Selecting the people who will choose the next Rector

On November 2, 2008, at a meeting of the congregation, the Interim Rector pointed out that the normal process followed at St. Luke’s appoints parish officials for two year terms.  As circumstances stand, when the current Wardens and Synod Delegates¹ were appointed, it was not known that the parish would be seeking a new Rector during their term in office. 

Sometimes a parish might choose one type of person when things are normal, and another type of person for times of special responsibility.  Would this be the case at St. Luke’s?

Would the members of St. Luke’s like to freshly elect the officials who will be charged with choosing our next Rector?  Canon Harwood-Jones described a possible situation whereby several candidates for each position could be nominated, and asked to ‘campaign’ in a low-key fashion (writing in the Winged Ox, for example, their thoughts about the direction the parish might go, and the type of person they would like to see as Rector).  Such nominations would be made in December, so that through January the parishioners might form an opinion of each candidate's abilities and priorities, followed by a secret ballot election in February, 2009.

Once this question was outlined, a careful and thoughtful group discussion took place, at the end of which the Interim Rector circulated a referendum for submission to the Corporation and Vestry — with the following results: