Vestry

In the Episcopal Church, 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 facilitate good stewardship of the people resources, physical resources, and finances of the parish. The Vestry is the legal representative of the parish in all matters pertaining to its corporate property.

At St. John’s, the Vestry is comprised of 12 members in three classes of four members each. Vestry members are elected at the annual parish meeting. The presiding officer of the Vestry is the Rector. There are usually two lay wardens. The Senior Warden leads the parish between Rectors and is a support person for the Rector. The Junior Warden often has responsibility for church property and buildings. A Treasurer and a Secretary or Clerk serve the Vestry but are not voting members.

Vestry Standing Committees

Communications Committee

Advises the staff and members of our parish on best practices and tools for parish communications of all kinds, and assists with research and implementation of special projects such as event publicity, etc.

Finance Committee

Led by the Senior Warden of the Vestry, with consultation from the Treasurer, this committee provides oversight to ensure accuracy and transparency of church finances; advises and assists the Vestry in implementing best practices and procedures for financial accounting and reporting and oversees our annual financial audit.

Nominations Committee

Led by the Senior Warden of the Vestry, this committee tracks leadership opportunitiies and needs across the parish on an ongoing basis, identifies parishioners to invite into leadership, and arranges for leadership training as needed.

Stewardship Committee

Leads the stewardship ministry of St. John’s by inviting parishioners to live generously, as God is generous toward us. This committee leads the Annual Giving Campaign and invites the parish to prayerful reflection throughout the year on giving back to God in gratitude for all God has given us.

Land-Use Committee

As Wake Forest and the surrounding community grow, this committee helps our parish stay abreast of local development and construction projects and their potential impacts to our church campus and its life and ministries. They also consult with the Vestry on internal projects with potential land use impacts.