The Vestry Handbook, Fourth Edition

By Christopher L. Webber

An indespensable resource that supports vestry members and clergy in their ministry.

Trusted by tens of thousands of vestry members, wardens, and rectors, The Vestry Handbook is the indispensable guide to the day-to-day functions of an Episcopal parish. The handbook includes explanations of leadership roles and organizational structure, parish finances, building maintenance, tax considerations, elections, the spiritual lives of vestry members, and more.

This new fourth edition responds to the changing needs of Episcopal churches with additional coverage of diversity and inclusion, new guidance for parish finances, and advice tailored to small congregations. The volume has been updated throughout to reflect the current canons of the Episcopal Church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Church Publishing
• Release date: Jan 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9781640656710

Christopher L. Webber

Christopher L. Webber, a graduate of Princeton University and the General Theological Seminary in New York, is an Episcopal priest who has led urban, rural, and overseas parishes. He is the author of several books, including Welcome to Christian Faith,Beyond Beowulf, and A Year with American Saints, co-authored with Lutheran Pastor G. Scott Cady. Webber grew up in Cuba, New York, and lives in San Francisco.

Book preview

Cover pictureTitle page: CHRISTOPHER L. WEBBER, The Vestry Handbook (Fourth Revised Edition), Church publising incorporated

Copyright © 2024 by Christopher L Webber

First edition published in 1988. Revised edition published in 2000. Third edition published in 2011.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Church Publishing Incorporated

19 East 34th Street

New York, NY 10016

www.churchpublishing.org

Cover design and typeset by Nord Compo

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Webber, Christopher L., author.

Title: The vestry handbook / Christopher L. Webber.

Description: Fourth edition. | New York : Morehouse Publishing, [2024] |

Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023038099 | ISBN 9781640656703 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781640656710 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Episcopal Church—Government—Handbooks, manuals, etc. |

Church officers—Episcopal Church—Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Classification: LCC BX5967.5 .W43 2024 | DDC 254/.0373—dc23/eng/20231017

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023038099

This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

1 - The Role of a Vestry Member

Canons and Customs

Representation, Leadership, and Communications

2 - Vestry Structures: With a Note on the Annual Meeting

Leadership

Wardens

Committees, Commissions, Task Forces, Parish Councils

Dispatch of Business

The Rector or Priest-in-Charge

Making Committees Work

A Note on the Annual Parish Meeting

Conflict and Competition

Dealing with Conflict

3 - Finances

Stewardship

Parish Income

The Budget Process

Capital Funds

4 - Buildings and Grounds

Use of the Buildings

Taking Inventory

Doing the Job

A Note on Cemeteries and Columbariums

A Note on Global Stewardship

5 - Insurance

Some General Comments

Insurance for Buildings

Building Contents and Fine Arts

Liabilities

Financial

Life, Health, and Injury

Other Kinds of Insurance

Summary

6 - The Care and Feeding of Rectors

Sharing the Work of Ministry

Defining Relationships

Compensation

A Note on Clergy Housing

A Final Word

7 - The Parish Staff

Volunteers

Secretarial

Custodial

Music

Pastoral Staff

Compensation

Tenure

8 - A Vision for Your Parish

Setting Goals

Goals and Objectives

Spiritual Growth

Evangelism, Church Growth, Membership

Serving the Community

Working for Change

Burnout

9 - The Search Process—And Afterward

Informing the Bishop

The Interim

The Search Process

A New Beginning

10 - The Vestry Member's Spiritual Life

The Vestry Meeting and the Vestry Member

The Prayer Book Pattern

Intercession

Private Prayer and Meditation

A Rule of Life

11 - The Diocese and the National Church

Church Government

Origins of the Episcopal Church's Government

Parish and Diocese

The National Church

The National Church and the Parish

Ecumenical Relations

In Conclusion

Summary of Relevant Canons

Concerning Buildings and Property

Concerning Finances

Vestry Responsibilities

Dealing with Conflict

Other Matters

Leadership Roles

The Role of Warden

Sample Agenda for Meeting of Warden(s) and Priest

The Role of the Treasurer or Financial Secretary

The Role of the Vestry Clerk or Recording Secretary

Sample Property Surveys

Building Survey A  - Date: ________________________

Building Survey B  - Date: ________________________

Building Survey C  - Date: ________________________

Grounds Survey D  - Date: ________________________

Sample Statements of Purpose

Sample Columbarium Contract*

Terms and Conditions

St. Paul's Church ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

A Glossary of Church Terms

Resources

Books for Further Reading

Index

Introduction

This is a guidebook for members of Episcopal Church vestries: a resource book, not a novel. There is no plot, no character development, and no surprise ending. It is a resource book to use as needed. Those asked to serve on a particular committee may find a relevant chapter. Others may find references to areas that interest them in the index. The place to begin is probably with Chapter One, The Role of a Vestry Member, and then with areas relevant to the immediate assignment. Other sections, such as those on the diocese and national church, may be useful background to fill in when there is time.

Note also the suggestions that may be more properly the province of the rector or priest-in-charge. This book assumes a parish with an open style of leadership in which suggestions are always welcomed and everyone is expected to contribute. If this book suggests a new way of doing things that has some appeal, the hope is that vestry and clergy can work together in a spirit of collegiality to explore such possibilities and, where appropriate, implement them.

Read the sections titled Working for Change and Burnout. Try to balance idealism and realism. Be sensitive to others. Rely on prayer. God has a purpose for you and for your parish. You cannot accomplish it alone. This book does not have all the answers, but God’s grace is always sufficient.

1

The Role of a Vestry Member

Canons and Customs

The vestry of an Episcopal church has three primary responsibilities. The first two are managerial: to take care of the parish finances and parish buildings. The third responsibility (though all or part of it may be assigned to the parish meeting in some dioceses) is to choose individuals to fill various positions of parish leadership and representation: the election of a rector or priest-in-charge, the choice of delegates to the diocesan convention, and the selection of other individuals as the diocesan canons and parish bylaws may stipulate. All these responsibilities are defined by the laws of the Episcopal Church that are called canons.

Beyond this, most vestries may quickly find that they have a wide variety of duties, ranging from the assignment of ushers at services to the making of plans for the parish’s future. Some of these responsibilities may be spelled out in vestry bylaws or result from specific parish decisions. Others may simply be the result of generally accepted parish customs: We’ve always done it that way.

In addition to the canons and local bylaws and customs, there are sometimes state laws that define the responsibilities of religious corporations and that may be different for each denomination. In the case of the Episcopal Church, these laws may specify election procedures and even the date when the annual meeting is to be held. It might also be pointed out that, contrary to the common mythology about separation of church and state, the clergy must conform to state law when they perform marriages, and in that role they function as officers of the state. The laws that regulate a church’s operations are not, of course, intended to restrict or inhibit the church but only to provide some ultimate referee should that be necessary.

It is important for vestry members to be familiar with the laws of church and state under which they operate and to be certain that they are in conformity with them. Parishes often fall into habits that are out of keeping with these laws and thereby expose themselves to the possibility of serious problems if someone feels mistreated or if the parish becomes involved in controversy over, for example, the sale of a building or the use of its land. Such issues can become very emotional, and if proper procedures are not followed—even in the election of the vestry members who made the decision—complex and expensive legal actions can result.

Many parishes have brought together the Church’s canons, the state’s laws, and whatever local customs they feel are important and formally adopted them as parish bylaws. Such a compilation can be very helpful and should be reviewed from time to time by someone with legal training and experience.

Every new member of the vestry should be provided with such a set of bylaws, if it exists. Every vestry member should review the bylaws regularly and be familiar with their provisions. Copies of the diocesan canons and national canons should also be available to vestry members, perhaps in a parish library or other convenient location.

Every vestry should also, from time to time, review the responsibilities it is attempting to carry out and ask whether it is more appropriate for the vestry or some other group to deal with each assignment and, if it does seem best for the vestry to accept the responsibility, to ask whether the vestry is properly structured to perform the task.

Bylaws and structure may not be subjects of great interest to all members of the vestry and reviewing them may seem a waste of time since they are seldom referred to. But where they are neglected, there is greater possibility of wasting time and creating conflict. Clear organizational lines are a first priority in getting the job done.

Narrow legalism and a concern to defend one’s turf, however, can also obstruct progress. Canons, laws, and bylaws may assign the rector or priest-in-charge, wardens, and vestry members specific roles to play or jobs to do, but none of these individuals can perform those duties adequately without the help, support, and understanding of the others. The vestry is responsible for finances, for example, but the priest’s leadership will make the necessary fundraising easier. The priest, conversely, is responsible for worship, but an informed and supportive vestry can help the priest make wise decisions and interpret them to the parish. St. Paul’s analogy of the Church as one body with many members is always helpful. No member can say to the others, I have no need of you (1 Cor. 12:21). Where those with specific responsibilities are clear as to what their duties are but are open to the contribution others can make and eager to work together, the church will make bodily growth and build itself up in love (Eph. 4:16).

Representation, Leadership, and Communications

Vestry members are elected by the whole parish and should, of course, try to represent the interests of all parish members. It is worth noting, however, that most parishes have some system for nominating candidates for the vestry and that a nominating committee will usually try to see that members of various ages and sexualities are included among the nominees. Perhaps specific parish groups, such as the Episcopal Church Women, will be represented. If vestry members are also members of other such groups within the parish, they should naturally make it a point to report to their groups, either formally or informally, on vestry matters. Such reporting will, in turn, enable them to bring to vestry meetings the concerns of others and to represent those concerns constructively.

Leadership, however, involves more than representation. Former Yale football coach Herman Hickman once said that he felt it was his job to keep the Yale alumni sullen but not mutinous. Leadership is not a matter of simply reflecting other people’s opinions and so keeping them happy, but of learning, educating, informing, and persuading others.

Leadership involves working to realize a vision of what the parish could be but is not. It involves change. That may leave some members sullen but, if it is done patiently and lovingly, mutiny can generally be avoided. Indeed, a corporate spirit can grow that will reach into every aspect of parish life.

Leadership is a matter also of prayer and Bible study. The financial and property concerns of a vestry are not something wholly separate from the church’s life of worship or its mission to serve others. The decision to paint the church will leave less money available for outreach, but failure to paint or repair the church may make the church less attractive to new members and therefore less able to support future outreach programs. Such choices are not easily made and cannot be governed only by financial considerations. Decisions not growing out of prayer and Bible study and worship will be less likely to sustain and nourish the parish as it seeks to carry out its primary mission in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Finally, vestry members have a liaison role to play between the parish members and the clergy and staff. They should help the clergy hear members who may not be willing or able to speak for themselves and help the parish understand the work the clergy are doing and the pressures they may be under. Good communications are critically important if the members of the body are to work together and support each other in love.

2

Vestry Structures:

With a Note on the Annual Meeting

The national and diocesan canons provide only minimal guidance as to parish and vestry structures. It is common for vestries to have two wardens—for the rector or priest-in-charge to be the presiding officer, and for a senior warden to preside in the rector’s absence—but some dioceses and parishes have somewhat different arrangements. Diocesan canons or state laws may specify some of these patterns, but none of them is provided for in the national canons of the church.

Whatever guidelines and requirements do exist still leave a great deal of room for variation and flexibility in working out the details. Probably no two parishes operate in exactly the same way. What is important is that each parish, while conforming to the minimum standards that are set, finds a style that works for that parish.

If certain issues keep coming up without being resolved, if meetings tend to bog down in details and run on at great length, if some members have no sense of involvement, if there is a growing sense of frustration, perhaps the time has come to consider structuring the vestry in some new and, perhaps, more satisfactory way. There are many models from which to choose, and time spent considering modification or replacement of the existing system could, in the long run, be time well