Administrative Organization of the Vestry as Amended and Approved by the Vestry on 5/15/03

The national canons of the Episcopal Church provide that the parish vestry “shall be agents and legal representatives of the parish in all matters concerning its corporate property and the relations of the parish to its clergy.” Our diocesan canons put it more succinctly by stating that the vestry shall have charge of “all the secular concerns” of the parish. Certainly the vestry has a broader role, but management and oversight of the business affairs of the parish is a responsibility that it cannot delegate and for which it is held accountable. As part of the long-range planning process that it recently initiated, the vestry has approved a new plan for its administrative organization. Long-time parishioners will see much that is familiar in this plan. Most of the changes stem from the desire to draw more people and new expertise into active participation in parish affairs.

Officers of the Vestry

The senior warden, elected for a one-year term on recommendation of the rector, is the principal adviser to the rector and the recognized lay leader of the parish. There is no change in this position.

The junior warden, elected by the vestry for a one-year term, has in the past been in charge of buildings and grounds. That will no longer be the case. Instead, the junior warden will chair the Financial Stewardship Committee.

The treasurer, elected by the vestry for a three-year non-renewable term, is responsible for administration of all financial matters. The treasurer is assisted by two associate treasurers. In the last year of the treasurer's term, the vestry chooses an assistant treasurer whom it anticipates will be elected to succeed the incumbent. The principal change here is the new position of senior associate treasurer.

There will be no changes in the positions of chancellor and clerk. The chancellor, elected by the vestry for a three-year renewable term, is the parish's legal advisor. The clerk, elected annually, carries out the secretariat function.

Committees of the Vestry

The composition of the Finance Committee and its overall assignment (to advise the vestry on budget and financial administration) remain unchanged. What is new is the creation of three subcommittees. The Budget Subcommittee will develop annual budget recommendations for the vestry. The Audit Subcommittee will recommend an independent auditor to the vestry, receive and evaluate the audit report, and monitor internal control procedures. The Investment Subcommittee will advise the treasurer on investment of idle cash, manage the endowment, recommend policies for expenditure of endowment income, and receive and evaluate reports of the Diocesan Investment Committee. Creation of these new subcommittees substantially expands opportunities for service in several critical areas.

The Stewardship Formation Committee is a new creation. It will be composed of the junior warden (chair) and at least four other members appointed by the rector and wardens, two of whom must be vestry members. This committee will plan and oversee stewardship events and a program of stewardship education, and coordinate the work of three subcommittees. The Annual Giving Subcommittee will plan and oversee the annual canvass. The Capital Giving Subcommittee will develop long-range plans for capital campaigns and exercise oversight of such campaigns. The Special Giving Subcommittee will develop and disseminate information on planned and designated giving.

The Personnel Committee will continue with little change in its present composition and charge. The principal change will be to require that at least half of its six members must be members of the vestry.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee, which has functioned for many years as a support group for the junior warden, will now become a committee of the vestry with a formal charter. It will be chaired by a member of the vestry and will recommend policies for the use of our buildings and grounds, develop long-range plans for the maintenance and improvement of the physical plant, assist the Finance Committee in developing a five-year capital budget, and recruit and oversee volunteers for care of the buildings and grounds.

Enlargement of committee diagram shown below