Challenges & Hopes

Pastoral Care

Discernment revealed that deepening St. John’s pastoral capabilities is a high priority. Our new rector must be adept at building the personal relationships that sustain a community. Additionally, some parishioners value clergy visits and check-ins during times of need. We look forward to developing our lay pastoral team. Overall, we want to find ways to strengthen inclusivity and intergenerational community, and to help members new and old feel more connected and supported, both in challenging times and in everyday life.

The Tension of Faith and Politics

The majority of parishioners have overwhelmingly appreciated the clergy’s efforts to address current issues from the pulpit while avoiding overt partisan political content. We have, however, heard dissatisfied voices on both ends of the spectrum: some felt that sermons and church stances have crossed the non-partisan line, while others wish they did so more often and more emphatically, when necessary. Our anti-racism ministry, Becoming Beloved Community, is largely celebrated, however, at its inception some parishioners viewed it as too political. Originally called the Anti-Racism Ministry, or “ARM,” the name change and continued work of the ministry seems to have assuaged some of those concerns.

Our new rector will need to provide wise leadership and counsel as we work out as a community where the line should be. We appreciate, as one parishioner put it, that church is “the last non-partisan place to come together.” We do not want to worship in an echo chamber and appreciate that St. John’s is a place where people with different views can worship, listen to one another, and serve together, but we also seek sermons and guidance on how to respond to the issues of the day as our faith requires.

Youth

Our middle and high school age youth programming was disrupted by clergy turnover and the COVID pandemic, and has not yet fully recovered. Our teens appreciate clergy participation in their faith journeys, and expressed an interest in programming that includes more spiritual guidance. We need our new rector not only to prioritize children and youth programming, but to take an active role in it and in our youths’ lives.

Church can’t just be a place to ‘go’ every week—it’s all about the personal, positive, and sacred connections we have with one another and how we live out our lives with Christ.

—parishioner comment