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     Clergy are men and women ordained for the ministry of bishop, priest, or deacon. St. Ste­phen’s has one priest, the rector. In the Episcopal Church of the USA, a rector is the priest in charge of a self-supporting parish. As such, he or she is responsible for:

• the worship and spiritual jurisdiction of the parish;
• selection of all assistant clergy, who serve at the discretion of the rector;
• management of the church, other parish buildings, and furnishings; and
• presiding at vestry meetings. 

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     St. Stephen’s has staff positions heading up the mission to Christopher Newport University, our music ministry, our parish office, and our facilities maintenance (sexton). The church also has three elective positions — two wardens and a treasurer — who, though not members of our vestry, sit in on its meetings. Their terms are for three years.

     The senior warden is the primary elected lay leader of the parish, and serves as the prin­ci­pal liaison between the parish and the rector. As such, he or she leads the parish between rectors, provides support to the rector, and presides at vestry meetings when the rector must be absent.

     The junior warden is responsible for the upkeep of church property and buildings. He or she pre­sides over vestry meetings in the absence of both the rector and senior warden.

     The vestry is the legal representative of the parish regarding its corporate property; it admin­is­ters the temporal affairs of St. Stephen’s. The rector presides over the vestry. 

Responsibilities

• Help define and articulate the mission of the congregation.
• Support the church’s mission by word and deed.
• Select the rector.
• Ensure effective organization and planning by parish committees and groups.
• Manage resources and finances.

     In the third year of their terms, vestry members are liaisons to one or more of the church’s commit­tees or groups. From those positions they report back to the vestry about committee activities.

Qualifications and Term 

     Vestry members must be adult communicants in good standing — i.e., baptized, confirmed, at least 16 years of age, and who for the previous year have worshiped regularly and worked, prayed, and given for the spread of the Kingdom (National Canon Title 1, Canon 17, Sec. 1,2).

     Our vestry members are elected to a 3-year term at the annual parish meeting in January; the terms are staggered. The desired number of members is 12, though at the moment we have only 9.

Meetings and Minutes

     The vestry meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the parish library. These meetings are led by the rector. Members of the parish may attend the first 20 minutes of each meeting and address the vestry on any topic. Minutes of vestry meetings are recorded by the registrar and posted in the parish office. 

     There are several committees to supervise and carry out various activities in the parish. Their responsi­bilities, membership, and schedule can be found here; their reports and budgets may be viewed in the parish office.