Our Discernment Process

In November 2022 the vestry commissioned an 11-member search committee after our rector of 14 years accepted a call to serve in Florida. The parish enthusiastically participated in a formal discernment process, which included a standardized survey issued by Holy Cow Consulting, 14 well-attended small discussion groups, and direct interviews with parish staff and key constituents.

The discernment process gave parishioners the opportunity to go deep with each other.

We repeatedly heard that St. John’s has been a place of inspiration, respite, hope, and community. We heard deep gratitude in how the church community has shown up for each other during challenging times. We also heard that we are over-scheduled, worried about our families, seeking true connection, and tired. We heard how the hyper-partisan national political scene has left some on both sides of the spectrum feeling alienated. We resoundingly heard that using our privileges and resources in the service of others is a priority.

This discernment process also helped us identify fundamental characteristics of our parish. We overwhelmingly value excellent preaching. We welcome a variety of perspectives: while solidly theologically progressive, some theologically conservative parishioners also call St. John’s home. We appreciate our liturgical traditions rooted in the Book of Common Prayer and the high caliber of our church music. We are at the middle mark in terms of how much we like change, showing more flexibility in programming than in worship. We are blessed with very strong lay leadership and volunteerism.

Our priorities in the near future are to continue the legacy of strong preaching while strengthening our pastoral response to people in need—emotionally, physically, and spiritually—and to expand ministries that help across these same areas. To serve our many school-age parishioners, we want to continue to rebuild our youth program, which suffered recent setbacks due to clergy turnover and the COVID pandemic. We want to love and be loved: to continue to grow through sharing the blessing of St. John’s with the community.

Parish Search Prayer

Loving God, we your children ask you to send us a rector who will love us every day, show us how to be like Jesus in our world, and teach us to act like Jesus towards our neighbors. We pray for patience and wisdom on this journey. Amen.