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Resources for Wardens and Vestry The Job of Warden "The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ
and his Church; to bear witness to Him wherever they may be; and, according
to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in
the world; and to take their place in the life, worship and governance
of the Church." On Being A Warden (top) "Warden" means "steward" or "guardian," and wardens are the chief stewards and servants of their congregations. Wardens have a special and public ministry, and must lead by example as faithful churchgoers and visible donors of time, talent and treasure. They must be willing to listen, able to delegate, and, above all, trustworthy and able to engender trust in relationships with the rector and the congregation. Wardens and rector form a leadership team that shares responsibility for parish governance. National church and diocesan canons and parish bylaws govern the roles of clergy, wardens and vestries, but do not provide detailed requirements. What wardens actually do can vary from one congregation to another, from one set of circumstances to another, and even from one individual to another. This flexibility allows a rector and a vestry to adapt to the differing gifts that successive wardens bring to their ministries. Wardens have four types of responsibilities:
Above all, successful ministry as a warden depends on keeping oneself spiritually and physically whole. Wardens need to take time to nourish themselves and call upon the talents of other members of the congregation to get things done. While challenges may stretch the patience and tax the time and spirit of a warden, this ministry should be one of fulfillment and gratification. The Rev. David A. Williams, associate rector of St. John's Georgetown, has worked with wardens both in the context of his parish ministry and as a diocesan consultant. He offers Ten Commandments for Church Leaders, which really apply to anyone in a position of leadership in a parish (view in Word). The diocese has numerous resources to support wardens and other lay leaders in their ministries. Many are listed on this web site; others can be obtained by a quick call to Church House or by posting a query to the listserv. Be sure to seek help if you need it. Leadership Resources (top) A variety of resources is available to help wardens develop leadership and teamwork skills.
Job Descriptions - Senior and Junior Warden (top) There are some traditional models for the sharing of responsibilities between a senior and junior warden. One is for the senior warden to serve as the "rector's warden," with the junior warden being the "people's warden" -- a division that goes back to the earliest days of the Anglican church to cover situations when a congregation and a rector could not agree on the candidates for warden, so the rector appointed one and the congregation the other. Another tradition has the junior warden overseeing buildings and grounds, while the senior warden takes on other aspects of parish life. Strictly following any model, however, may pose unnecessary limits on the development of a healthy leadership team. For example, if the senior warden is a real estate developer it may make more sense for the senior, rather than the junior, warden to oversee buildings and grounds. In the case of a "rector's" and a "people's" warden, strict adherence to those roles can lead to friction on the leadership team when there are difficulties between a rector and a congregation. A better approach is for responsibilities to be divided based on the individual gifts that the senior and junior warden each bring to their ministries, and for both to keep the interests of the parish firmly in mind when dealing with issues that arise. Volume 1 of the Vestry Resource Guide, published by the Cornerstone Project of the Episcopal Church Foundation, contains sample job descriptions for senior and junior warden, treasurer, and secretary/clerk of the vestry. Those for the wardens are reproduced here by permission (the Vestry Resource Guide is available from Forward Movement Publications, 800/543-1813, www.forwardmovement.org). In practice, roles and responsibilities vary depending on the size and financial health of a congregation, and these job descriptions should not be considered cast in concrete. However, they are a good starting point for a conversation among the rector and the senior and junior wardens on expectations, roles and responsibilities. Senior Warden Job Description [Word file] Junior Warden Job Description [Word file] What Rectors Expect of Their Wardens (top) Not long ago the Wardens Planning Committee interviewed a cross section of clergy in the diocese to ask them what they expected of wardens and how they viewed the joint leadership role that wardens and rectors are asked to play. While rectors, like wardens, are individuals with differing ideas about governance and the kind of support they would like, their answers were fairly consistent. Mutual respect and trust were common themes. Rectors look to the wardens to be a source of support, an extra set of eyes and ears ("the wardens often are the first to hear complaints") who will monitor the pulse of the congregation. Rectors need wardens who are able to see the big picture and who can provide honest feedback. The canonical responsibilities of seeing that funds, buildings, and programs are there so the parish can fulfill its mission were also mentioned frequently. Collaboration, willingness to share in decision-making (and sometimes to help make difficult decisions), people skills, good communications