Rector Transition

- Conduct an exit interview with Fr. Eric

- Present Search Committe to the Vestry for "confirmation"

- Develop a Search Committe Charge and present to Committee

-Formally introduce Committe Chair to the Canon for Diocesan Life and Leadership (Canon Stephanie Allen)

-Develop a Parish Search Collect

-Deliver a Liturgy for Commissioning during a church service.

Committee review the Search Committee Charge- as briefly outlined below:

•              Budget of $15,000 to cover:
•              Website upgrades, if needed         
•              Developing  a Self -Study                                             
•              Travel to visit candidates
•              Background checks for finalists
•              Relocation expenses
•              Miscellaneous expenses
• Develop a Transition Section for church website     
• Develop an "open letter" to potential candidates that tells our story
• Develop a "portfolio" document which tells a clear story of the congregation's life and ministry for use in marketing the position of rector of St. Philip's Church.
• Receive confidential information from the Transition Ministy Officer
• Work carefully with interested clergy and mutually discern a quality priest who may be elected by the Vestry as our next rector.
• Strive to present the Vestry the Committee's candidate for Full-Time Rector within eight (8) months of the Committee's first meeting.
• Notify the Transition Ministry Officer and Bishop of finalist at least sixty (60) days prior to any election.
• Initiate background checks on finalists.
• Provide the Vestry one (1) final candidate

In order to fulfill the Vestry Charge:

The search committee will develop a Parish self-study using information gathered during “Congregational Conversation” focus group sessions scheduled throughout October (see scheduled attached). The four questions stated earlier in this tab are designed to elicit responses that describe: how parishioners feel about St Philips church; how well church activities help to fulfill the church’s mission; and when changes were needed. The search committee will develop a survey to help develop a narrative that will be included in this section of the web site.

This tab will also be used to help keep the members of the church community up to date on the search progress.

                            “St. Philip’s Congregation Conversations” Meeting Schedule 

Facilities Ministry Board 

(Grounds Keepers included here)  

Thus. 10/9/25 10 AM Paul / Evan 

Chapel Annex

Friday Men’s Group 

 Fri  10/10/25 9 AM David / Bill  

Chapel Annex 

Finance Committee 

 Tues. 10/14/25 11:30 AM Paul / Evan  

Room 202 

Parish Life Ministry Board / ECW 

 Tues. 10/14/25 1 PM Jeanne / Kim / Steve 

Parish Hall 

Pastoral Care Ministry Board 

 Tues.  10/14/25 2 PM Dennis / Bill  

Chapel Annex 

Wednesday Men’s Group 

 Wed. 10/15/25 9 AM David / Bill 

Chapel Annex 

Men on a Mission 

Thurs. 10/16/25 11:30 AM David / Bill

Parish Hall

Worship Ministry Board 

(Ushers included here)  

Tues. 10/21/25 2 PM Dennis / Dana

Parish Hall 

Vestry 

 Tues.  10/21/25 4 PM Paul / Evan

Room 202 

Choir 

 Wed.  10/22/25 5 PM Jeanne / Kim / Steve  

Room 202 

Parish Wide 

 Sun.  10/26/25 11:15 AM All members 

Parish Hall 

Outreach Ministry Board  

Wed. 10/29/25 4 PM David / Bill  

Room 202 

Parish Wide 

 Sun. 11/2/25 11:15 AM All members 

Parish Hall 

Spiritual Formation Ministry Board 

  TBD TBD Evan / Dana TBD 

Rector Search Update [11-18-25]

The Rector Search Committee has now met ten times since late August and has completed 11 Congregational Conversations and provided a 14-questiion online parish survey. More than one hundred parishioners participated in the 4-question Conversations and 110 surveys were submitted. We are grateful for the thoughtful and heartfelt input you shared. Your voices have guided this search process from the beginning and will continue to provide your “voice” as we progress through the steps prescribed by our diocese.

Using your responses, the Search Committee has completed the full Rector Search Profile— responses to over sixty questions that describe who we are as a parish and the qualities we hope for in our next rector.

Across all the conversations and surveys, several themes rose to the top. The following represents the number of times areas of parish life were mentioned during the conversations:

Theme Frequency:

• Pastoral Care – 53

• Community – 37

• Sermons / Preaching – 35

• Outreach – 35

• Growth – 24

• Variety of Worship Styles – 19

Four Core Qualities Identified:

From Conversations and Surveys feedback, four core qualities clearly emerged - qualities our parish feels are most important as we discern our next priest:

• Caring

• Approachable

• Inspiring

• Spiritual

These themes and qualities helped the Search Committee speak clearly about our parish identity and our hopes for new clergy leadership.

