is left to be done.  All of our work is guided by three principles:  prayer, communication, and confidentiality.  

 1. (Completed) Bishop Duncan was advised about the rector's retirement, and he appointed Vince Currie, administrator of the Diocese, as our consultant in the search process.  The Bishop and Mr. Currie met with the Vestry about the process.

2. (Completed)  The Vestry appointed the Seatch Committee in July.  It consists of David Quittmeyer (chair), Leslie Flukinger (vice-chair), Robbie Baker, Allison Castle, David Clothier, John Galanos, Anne Gill, Anne Inge, David Jeffries, Vivian Maitland, Mark McLean, Lewis Odom, David platt, Carol Suffich, and Sue Ann Turnipseed. 

3. (Completed) The Search Committee met with Mr. Currie to review the search process, including the development of a parish survey.  The survey has been distributed to all families in the parish and is to be returned this week so that the results can be tabulated. 

4. (Completed)The results of the survey will be part of a parish profile to be published and sent to potential candiates.  The parish profile may also be used for future planning and goal setting.  The results will allow the Search Committee to have access t oclergy profiles from the Church Deployment Office.  Other candidates may be recommended by parishioners and by the Bishop. 

5. (Completed) When all the clergy submissions are gathered, the Search Committee will mail the parish profile to the candidates with questions and requests for other information that Search Committee determines to be important.

6. (Completed) all the responses are collected, the Search Committee will review the information and decide which candidates to visit.   Usually teams of three or four people will visit candidates in their home churches.

7. (Completed) After  reviewing the results of the team visits, the Search Committee may invite certain candidates to Mobile for further conversation. Candidates meet only with the Search Committee and will not preach or hold services at Trinity.

8. (Completed) The Search Committee will recommend one person to the Vestry as rector-elect.

9. (Completed) The Vestry will accept or reject the Search Committee's recommendation. (There is no parish-wide submission or vote.)

10. (Completed) After the Vestry accepts a recommendation, it will issue the formal invitation, or "call," to the priest to become rector. A letter of agreement may be entered into and arrangement for moving and transition will be made.

11. The new priest will arrive and a date for the Celebration of New Ministry (BCP page 557) will be set.

The timeline for these steps is not fixed.  The Search Committee will work diligently but not hastily.  While a decision may be possible as soon as the spring of 2008, longer time is probably necessary, maybe much longer.  The relationship between a parish and a rector is so important that the Canons of The Episcopal Church hold it to be unbreakable by either side unilaterally.  In essence, a rector has "tenure."  Since a right fit is crucial, the process cannot be rushed.

    If you have any questions along the way, please ask anyone on the Search Committee and understand that they will be bound to rules of confidentiality about particular candidates who may be under consideration. This is necessary for Trinity and for the candidates. Most of all, join us corporately and regularly in prayer.  We commend in particular Collect 13 (BCP p. 818), in which the Search Committee recites each time we meet:  "Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a priest for this Congregation, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen."