The Church of the Transfiguration

Overview

The Vestry is the council of the Church of the Transfiguration. In addition to transacting the business operation of the church, the Vestry works with the Rector, under the Bishop, to lead the congregation in the ministries of the church. Following the model of servant leadership, each member of the Vestry is responsible for the effectiveness of our ministries, shaping and guiding them for the growth of the people of the congregation and for our mission to the community beyond our walls. Members of the Vestry are also committed to personal growth as leaders and to ministering to one another in Christian community. 

Terms of Office

Vestry members serve a three-year term beginning and ending at an Annual Parish Meeting on the last Sunday of January. Terms are staggered so that each year four new members are elected. Vacancies can be filled by the Vestry itself or by the congregation at an Annual Parish Meeting. Members who serve a partial term are eligible for re-election to a full term, but no member may serve consecutive full terms. Youth members of the Vestry are elected for a one-year term. 

Meeting Times and Location

Vestry meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the lower level Chapel. The Vestry does not meet in July or August. In some years, the Vestry enjoys a short weekend retreat together, either at the church or at a nearby retreat center.

Ministry Roles

Each member of the Vestry is asked to be a “point person” for one or more areas of ministry, and we work with incoming Vestry members to help find a good fit. The role will vary according to the ministry and the Vestry member. In some cases, that means the Vestry member chairs a committee. In other cases, the Vestry member is a liaison to an existing group, but not necessarily the chair. In still other cases, there may not be a committee or group, but the Vestry member consults with the Rector and others in the area of ministry responsibility.

Vestry members rotate responsibility for closing and locking the building after Sunday morning services. Vestry members also take turns leading a brief worship service of Compline at the end of each Vestry meeting. (See BCP p. 127.)

Qualifications

Vestry members must be Communicants of the Parish in good standing who are 18 years or older (Diocese of Chicago Canon 22.1). An exception is made for the youth delegate, who must be 16 years or older at the time of election. They must be contributors of record during the six months leading up to their election and declare their willingness to conform to the Doctrine, Discipline, and Worship of the Church (Diocese of Chicago Canon 22.3). “Good standing” is defined as follows: “All communicants of this Church who for the previous year have been faithful in corporate worship, unless for good cause prevented, and have been faithful in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God, are to be considered communicants in good standing.” (General Convention Canon I.17.3).

Candidates for Vestry should be men and women of prayer with gifts for ministry leadership. Those gifts may include creativity, wisdom, discernment, steadiness, administration, financial or physical plant management, prophesy, healing, patience, and others. No one member of the Vestry has all these gifts, yet each member of the Body of Christ "joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love" Ephesians 4:16. Candidates should have a passion for the mission and ministry of the Church of the Transfiguration and be known and trusted in the parish.

Expectations of Vestry Members

• Vestry members must attend Vestry meetings regularly.

• Vestry members must be regular in worship and attend the Annual Parish Meeting and other public functions of the parish when possible.

• Vestry members must listen to the hopes and concerns of parishioners and bring those to the full Vestry for open discussion and follow-up.

• The Vestry works toward consensus. Consensus will not be reached in all cases, but Vestry members will work to make sure that everyone is satisfied that they have been heard and that the decision-making process was fair. Vestry members are not required to agree with all the decisions of the group or to conceal their disagreement, but they are expected to support the group’s decisions and the integrity of the Vestry.

• Vestry members must keep confidentiality when required and not engage in gossip.

• Vestry members must provide leadership in the congregation’s stewardship efforts by pledging early and making incremental annual increases in pledges when possible.

• Vestry members have a fiduciary responsibility to support the mission, ministry, and purposes of the leadership of the Church of the Transfiguration, the Diocese of Chicago, and the Episcopal Church.

• Vestry members must lead a life worthy of their calling, as described in Ephesians 4, and as promised in our Baptismal Covenant.

Indemnification

The parish indemnifies the Rector, Wardens, Vestry Members and Officers of the Vestry to the full extent permitted by the General Not for Profit Corporation Act of the State of Illinois, and the Vestry has purchased prudent insurance for such indemnification.

Standing for Election

Election to the Vestry is governed by Article V of the Constitution of the Church of the Transfiguration and by the Diocese of Chicago Canons 22.1 and 22.3. Those interested in standing for election should make their thoughts known to the Rector or Wardens in November of December prior to an electing Annual Parish Meeting, the last Sunday of January. Prior that meeting, the Rector will convene a Nominating Committee from among the Wardens, the outgoing Vestry members, and one at-large member of the parish. The Rector offers names of qualified candidates for consideration by the Nominating Committee after having confirmed the candidates' willingness to stand for election. The Committee nominates a slate of candidates for election by the congregation at the Annual Parish Meeting.

Eligible parishioners also may be nominated from the floor of the Annual Parish Meeting.

Candidates for the Vestry are asked to submit a brief biographical statement to the This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for publication in Transcripts and in the bulletin of the Annual Parish Meeting. The statement should be in paragraph form (not numbered or bulleted as below), 200 words or less, addressing some combination of the following:

• When and why did you become a member of Transfiguration?
• Optionally, tell us about your family and their involvement at Transfiguration.
• What current and previous professional experience or other gifts for ministry do you bring to the Vestry?
• Describe your work and ministry at Transfiguration and/or other congregations.
• What do you perceive to be Transfiguration's strengths and challenges?
• What are your hopes and aspirations for the future of Transfiguration?

Governing Documents and Recommended Reading

The Constitution of the Church of the Transfiguration
See especially
Article V: Nomination and Election of Wardens and Members of the Vestry
Article VI: Wardens and Vestry 

The Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of Chicago
See especially
Canon 20: Corporation and Vestry
Canon 21: Officers of the Vestry
Canon 22: Parish Meetings and Elections
Canon 39: Business Methods in Church Affairs 

The Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church
See especially
Canon I.14: Of Parish Vestries

Webber, Christopher L., The Vestry Handbook, Revised Edition. Harrisburg, Penn.: Morehouse, 2000.