Lay Leadership at Grace

Strong lay leadership and participation is truly essential to our life at Grace Church, and a spirit of collaboration can be sensed in all of our ministries.  In Episcopal congregations, the work of the parish is driven by the Vestry - the elected leaders responsible for planning, budgeting, goal setting, property decisions and all church matters not ecclesiastical.  Our Vestry has 12 members who serve staggered three-year terms. 

2020 Vestry

Senior Warden  - Jerry Evans
Junior Warden - Jeff Workman
Treasurer - Nan Fortiner
Secretary - Cara Cassell

Ministry Teams and Committees

However, lay ministry at Grace goes well beyond the Vestry.  Shared Ministry is a way of enabling the ministry of all the baptized. It is based in our theology of Baptism, where we affirm that each baptized Christian is called to use their God-given gifts for ministry. A team of leaders is called within a congregation or cluster to work together; such a team is called a ministry support team, indicating that these leaders seek to involve as many members of the congregation as possible in various forms of ministry. Shared Ministry is also called Collaborative Ministry, Team Ministry, Team Ministry, or Mutual Ministry.
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The following ministry teams are active in the life of Grace:

• Building & Grounds
• Communication
• Formation
• In-reach (Congregational Care)
• Outreach
• Stewardship / Finance
• Worship
• Parish Life and Hospitality
• And more...

By occasion, Grace has called into being Task Forces which are charged with defined tasks. For instance, the Task Force for Non-Violence which has been tasked to study and promote non-violent concepts in the life of the world and the church.