Vestry Nomination Process
St. Stephen’s Church has a vestry of 18 parishioners, with groups of six rotating off each year and six new members being elected by the parish at our annual meeting in February. This system provides both continuity and new energy and ideas. To facilitate the process of recruiting and naming nominees, the vestry appoints a nominating committee each year consisting of the six outgoing members of the vestry and six at-large members. The vestry also appoints one or two of the members of the nominating committee to chair it.
In compiling a slate for election at the annual parish meeting, the nominating committee considers not only what the six new members of the vestry will bring to that group, but how their skills, experiences, and participation in the life of this parish will complement those of the 12 continuing members. They also follow the criteria listed below.
Those nominated for vestry service:
• should be qualified according to the Canons (church laws). This means that she or he should be a confirmed or received member, and should be “known to the treasurer.” Someone who is known to the treasurer means to us that she or he has been a contributing member of St. Stephen’s with sustained giving for the most recent three years, or if newer to St. Stephen’s, they should have given sustained financial support during their time here;
• should have demonstrated a level of commitment to St. Stephen’s which is appropriate to vestry service, including attending worship regularly and engaging in the ministries of St. Stephen’s;
• should have the ability to be a constructive and unifying influence even when working with those of different viewpoints; and
• should not be the spouse, sibling, parent or child of a member of the nominating committee, the current vestry, a current staff member, nor have served on St. Stephen’s vestry for at least three years.
Parishioners are invited to suggest names to the nominating committee using this form, between October 30 and November 23.
The person being suggested for vestry service is also asked to complete a form and submit a photo by November 23. The purposes of this form and photo are to ensure that everyone on the nominating committee is familiar with the proposed nominee, and, should the parishioner eventually be included on the slate that will be presented to the parish in advance of the election, to introduce them to the parish via the website and weekly parish communications.
The deadline for submissions is November 23, 2025.
When the committee completes its work, it will present a slate to the full vestry. The slate will be presented to the parish on January 26. The election will take place at the annual meeting on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Those elected will serve for three years.
The members of the nominating committee include the six current vestry members who will complete their service in February 2026:
May Fox, nominating committee co-chair
Robert Birdsey, senior warden
Kathy Brock, junior warden
Mary Ashburn Pearson, register
Chris Smith, treasurer
The committee also includes at-large members whose names will be announced soon.
To see a list of current vestry members, visit the vestry page of the website.