Now accepting applications!
Exciting news: we are now accepting applications for the rector position!
As we receive applications over the coming weeks, the search committee will be reviewing, evaluating, and praying on whom to short-list.
If you know someone who might be interested in the position, please encourage them to review our parish profile and application requirements. We will be receiving applications through Feb. 16, 2024.
Search Committee Update
Your committee is busy refining the wealth of feedback provided in the discernment phase. We have greatly benefited from the experience, insight and candor that Meg+ has brought to our process, and remain well-aligned with the Diocese through our consultant. With consideration for the full fall and Advent calendars that our potential candidates are likely experiencing, we plan to formally post the Rector position on January 2, 2024. Thank you for your support and continued prayers as we search for our next Rector. If you have any questions, please reach out to any of the Rector Search Committee members (Rob Hess & Elizabeth Moulds, co-chairs, Jane Carr, Bill Carter, Barbie Dwyer, Dan Fickes, Matthew Ginn, Molly Powers, Caitlin Slodden, Sara Taylor, and Cathy Torrey).
Parish update—June 4
Please join us this Sunday, June 4, at 9 a.m. in Lower Weld Hall for a parish update from the Rector Search Committee. We will update all on the output from the online survey, themes from small groups, and the timeline going forward. We hope you can join us!
Lights ... camera ... action!
The Rector Search Committee is hard at work on a number of fronts as we continue our search for a new priest. One important project is the creation of a new video that will show off our church to prospective rectors. Produced by committee member Dan Fickes, of Ocean One Productions, the film will feature interviews with members of the St. John’s community talking about what it means to be part of this church alongside scenes of our church in action—in worship, education, and ministry. Beyond the rector search, the film will be a valuable tool to show people outside our community what St. John’s is about for years to come.
Coming this summer to a small screen near you!
A prayer for our search
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 how to act like Jesus towards our neighbors. We pray for patience and wisdom on this journey.
Amen
We want to hear from you!
Holy Cow, it’s here! St. John’s has contracted with Holy Cow! Consulting, a firm recommended by our diocese that has helped over 5,000 churches across 49 states and Canada with their Congregational Assessment Tool (“CAT”). The CAT is a 103-question survey that will help us identify the qualities we value in our church home and leadership.
The survey should take about a half hour, and must be completed in one sitting. A hard copy is available in the church office, and can be completed there, on paper, if you prefer. Please call the office to arrange a time to take it. The survey is anonymous. Every parishioner 16 years and older should complete a survey.
Links to the survey were sent to all recipients of the “St. John’s Goings On” email list. If you know of any parishioners who may not be able to read this email, or to whom we should reach out personally to ensure their opinions are recorded, please contact any member of the search committee.
The survey will be open until February 21, 2023. After it closes, we will follow up with opportunities for small group discussion. We will also share the results of the survey and our discernment process with the parish.
You may find that some of the language doesn’t capture your opinions, or find some questions hard to answer. That’s okay! Just pick the best answer you can, and also know that you’ll have a chance to talk to the search committee in person after the survey closes in a small-group format. This is just one tool we are using, and your participation at all stages is important.
If you have any questions about the survey or the search process, please reach out to the Search Committee. We are grateful for your participation—and prayers—throughout this process.
Annual Report Message from the Rector Search Committee
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -- Jeremiah 29:11.
Rob Hess, Search Committee Co-Chair, addresses the 140th Annual General Meeting of the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham Jan. 29, 2023.
Chosen by the Vestry to represent St. John's demographic diversity and a wide variety of its ministries, the Rector Search Committee was commissioned on November 20, 2022. The Rector Search Committee is co-chaired by Rob Hess and Elizabeth Moulds; its members are Jane Carr, Bill Carter, Barbie Dwyer, Dan Fickes, Matthew Ginn, Molly Powers, Caitlin Slodden, Sara Taylor, and Cathy Torrey. We are guided by a Diocesan search consultant, Elinor Horner, who was assigned to us in January, 2023. As outlined by the Diocese, our process includes prayerfully (a) creating and leading a parish-wide discernment about St. Johns' current status and future hopes, (b) creating a Parish Profile reflecting this feedback, (c) posting a job description and reviewing applicants, (d) and discerning which candidate God is leading to St. John's to recommend the Vestry to hire. Given the current employment climate, the search is likely to take between one and two years.
The Search Committee is currently in the discernment phase. We have contracted with Holy Cow Consultants to help us roll out a parish-wide, online survey at the end of this month. The survey will provide quantitative information about the range of views that exist at St. John's, as well as the congregation’s hopes for our future direction. After the survey closes, we will have opportunities for small group discussion to collect qualitative information. The more parishioners who participate in the discernment activities, the more accurate our parish profile and job description will be. We are working faithfully to see what good plans God has in store for St. John's, but finding the next rector of St. John's is the entire parish's responsibility, and we hope you will wholeheartedly support the search committee in prayer and by your participation in the discernment activities.
Search Committe Update Jan. 22, 2023
The Search Committee is meeting regularly and preparing to find God’s choice to be our next rector. Before the job description can be written, our congregation must first discern who we are and what we are seeking in the new rector. To do this, we need you! We will be using a variety of methods to listen to the parish's experiences and hopes for the future. We will start off with a survey at the end of the month--more information about the survey will follow the Annual Meeting. We will follow up the survey with ample opportunities for discussion. We are excited to see where God leads St. John's!
