The Rector We Need

Apostles Anglican Church is looking for a full-time pastor able to fully commit to shepherding our congregation and community. Our next rector will know that God loves him or her, know that God loves the people who worship at Apostles, and know that God loves our community outside the church. Our congregation values relationships, authenticity, approachability, and intelligent, biblically-based teaching. Our next rector will need to be a life-long learner, a good teacher, someone who cares for people, with humility and a sense of humor, who delivers effective and compelling sermons, and who is led by the Holy Spirit and focused on Jesus. We are looking for someone who trusts the scriptures, speaks truth with grace, welcomes parishioners from a wide variety of backgrounds, and encourages all to move ever deeper into a relationship with almighty God.

Apostles embraces the traditions of the Anglican Church even though many of our parishioners come from non-Anglican backgrounds. Our next rector will need to carry on the “big-tent,” catholic, open-arms embrace of those who visit and worship with us, while drawing on and educating about the Anglican Way. He or she will need to have a strong foundation of historically orthodox, “mere” Christianity faith. Further, he or she will lean towards a Wesleyan-Arminian theology.

Apostles has strong lay leadership. Our next rector will need to encourage and support emerging leaders and help facilitate parishioner-initiated community groups and outreach ministries. We also have committed, paid, part-time staff for administrative functions and particular ministry areas. Throughout our history, we have also had a full-time associate priest who focused on pastoral care and parishioner engagement. She is also retiring, so consideration will need to be given to a possible replacement. Our next rector will need experience leading a diverse and talented team. Skills in organizational administration and communication will be needed to standardize policies and procedures, and ensure quality execution of ideas and initiatives. We are looking for someone to strengthen program structures without putting tasks over people. A good leader will know his or her strength and be able to build a team that brings together all of the gifts necessary for a healthy, well-functioning church.

Apostles currently has one ordained, transitional Deacon and three Aspirants within our family, one of whom is a woman. We have always been a congregation that supports women in both lay leadership and ordained ministry. Our next rector must be in alignment with this position. We are also a congregation that believes in the power of prayer for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing and the working of modern miracles. Openness to the Spirit takes many forms but, “if it is of the Kingdom, we want it.”  We expect our next rector to keep our congregation grounded in scriptural truth, while embracing the variety of ways parishioners experience the love of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. We are a congregation focused on deepening our relationships with God, with fellow believers, and with our non-Christian neighbors. Outside of Apostles, parishioners live out their faith in a variety of ways along the political spectrum and with a variety of opinions about current issues and events. However, we come together on Sunday mornings and throughout the week to lift our eyes to the risen Christ and the power of His love to change the world. We are looking for a rector who centers us around the core truths of the Gospel, who reminds us that the Lord is strong and mighty, and who leaves the culture wars outside the door.

Our next Rector will need to encourage and equip lay leaders, increase racial and ethnic diversity in authentic ways, and shepherd a long-term pastoral staff.