Wardens'
Handbook
What
If?
The
Parish Priest resigns …
All clergy resign in writing to the Bishop with a copy
to the Wardens. At this point, it is duty of the Wardens
and Parish Priest to decide when and how to tell the
members of the Parish. A Canonical Committee will then
be struck and will work closely with the Archdeacon
and Bishop to select a new Parish Priest. During this
time an interim Priest may be assigned to the Parish
by the Bishop.
The
Parish Priest becomes ill …
While the Priest is unable to continue, the Wardens
work closely with the Bishop and Archdeacon to maintain
continuity within the Parish, assisting with finding
supply clergy if the Priest is unable to do so. It is
the responsibility of the Wardens to arrange payment
for the supply clergy. The Wardens or Treasurer should
contact the diocesan Business Administrator or Treasurer
regarding reimbursement for supply clergy in cases of
absence due to illness or injury that is longer than
four weeks.
Inappropriate
physical or sexual behaviour occurs …
If the case involves a child, the Wardens or Parish
Priest must immediately call the Child Abuse Hotline
and then advise their Archdeacon and the Chair of the
Diocesan Response Group. All other cases must be considered
very serious issues and should be dealt with in consultation
with the Archdeacon and Diocesan Response Group. There
is a Diocesan Policy and it must be adhered to for the
safety of all!
A
member of the congregation is upset about worship or
parish concerns …
A situation like this involves the two most difficult
tasks of any Warden: maintaining requested confidentiality
while being as open as possible, and helping people
to see that not all persons within the parish want the
same things. What to one person is a joy may be a burden
to another. If you believe that the concern is felt
by a number of parishioners, you should discuss it with
your Parish Priest and the other Warden(s) without necessarily
indicating who actually voiced the concern. If you feel
that the majority of the parishioners are happy with
the way things are, you must try to explain this without
hurting the parishioner’s feelings. The parishioner
may just want to be heard.
While
the Parish Priest has the responsibility for worship,
it is a concern for the whole church community. If a
worship concern is expressed, it may be suitable to
ask the parishioner if you can ask the Priest to get
in touch with him or her to discuss the issue. This
could indicate whether the person has already spoken
to the Priest and wants to make this an issue or is
just not comfortable taking the concern directly to
the Priest.
Whatever
the problem, it cannot be swept under the rug or ignored
in the hope that it will go away. If you cannot reach
a conclusion that is satisfactory to everyone, seek
help. Bring in someone from outside the parish who may
be able to view the problem from a different perspective.
Depending on the situation, there are members of the
Diocesan staff who might be able to help, or your Regional
Dean or Archdeacon will be able to make arrangements
for assistance.
I
start to dread Sunday mornings …
There are times when every Warden feels that he or she
is running a gauntlet just to get to the service. Remember
that you are not alone—you are part of a team
of at least three: two Wardens and the Parish Priest.
Work with your fellow Warden(s) to develop the best
routine for dealing with the ongoing concerns of parishioners.
Don’t forget that prayer is of enormous help to
everyone involved.
Our
Parish Priest seems overwhelmed …
If you see that the Parish Priest is being overwhelmed,
don’t hesitate to talk about arranging for a supply
clergy once in a while so the Priest can have a vacation
or study–leave week. Remember that the Parish
Priest is entitled to one week’s education leave
yearly and should be encouraged to take it regularly.
Accumulation of education (study) leave should be discussed
and agreed to by both Wardens and the Priest involved
and should be reviewed with the Bishop.
I
can’t say no …
This is something you will have to practice—diligently.
It can be very easy to get into a situation where you
spend the entire week running from one meeting to another.
This is exhausting whether you are working in or outside
the home or supposedly are retired. Your family starts
to feel that they never see you, and you start feeling
that you should just move into the church hall. This
is not good for anyone! You are part of a team—you
have to learn to communicate well within the team, and
delegate. You are a leader—not the only doer in
the parish. If you need someone to do a certain job,
see who is waiting to be asked. You will be amazed at
how many people will say yes to a short–term job
or even sit on an interesting committee if asked. If
another meeting has been called, ask if it is really
needed or if it could it be an agenda item at a regular
committee meeting, or if it could it be handled by phone
or e–mail.
We
can’t agree …
There are times when even good communication and teamwork
just cannot solve a problem. Remember that you have
a large group of people who can and will help you in
any circumstances. You have a Regional Dean, your Archdeacon
and the Diocesan staff to assist. We have been worshipping
in this diocese since 1914, in over 50 parishes; it’s
likely that your situation has come up in some form
in the past. And if it is entirely different to anything
that has come before, it will be a new challenge for
everyone.
We
need to hire new parish support staff …
Advertise, describing the job, expectations, responsibilities
and remuneration. It is required that a police check
be undertaken for all new support staff, and that the
results be communicated to the Diocesan office. This
can be arranged through the local police department.
I
would like to suggest improvements/updates to this handbook
…
Please contact the Diocesan Business Administrator at
the Synod Office at 439–7344 or 877–494–8890
Installation
of Church Wardens
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Help! I'm a Church Warden!
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Appendix
Notes
to the reader: Throughout this document the word "responsible"
is used when defining a warden’s functions and
duties. This does not mean that the warden must carry
out a specific function or duty; rather, the warden
must ensure that the function or duty is carried out.
It
is our intent that this document will be reviewed and
updated at a minimum of every ten (10) years.]
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