Specifically, what kind of full-time rector do we seek to serve St. Andrew’s? 

Let us get one thing out of the way, quickly: St. Andrew’s is no different than any other church in its desire to work with a priest who: 

• Preaches effectively, to our hearts as well as our heads. We are an intelligent and caring Christian community with a deep love for the historic faith as handed down through the centuries. We are eager to hear the truth of the Gospels interpreted in fresh, new ways that address the challenges of this age. Our new pastor should inspire us by connecting us to the word of God, here and now. 

• Provides compassionate pastoral care to all. While we want and need a priest who can understand and address the struggles of each member of St. Andrew’s, we also need a pastor who understands and addresses the needs of those beyond our walls. We believe strongly in engaging the Gospel with the world, and we want our new rector to help us find new ways to continue to do just that.

• Can strategically guide and manage growth, not only in terms of membership and finances, but through our shared ministries as well. Our new priest should have the capacity to amplify Christ’s vision of love, leading us boldly toward the realization of that vision. We are eager to serve the Vineyard and world as we know it and will look to our new rector for guidance.

As we understand it, these criteria are generally the “price of admission” for any new rector. Having said that, based on structured discussions after our Appreciative Inquiry (in the summer of 2025) and the even more recent results of our Congregational Assessment Tool (commissioned as part of our pastoral search), we have discerned clear and specific goals for which St. Andrew’s seeks compelling and compassionate leadership.

Here they are.

• We want to grow, but not for growth’s sake. We seek a rector who can help us strategize an intelligent path to growth that builds on our strengths: Adherence to the Gospels, commitment to pastoral care, openness to all manner of God’s people. St. Andrew’s has historically demonstrated an acceptance of, and love for, those living different sorts of lives and having different views and opinions. We want our new priest to help us find more and better ways to invite anyone who professes a faith to join our congregation, embracing and celebrating who they are and the fresh talents and skills they bring to our shared lives.

• We are eager to find ways to welcome younger families with children. We are an older church (90 percent-plus over fifty-five), with only a few families with children, and no church school or Christian education program. This is, quite literally, a “tabula rasa,” a clear and present opportunity for our new pastor. There are many in the congregation eager to be a part of this new growth. 

• We want our new priest to provide more opportunities for Christian education and spiritual formation at every stage of our lives. He or she or they should help us find fresh, new ways to connect with one another – to form meaningful relationships (individually and in small groups), to share meals, to engage in Bible or book studies, and to gather in other smaller, more intimate engagements that will foster our spiritual development.

• We want to strengthen the pastoral response of the church to serve people in times of need – emotional, mental, physical, spiritual. Our new rector should not only increase pastoral visits to the elderly, the infirm and the housebound, but also teach us, as a congregation, how to do the same. We want a rich tapestry of ministries that goes well beyond the rector’s office.

• We want our new rector to help develop the “spiritual generosity” of the people to support the ministries of the church with gifts of time, talent and treasure. He or she or they should tie these threefold ways of giving into one, helping us understand that the Gospel asks us not only for gifts of money, but gifts of self as well. We are each called to ministry, and we each have our own special mission. Our new priest must remind us of that. 

St. Andrew’s is bound together by Christians who hold the love of God, as expressed through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to be absolutely central to their lives and work. We are a parish rich in tradition and faith. Part of that faith, of course, is expressed through hope. And it is with that hope – and naturally God’s grace – that we believe we can become better with the guidance of the right pastor. 

There is untapped potential here at St. Andrew’s. We look forward to working with a new rector who can help us release that potential to the Vineyard and to the world.