The Next Step:

The Vestry has approved the Profile, and it has been submitted to the Diocese of East Carolina for review. Once the diocesan review of our input is complete, the profile will be forwarded to the Office of Transition Management (OTM) in the Episcopal Church

Center in New York City. OTM maintains and updates active “portfolios” of individuals and congregations that are engaged in a search. The time between posting an opening and the receipt of completed applications can run between four to eight weeks. OTM will provide our diocese the cover letters, resumes and profiles of qualified candidates that have indicated interest in becoming our next rector. The diocese will research the candidates’ backgrounds for potential problems. Once our Search Committee receives the Diocesan office list of candidates (with cover letters, resumes and portfolios), the next phase of the search, Interviews, will begin. In the meantime, we will be preparing for the interviews by developing questions for the candidates that reflect the interests that you provided as well as preparing for possible questions that will be asked by the candidates. We will also be refining the discernment process needed to identify the priest that has been prepared for this parish.

• Submit the Portfolio to the Vestry for approval and then to the Diocese.
• Following approval, the Diocese forwards the Portfolio to the Office of Transition Ministry (OTM) for candidates to review
• Diocese reviews all candidate applications for any "red flags" before forwarding the candidates' packages to the Search Committee
• In the period between submitting the Portfolio to the Diocese and receiving candidate applications, the Search Committee will:

o Develop interview questions.

o Refine the discernment process.

o Review and refine the budget for the remainder of the process.

o Keep the congregation informed of the search process and progress (while maintaining confidentiality).

o Keep prayer central to the process.

 Canon Stephanie or Search Coach Hannah Jarman will meet with the Search Committee to cover the interview process.

Review of applications

o The Search Committee must scrutinize actual applications from actual priests to carefully and prayerfully discern whether one of the priests is called by God to serve in this congregation.

•   Let the congregation know where the process stands while maintaining guarding the identity of each applicant.

o The Committee reviews the applications and decides who to move forward to an interview.

•     Each step of the process should be completed on all applications before the Committee decides who to move forward to an interview.

• Interviews (usually video):

o Committee Chair contacts the candidates who have been moved forward and arranges for an interview at a time that is convenient for all parties.

•  Let the candidate know the amount of time to allot and the video method to be used.
•  If two or more interviews are to be conducted on the same day, allow sufficient time between interviews to review the earlier interview before starting the next interview.
•  Allow between 45 minutes and 2 hours for interviews.

o Compile a list of questions to develop a single list of questions so that each candidate is asked about the same topics.

o Know what topics cannot be asked.

o Be prepared to answer questions from the candidates.

o Let the candidate know what happens next and when the next contact will be made.

• Reference Checks

o If an advancing candidate has not provided a reference list, request at least three references (beside their Bishop and/or Canon) who can be contacted by phone.

•        One should be a current parishioner of the priest’s church
•        Others can be colleagues or classmates.
•      If references are on the application, verify with the candidate the contact information and that it is alright to contact them.

o Ask the same questions of each reference and log the answers and impressions

o The Committee meets and discerns (careful, prayerful, in-person discussions) whether it feels drawn to continue the process with the candidates

• Site Visit to Candidate’s Congregation

o Each candidate that is chosen to continue the process should be assigned a primary Committee contact.

• Ascertain candidate’s continued interest.
• Carefully coordinate a site visit.

o The Committee should develop a plan for questions to ask. 

• only modest modification of questions for all candidates.

o Two or three Committee members should make the visit.

• Purpose of the visit is to see whether the candidate’s actual ministry aligns with their self-description.
• Gather in-depth impressions and observations.

Ask the priests how to best blend in and not be “spotted” as a Search Committee.

o Each visiting team is to write a visitation report ASAP upon their return from their trip.

o The Committee meets to share experiences and impressions.

o Together and prayerfully, the Committee decides on the final candidate(s).

• Inform the candidates who are finalists
• Inform Canon Stephanie or Hannah Jarmon at the Diocese 
• The Diocese will initiate background checks
• The Bishop will make “Bishop-to-Bishop” phone call(s).

• Parish Visit

o The Committee will invite the (Bishop-approved) candidate(s) (and spouses, partners) to St. Philip’s for interviews with the entire Seach Committee.

•  Personal interview
•  Tour of the Parish

• It is permissible to ask the candidate to preside over a Eucharist, give a sermon and/or teach a formation class for the Committee members.

•  Surrounding community
•  Social time