| | 27 January 2008
Annual Meeting of the ParishWhat and Why an Annual Meeting? The by-laws of the parish require an annual parish meeting and state the qualifications to be a voting member of the parish. Diocesan canons state requirements concerning parish meetings. The annual parish meeting elects vestry members, and it may elect vestry officers. Delegates to diocesan convention and representatives to other diocesan, deanery, or parish entities are also be elected by the parish meeting. The budget of the parish is presented. The rector and other designees make presentations at the annual parish meeting. The nature of the parish meeting must be kept in light of the Episcopal Church’s polity (read more about polity below).
In the life of St. Peter’s, the annual meeting is essential for the congregation to select the delegated leaders for the leadership and oversight. Additionally, the annual meeting, or other official parish meeting, is a time to for the congregation as a whole to be in conversation and dialogue. The heavy organizational work and orienting of the congregation takes place through the parish elected members of the Vestry. Schedule for the Annual Meeting Sunday8:30 am Holy Eucharist
10:15 am Procession to Parish Hall
10:30 am Brunch with Talk Story & Report
11:15am Annual Meeting of the Parish
12:15pm Adjournment Read the Annual Report of the Parish.Download pdf here. About PolityPolity- The term is derived from the Greek word for "city."
In general English usage, polity refers to the form of government in a city or nation and the body of laws which govern a political entity. In church use polity has come to refer also to the form of government for an organized church. In Anglicanism the term "polity" became common through its use by Richard Hooker who wrote Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1594). Hooker defended the episcopal government of the Church of England against the Puritans. He argued that the polity of the church and the state should express the rational nature of God as shown in the Natural Law. The church, as a political society, must be governed by law.
In a congregational polity, the congregation is the basic unit of the church. Many protestant churches are mostly governed by their congregations, with pastors hired and fired by the congregation and most decisions reached by meetings of the body. Obviously, the lay leadership is the true basis for any sort of authority in this setting. I have even noticed around Louisa County that some churches have chosen pastors from among their own members, with no evidence of formal seminary training.
The Episcopal Church usually ends up taking a middle of the road approach, and our polity is no exception. Our polity, which is referred to as Anglican polity, provides for the day-to-day operation of the church by the bishops, but government ultimately resides in the a council of the leaders in the diocese. The basic unit is the diocese, but in practical matters many decisions are delegated to local clergy and vestries
The chart below right illustrates the structure and movement of action and decision-making within our understood polity.  This form of polity or governance means that our congregations are not congregational—that is they do not deliberate as a whole in issues of governance. Instead the authority and, most of all, the responsibility fall to the delegated and elected individuals of the Vestry.The Vestry
The vestry is the legal representative of the parish with regard to all matters pertaining to its corporate property. The number of vestry members and the term of office is 12 members with 3 year terms. Vestry members are elected at the annual parish meeting. The presiding officer of the vestry is the rector. The senior warden leads the parish between rectors and is a support person for the rector. The junior warden or people’s warden is the congregation’s direct ear and voice to the Vestry. A treasurer and a secretary or clerk are chosen from among the elected members. These officers are considered fill vestry members. The basic responsibilities of the vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church's mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances. |
