Ten Commandments for Receiving a New Rector

The 10 Commandments for a New Ministry

Commandment 1: Pray for Jackie daily. Hers is a big job with huge expectations and a lot of stress. If you pray for her, it will prepare your heat to receive the message God has for you through her.

Commandment 2: Be up front. If you have constructive advice for our new rector, give it to her directly. She will appreciate your candor, and it will help her adjust to us more smoothly.

Commandment 3: Keep your expectations reasonable. Our new priest has many gifts, but like all of humanity she is not perfect. She is also not a miracle worker and cannot solve all problems overnight.

Commandment 4: Remember the concept of team ministries. In addition to ordained priests, we have Wardens, Vestry, and Transition Team members whose unique gifts provide leadership for the church. In concert with the priest, this is the team of people that God has sent to do His work.

Commandment 5: Let her talk about where she came from. Her experiences will enrich us and inform our wisdom as well as open a window to her soul.

Commandment 6: Give praise and feedback liberally and regularly. In the course of her work, she will have plenty of doubts. Phone her. Write a note. Tell her how much you appreciate her.

Commandment 7: Remember the she has a life apart from the congregation. The church can soak up all the priest’s time and energy, if she lets it. Please understand if your rector can’t attend every committee meeting.

Commandment 8: Remember why we called her. She is a spiritual leader, not a building manager.

Commandment 9: If for any reason, you have doubts about her leadership, pray. Ask God to open your heat and to make you a source of strength for her as she fulfills her call to His service.

Commandment 10:  Love her, good sermons and as well as head-scratchers. Her call is a covenant. She will try to keep up her end of the bargain, and we must adjust, learn, and grow with her. If we do so, we will have many happy years together.

The aboveTen Commandments are adapted from an article by The Rev. Dr. Terry Swicegood as he left an interim ministry at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. A Transition Team member, Bill Hannett, bought this to our attention at St. David’s DeWitt.