The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego

The transition generally takes from twelve to eighteen months to complete.  The tasks listed below do not necessarily occur in this exact order.

Initial Response

The wardens notify the bishop of the vacancy in the cure and of date effective.

The transition ministry officer, the Rev. Canon Suzann Holding, meets with the vestry or bishop’s committee as soon as possible to review the search process and assist in planning for the transition. The search committee should not be formed until after this meeting and after the clergy person has left.

The congregation celebrates the ministry of the departing priest.

The vestry or bishop’s committee decides about pastoral leadership coverage for the transition. Interim pastor candidates must be approved by the bishop.

Preparation Stage

After meeting with transition ministry officer, the vestry or bishop’s committee selects a chairperson for the search committee.

The vestry and search chair select the search committee, making sure they are representative of parish constituencies and groups, including one third from the vestry or bishop’s committee. They should be communicants in good standing.  Paid staff members, relatives of the former rector, relatives of wardens, and relatives of deacons associated with the congregation should not serve on this committee. The chair of the search committee should be a person of prayer with excellent organizational and group process skills.

The search committee meets with the transition ministry officer for orientation to the search process.

The transition ministry officer’s role with the search committee includes offering guidance and resources for conducting a self study and developing a congregation profile and portfolio, answering questions, preparing for interviewing, and helping the committee with the process of the search. The use of a consultant is optional.

The search committee plans for and carries out a self study of the parish. Various means of gathering responses are employed, usually including a survey and a congregational meeting. It is important that all members of the congregation be given opportunities to express their views and concerns.

Based on the information gathered, a congregation profile is compiled which includes a position description, goals, statistics, demographics, worship, buildings, organizations, and clergy leadership style sought. The profile must be reviewed and approved by the vestry or bishop’s committee. Drafts of the profile should be reviewed by the transition ministry officer before it is printed. Completing the self study and profile usually takes two or three months.

An Office of Transition Ministry (OTM) Worshipping Community Portfolio is completed with the assistance of the transition ministry officer who will create the profile online and then send back to the search chair for approval. Upon completion of this profile the position is listed as “Receiving Names” on the diocesan web site.

Search Process

Once the profile and OTM profiles are completed, the search committee is ready to receive applications from candidates. Candidates apply directly to the congregation through the contact person (usually the search chair). Potential candidates are also compiled from three possible sources:

• Congregation and Search Committee: any member of the congregation may recommend a potential candidate to the search committee by contacting a member of the committee or encouraging the candidate to apply.
• Transition Ministry Officer: although candidates will apply directly to the congregation, they may also contact the transition ministry officer. (They may have heard about the position by word of mouth, a web site, or the Transition Ministry Newsletter.) In addition, the transition ministry officer maintains an active file of priests, both within and outside the Diocese of San Diego, who are looking for new positions.
• Bishops: any of the bishops may recommend potential candidates.

Note: Interims, assisting, and supply clergy who have been serving the congregation during the interim are not eligible for the permanent position.

The congregation normally receives applications for about two months. During that period the search committee and vestry or bishop’s committee should meet with the transition ministry officer to prepare for interviews.

The resumes and profiles of potential candidates are reviewed by the search committee.  From this pool, the search committee selects not more than 12 priests they would like to interview as candidates.

The search chair submits resumes and OTM clergy profiles to transition ministry officer for vetting.

Upon receiving a list of candidates the search committee would like to interview, the transition ministry officer makes reference checks and then presents the list to the bishop for approval.  He may add or delete names. This approved list becomes the official list of candidates. Names on the official list are confidential and should not be shared with anyone outside of the search committee, including the vestry or bishop’s committee.

No candidate is interviewed in person without the bishop's approval.

The search committee makes contact with each candidate. Contact includes phone interviews, visits, reference checks, invitations for interviews. Under no circumstances is a nominee asked to preach or celebrate in church during the process. Nominees appreciate receiving a copy of the Parish Profile, the Parochial Report, and any other information that may be appropriate.  This material may be assembled as the Parish Portfolio. All nominees should be accorded the courtesy of regularly being kept up to date on the status of their candidacy.

When the committee has interviewed all candidates and determines one to three top candidates, the transition ministry officer advises the bishop of those names.

The bishop makes a bishop-to-bishop reference check. At this time, the required Oxford background check is initiated on the final candidates. The congregation is responsible for the cost of the background check.

The search committee makes its recommendation to the vestry or bishop’s committee.

The final candidates are invited to come to the parish for an interview with the vestry or bishop’s committee.

The vestry or bishop’s committee elects, being sure to record its action in the minutes in the form of a resolution and recorded vote. The name of the elected person is presented to the bishop for formal approval prior to that person being advised.

Call and Beginning of New Ministry

When the nominee accepts the call, the vestry or bishop’s committee negotiates the terms of the call with the rector-elect. A letter of agreement is drafted following the model provided by the transition ministry officer.

No public announcement should be made until the letters of agreement are signed.

Written notice of the election, signed by the wardens, is sent to the bishop, who will then notify the secretary of convention.

The search committee communicates with all nominees not previously informed that they are no longer under consideration and thanks them for their participation in the process.

The congregation celebrates the ministry of the interim priest.

The bishop and rector-elect agree upon a date and time for the Celebration of New Ministry.

The bishop expects clergy new to the diocese to attend Fresh Start, a colleague support group that meets monthly for two years.