Terms of Transition: What is a Priest-in-Charge?

Editor's note: As we continue forward in our journey of transition to new clergy, it seems like a good idea to make sure we're all speaking the same language. So, each week for the near future, we'll present a "term of transition": a word or phrase related to ordained ministry, and the process by which parishes go about identifying and calling their clergy leaders.

What is a Priest-in-Charge?

The title "priest-in-charge" has become more common within the Episcopal Church in recent years; we ourselves have had three priests with it (Amy Chambers Cortright, Warren Crews, and Sally Weaver). As each of them served us with differing expectations in terms of their commitment to us, this might be a bit confusing.

​In general, a priest-in-charge is a priest under contract to the diocese to serve a parish for a set length of time. So, in our case, Warren and Sally fit this general model: they were contracted to spend a year with us in very part-time capacities. There was no expectation (at least contractually) that they'd be with us any longer than that contracted year. This is the main difference between a priest-in-charge, and a rector (whom is understood to be committed to a parish for a long term).

Any Episcopal priest can serve as a priest-in-charge, as this refers to the type of contract under which s/he/they serves. "Episcopal Priest" by greenmelinda is licensed under CC BY 2.0

​However, "priest-in-charge" has also become a model for calling a priest that's different from the more traditional process. Rather than forming an internal committee tasked with discerning our needs, and then finding the right person (a process that can take as long as two years), the "priest-in-charge" model allows a parish to engage with a small pool of candidates vetted by the diocese. The candidate chosen enters into a two-year period of discernment with the congregation to decide whether s/he/they are the right person to lead the congregation as rector. At the end of that two years, either party can decide the fit isn't right; the relationship would last for one more year as the congregation begins a more traditional search. Alternatively, the parish's vestry can offer the priest-in-charge a rector's position, thus solidifying the relationship.

If you're at all familiar with academic hiring, you may be thinking "This sounds a lot like the tenure track process." That's a good comparison: each hires for a set time during which the new employee is evaluated. At the end of that period, the employee and employer understand that either party may choose to go a different direction. If they decide to continue the professional relationship, though, it is considered "permanent," or long-term.

What's the advantage to the priest-in-charge process? It's generally more streamlined: no separate committee is formed, and there's no pile of applications. The vestry engages with candidates provided by the diocese, and then chooses from them for the priest-in-charge call. 

Is this still an option for St. John's? Certainly. As we continue our conversations with the diocese about our clergy, we'll consider the priest-in-charge model.

Got questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments below...

Other "terms of transition": What is a deacon?