Christ Church Easton 111 South Harrison Street Easton, MD 21601 410-822-2677 www.christchurcheaston.org ASSISTANT TO THE RECTOR (Curate) POSITION DESCRIPTION SACERDOTAL In conjunction with the Rector, design, organize and offer inspiring worship services. Assist with every sacerdotal ministry: baptisms, weddings, Holy Eucharist and funerals. Preach the Gospel with hope, clarity, conviction and grace. Train and support the ministries of Acolytes, the Eucharistic Ministers and the Lectors. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Develop a compelling and holistic small group ministry and equip lay leadership to lead. Develop, grow and expand Family Ministries in concert with the goals of the church. Co-lead corresponding justice/outreach ministries and retreats. Teach/lead/organize a special CE program/seminar two times a year. Offer baptism and membership/confirmation classes for teens and for adults. NEWCOMERS MINISTRY/EVANGELISM Organize a comprehensive Newcomer Ministry. Develop an effective Greeter ministry as part of the Newcomer Ministry. Develop a program to encourage and support church membership (Membership Classes), community belonging, and strengthen faith development of new members. Team with the Communication and Evangelism efforts of the Parish. PASTORAL Engage active parish visiting and pastoral calling in hospitals, hospice and homes. Be available for, and responsive to, pastoral needs. Partner with Stephen Ministry leaders and ministers. ADMINISTRATION Build an intentional connection with the Christ Church Day School and Board. Additional related responsibilities may be assigned as needed. Inquiries may be made to christchurcheastonmd@gmail.com ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE CHURCH Christ Church St. Peter s Parish is an active Episcopal church located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the small town of Easton. An important presence in the community since its founding in 1692, the church has experienced more than a tripling in its membership since the current Rector commenced his ministry here in 1999. In the last seventeen years the parish ASA grew from about 100 at worship to about 330 three years ago. Since then the church has seen a great deal of change. As of the end of 2015 the parish was seeing something closer to an ASA of 290. For a period of seventeen months, ending in December 2015, the church underwent a $2.2 million restoration. (We are debt-free.) During that time we were removed from our building and carried on our worship services in five different locations. The stresses of the displacement were more than matched by the beauty and glory of our worship experiences and events. While exhausting, it was in fact, a holy endeavor of great excitement, creativity and goodness; and we experienced many blessings outside the walls of the church. Even so, during the restoration, we lost parishioners. Throughout the process we were regrettably understaffed. Consequently we were unable to offer the key growth and community development ministries we needed to have had in place. Partially resulting from that, and concurrent with larger trends related to our demographics (particularly age-related illnesses, an increase in deaths in the congregation, and an uptick in parishioners moving out of State) have resulted in a reduction in membership. Most of our losses have been identifiably generational.
As for the restoration, it is functional, but not finished. There are still many things remaining to complete. At the same time, we experience the restored church as essentially the same, and entirely different. Both of these sayings well articulate where we are as a congregation as well. Our perspective is that this is a transitional time; it is already obvious to see that we are becoming a new and different church. The broadly felt conviction of the parish leadership is that we are in the beginning stages of a new life of evangelical mission and ministry; and as the church turns its principle focus and energy away from the demands of the restoration, we are returning to our core work in Christ. The church offers a full and vibrant worship schedule in three Sunday morning services as well as a contemporary and casual Saturday evening service. It has had a strong Christian education programs in the past, which we intend to reestablish. It currently has a wide range of pastoral care and outreach ministries to the church membership, the local community, and well beyond our region. Our goal is to excite and nurture our parishioners in their lives as faithful disciples, and even perhaps as apostles, of Jesus Christ. Without a doubt we understand our community as a critical and evangelistic mission, recognizing that as the parish s faith, hope, and love grows, it will naturally reach out to bring others into the knowledge and love of God and Christ. Parish leadership has reviewed our ministry in light of the generational, demographic and paradigm changes of our culture, church community and local area. We intend to break out of the current plateau, develop new strategies of effective evangelism, and position the parish to be a more functional proclamation of the Gospel. The staff of the church is changing accordingly. We are in the process of reconfiguring our Staff to be more effective in our fundamental calling in Jesus Christ. The Assistant to the Rector (Curate) will combine the traditional roles of an Assistant to the Rector with an eye toward contemporary Family Ministries. In addition to the general responsibilities of a clergyperson, this position will intentionally develop, pursue and support church growth and development strategies. THE PERSON WE ARE SEEKING Education/Certification Required: A Master s of Divinity degree and either currently ordained or in an ordination track recognized by the Episcopal Church. While educational background matters, we take into account a person s heart as well as their experience, talents and gifts and the enthusiasm to learn and grow. Experience
We are most interested in candidates who have a calling and a fire to serve as a priest in the particular mission field of families with young children and also with young adults (20 s- 30 s). We also believe that intergenerational experiences strengthen the whole congregation. The best candidate will also have the organizational skills, experience, ability, and enthusiasm for Christian formation, teaching, and program development. The person invited into this ministry will have an appreciation for, an inclination toward, and an unbridled enthusiasm for the fundamentals of these particular ministries. He/She should therefore demonstrate conviction, capacity and talents in these areas of ministry. This is not a place for the unmotivated, ineffective or the timid. The world is changing; and the world is changing fast. We are not overwhelmed by this fact; we see it as the new mission field and the way things really are. We count it as our opportunity to advance the Gospel and believe we are up to the challenge. The living church must change if it is to be effective in the proclamation of the Gospel and relevant in the promotion of the Christian faith. Systemic perpetuation of the status quo of the church in its current practices and expectations is a mission in historic self-preservation. Simply put, it is a flawed rationale and it is an insufficient calling and purpose. As a vision it demonstrates an all too common lack of conviction. Christ Church is intent on growing a comprehensive faith community that will call, prepare, and encourage all people in their lives as Christians. We do not have the time nor do we seek those who want to reiterate the failed clichés of church in lieu of developing vibrant, real, comprehensive and contemporary ministries. We seek someone who will bring the gifts necessary to help this come to fruition. While some previous parish experience is desirable, and an appreciation for the dynamics of growing congregations would be helpful, mostly we believe in ones true calling and we are seeking that person who is uniquely called into this particular ministry and mission. Personal The Curate will be someone who has the courage and commitment to undertake the development of compelling ministries for the building up of the Kingdom of God. This person must be able to communicate with conviction, integrity, clarity, hope, love, and relevance. We seek someone who finds joy, excitement and a sense of fulfillment working with people. Come to us as a person with a compelling faith, a compassionate hope and a prayerful presence and be a living example of real life Christian discipleship in your own daily witness. The Curate will be considered a full colleague and an integral part of the entire ministry of the parish.
We expect the relationship to be grounded in our common faith in Jesus Christ. We value dialogue, dedication, and determination. We expect openness and honesty, patience and cooperation. We do not expect perfection; but we do not respect poor nor careless efforts. The Curate will be entrusted with much. You will be expected to be a positive and proactive presence in the lives of those in this community. The person best suited for this position will be hopeful, happy, creative, energetic, collaborative, thoughtful, motivated, and dependable. To understand that good enough is not good enough, will resonate with our desire to be excellent in our undertakings. The person must be able to work well with others. Having a good sense of humor is essential. We want to enjoy working together to make a difference in the world. A willingness to work with the Rector s vision for the future of the Parish is expected. THE COMPENSATION AND OPPORTUNITY The compensation package includes a competitive compensation, health and life insurance, and the Episcopal Church pension plan. Those interested in applying for consideration should provide a resume, any ministry profile, and a brief statement of your ministry. Please address inquiries to christchurcheastonmd@gmail.com.