Are You Our Next Rector?
Our answer to the question in the OTM parish profile asking for words that describe "the gifts and skills essential to the future leaders of [our] worshipping community," lists the following characteristics that we are seeking in a new rector:
Collaborative,
Empowering,
Intellectually engaging,
Flexible,
Pastorally present,
Spiritually nourishing
The people of St. Mark's invite our next rector to join with us in deepening our spiritual lives, challenging our minds, strengthening our mutual caring, turning outward to our neighbors and the world, and moving successfully from a pastoral to a program-size parish. The following list of priorities illustrates, in various ways, these leadership gifts and skills.
We seek a rector who will:
- Support the development of the spiritual lives of members, parish leaders, and vestry so that they can grow in the spiritual dimensions of their ministries.
- Join the congregation in mutual ministry: help cultivate a small group culture and collaborate with strong lay leadership, nurturing the ministry directions that emerge from the congregation and moving us from a pastoral to a successful program parish. Work with the congregation to expand communication in ways that will allow us to sustain multiple simultaneous programs/ministries under well-coordinated leadership.
- Model flexible thinking and leadership style, open to diverse views and opinions, leading the congregation in positive change. Work with the congregation to address conflict and diverse views in ways that support a positive internal culture. Model how to admit and forgive mistakes so that we can all learn constructively from them.
- Collaborate with staff and lay committees to support current liturgical and musical excellence and to explore opportunities for additional forms of beautiful liturgy and music.
- Engage the life of the mind as integral to spirituality, partnering with an educated congregation to address the diverse issues of Christian life and tradition.
- Engage the congregation with consistently thoughtful and transformative sermons.
- Partner with lay leadership to welcome and incorporate newcomers, provide pastoral care, and nurture the development of our lay pastoral care ministry so that we can grow further as a healing congregation.
- Understand and support needs of young families, children, and youth as they grow.
- Model being open to the other as other so as to lead us in networking with the Berkeley community: the schools, organizations, religious communities (Christian and non-Christian); promoting our involvement in Area ministries. Help the congregation to recognize and support our work on social justice, both as a parish and in our individual work/commitments outside of the parish.
- Develop a spirit of abundance and gratitude so that we can grow the financial resources to carry out our vision of ministry.