Frequently Asked Questions
1. When will Trinity have a new rector?
We don't know for certain, but in most parishes the process takes about 18-24 months from the time a rector departs until a new Rector is installed. While 18 - 24 months may sound like a long period of time, it allows a parish to adjust in many ways before beginning the process of search and call. The time, with a skilled Interim Rector, allows a parish to make those adjustments and changes and understand better who it is and where it is going in the near future apart from the strong leadership of the previous long time Rector.
2. Who will lead Trinity in the interim?
As always, the "temporal" matters of the church will be managed by the Wardens and Vestry. They will continue the many programs and initiatives that have flourished here, while also ensuring that new opportunities are explored.
3. What is an Interim Rector?
The Reverend Dr. Howard Hanchey, our Interim Rector, is a priest who has specific training in assisting parishes through the type of transition Trinity will be experiencing. He will fulfill the parish needs like any rector would, with regular services, funerals, weddings, visiting the sick, and so forth and he will help us transition through five specific areas:
1. History (telling our story of who we are as a parish; prior rectors; and so forth);
2. Identity of Trinity as a parish (who we are and what we want for our future);
3. Leadership development in the parish;
4. Connecting to the Diocese in a new way (most parishes connect through the
rector, but without a rector, we need to find a new way to connect with the
Diocese).
5. Helping us find our direction, since our thinking and priorities will most likely
change, because the dynamic in Trinity changes after a rector leaves, much as a
family dynamic changes when one member moves away.
The Interim Rector may not be considered for the settled rector position.
4. What are the steps involved in finding a new rector?
The Diocese of Southern Virginia has a time-tested process to guide churches in their quest for a new rector, and you will find those procedures outlined on the Search Committee’s web page. Every search is different, though, and each parish must approach the task at least in some ways on its own. The process at Trinity focuses on two separate committees comprised of parishioners: The Profile Committee, and the Search Committee.
5. What is the Profile Committee?
Members of the Profile Committee will be chosen by the vestry to guide the parish through a period of discernment, conducting a parish self-study, and developing a parish profile that reflects the results of that self-study and discernment process.
6. What is the Search Committee?
Members of the Search Committee will be chosen by the Vestry to coordinate the search for Trinity’s new Rector and selecting a finalist to recommend to the Vestry.
7. Who is on the Search Committee?
Fran Gill (chair), Martha Frances Fortson (vice chair), Irv Lindley, Denise Hersh, Jesse Blackwood, Louis Hibbitts, Virginia Vail, and Pete Kloeppel. Assisting the committee is BJ Taylor, a search consultant specializing in helping parishes in the search process.
8. Why is there a Discernment Phase before starting the Rector Search?
It is considered best practice within the Episcopal Church to have a time of reflection before calling a new rector. The Discernment Phase allows us to celebrate our heritage, gather useful information about who we are as a parish family and what our aspirations are and define our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and values.
9. Does the Diocese have a role in recommending or selecting our next rector?
We have resources available from the Diocese to help us as needed, and the selection process involves screening of finalists by the Bishop, but the selection process is essentially our own.
10. What is the Church Deployment Office (CDO) and how is it involved in our search?
The CDO is an office within the national church that works with congregations, dioceses, clergy, and lay professionals to provide resources for matching church openings and interested candidates. Trinity will file a Parish Search Request outlining information about our parish and attributes/ministry skills being sought in prospective candidates. Clergy considering making a change in positions file a similar Personal Profile about themselves. A computer search then provides a list of best possible matches. This process allows us to more easily conduct a national search and identify prospective candidates not otherwise known to parishioners. For more information about the CDO, please visit the Church Deployment Office website. The Search Committee will review the profiles of candidates provided by the CDO matching process to decide those that might be a good fit for Trinity. We will invite the selected candidates to complete an application that will provide us further information for narrowing the list of candidates.
11. What will the Search Committee’s budget be used for?
Expenses associated with conducting the search include advertising, travel to the parishes of the finalists and/or their travel to our parish, background checks, and administrative costs.
12. Why are the Search Committee's proceedings confidential?
Members of the Search Committee are forbidden to discuss details of the second phase of the search process (selection and review of candidates) with anyone outside the committee -- including spouses and partners. This is out of respect for the privacy of candidates who apply, are nominated or otherwise considered for the rector position. It is likely that many candidates will be working in other parishes and will not want their candidacy known publicly unless and until a final selection is made. Parishioners can expect frequent updates about the committee's general progress in the parish newsletter, on bulletin boards, and on the parish website and at announcements on Sunday mornings during the 10:30 a.m. service.
13. May I recommend someone to be considered for the position?
Yes! You may recommend a candidate to any member of the Search Committee or encourage a candidate to apply on his or her own. All such recommendations should be made in strict confidence to protect the privacy of candidates.
14. Will rector finalists come to Trinity and participate in a service before the final selection is made?
No. We can't publicly identify applicants, even finalists. We have a commitment to confidentiality with applicants. Most of them hold clergy positions elsewhere and we don't want to jeopardize their current positions. The one name we can make public will be that of the new Rector, and only after he or she is called by the Vestry, has accepted, and the contract is signed. This is the standard approach within our Diocese and the ECUSA.