skills, and the ability to maintain confidentiality are all highly prized. In smaller parishes, wardens may also be seen as responsible for program development and implementation. In larger parishes staff take on program responsibilities, and the wardens are expected to focus on finances, buildings and grounds, and stewardship/development. Whatever the tasks, following through and setting an example for the rest of the parish are important expectations that rectors place on their wardens. Meeting together regularly is one way rectors and wardens foster their partnership: "Our leadership works well because we take the time to talk, in person or by phone or e-mail." Partnership works when the warden is someone with a vested interest in the rector's -- and the parish's -- success ("be stewards of the whole"). When trust and respect are high, the rector and the wardens can tackle difficult issues together, developing strategies for how best to move forward. Being able to communicate openly and honestly behind closed doors and confront each other in caring ways can lead to the best solutions and an ability to present a united front to the parish. Sharing a vision of where the parish is called also promotes partnership. All of the clergy mentioned the importance of a warden's spiritual life. Leadership is "not just about dollars and buildings, it's about community building." Applying one's faith to leadership, having an active prayer life, being open to spiritual growth were all cited as expectations. Taking the Pulse of the Parish (top) One of the responsibilities of the warden is to help the congregation establish its vision for mission and ministry and to periodically check to see how things are going. Clergy contracts increasingly call for a periodic (often annual) mutual ministry review. These are NOT performance evaluations, but rather an opportunity for the rector, key lay leaders, and sometimes the larger congregation to reflect upon their joint ministry and make adjustments in their vision and plans for fulfilling Christ's mission. These reviews are best undertaken with the help of a consultant. The page on mutual ministry review includes sample documents in pdf and Word formats. Maintaining Healthy Congregations: Dealing Constructively with Differences (top) Within the life of any community, differences are bound to arise -- and parishes are no exception. At the 2002 Wardens' Conference, participants identified the following areas as ones where differences were most likely to emerge within a congregation (the list is not prioritized).
There were some behaviors that wardens said helped deal effectively in such situations. Again, these are not in priority order.
Nancy Warren, a frequent consultant to the diocese and a member of Trinity Church, St. Mary's Parish in Maryland, offers the following process for managing differences effectively. 1. Before discussing controversial issues, engage participants in setting ground rules for behavior. Post these and ensure all agree to follow them. Discussion leader and participants are responsible for ensuring ground rules are followed. Some examples of useful ground rules:
2. Use an interest-based problem-solving process.
Consultants may be needed if the conflict is serious. Don't be afraid to ask for help! Resources for further reading. Making the Transition to a New Warden (top) When a new warden is elected, it is important to help him/her transition into that role (this is true for new vestry members as well). Here are some things that parishes do to help assure continuity in leadership from one warden to the next. - Succession planning: In some parishes, the junior warden is considered the successor to the senior warden. This helps provide continuity, but it is not a guarantee since the junior warden may be unable or unwilling to succeed to the position. Other parishes require wardens to have served as vestry members before being eligible to be elected warden. - Staggering terms of office: Increasingly parishes are staggering the terms of office for the senior and junior warden, so that they are not both elected the same year, providing for at least partial continuity in leadership. - Shadowing the predecessor: In one parish elections are held in October, but the new wardens are not installed until January. Between the election and the installation, they shadowthe outgoing wardens to learn the ropes. - Retreats: Most parishes hold a vestry retreat shortly after the annual parish meeting when new vestry members are elected. In some, outgoing wardens/members of the vestry join the incoming members for some or all of the retreat to help orient the new members and provide continuity. - Written documentation: Notebooks with canons, parish by-laws, budgets, planning documents and minutes of the last several vestry meetings are commonly put together for the incoming warden. Some parishes add even more information: 1-2 pages of the nuts and bolts of church operations (diocesan structure, parish structure, contact people for things like building repairs, a layout of the facilities). - Meeting with former wardens: When a new warden is elected, one rector gets all the former wardens and the newly elected warden together to talk about the warden's role. Other parishes do this less formally, with the new warden meeting periodically over coffee or lunch with the former warden to seek advice or input or tap into his/her institutional memory. This can be particularly helpful when, as a new warden, you are dealing with an issue (e.g., formulation of the annual budget) for the first time. (top)
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