A “holy spark” led two churches named for St. Stephen to jointly search for a new clergy person who will split duties between them. Their collaboration is part of The Episcopal Church’s trend of geographic-based partnerships.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Catlett has been seeking a priest-in-charge.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Culpeper has a priest, The Very Rev. Trent Moore, who needs clergy help.
“They needed a priest, and I could use a partner,” Moore said of what he calls “a holy spark.”
The churches recently agreed to collaborate in hiring a curate to serve as priest-in-charge in Catlett and as assistant priest in Culpeper. Partnerships are not new to Episcopal churches, but usually one priest serves multiple churches.
The Culpeper-Catlett collaboration involves a team serving a geographical area. A similar collaboration exists in Goochland, Va., between St. John’s and Grace, and another is underway on the Northern Neck between St. Mary’s Fleeton and Wicomico Parish.
Solutions like this address the reality that more and more churches cannot support a full-time priest on their own.
“Teams of ministers mean more sustainable ministry and more capacity to witness to Jesus,” said The Rev. Will Dickinson, the diocesan Minister for Transition. “This is the future of ministry in the Episcopal Church.”
Beyond Own Walls
Moore deeply believes that the mission and vision of St. Stephen’s, Culpeper “have much to offer beyond our own walls — to our town, our county, and the wider Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. I believe our greatest strength often comes into play through collaborative partnerships and the meaningful friendships formed at regional gatherings.”
At one gathering he connected with “the wonderful people of St. Stephen’s, Catlett,” he added. “Since the Rev. Pete Gustin’s retirement, they had been praying fervently for a new priest. Despite several strategic attempts to find a path forward, their search had proven difficult, and some were beginning to feel discouraged.
“At the same time, I was personally praying through new projects I hoped to launch in Culpeper. I kept thinking how beneficial it would be to have a second clergy member to assist, yet I knew our finances couldn’t support an additional position.”
Catlett (population: 290) in located in eastern Fauquier County, on U.S. 28 midway between Bealeton and Manassas. It’s about an hour’s drive from Culpeper and has a thriving preschool program.
“We used to be a very vibrant church,” senior warden Joanne Faunce said. The vestry had worked with the Diocese, but solutions were elusive. “When Trent called to suggest a partnership, it was like a light at the end of a tunnel.”
Culpeper (pop. 20,000+) is rural and growing. Moore didn’t expect his “crazy idea” to encounter overwhelming support. “I expected them to point out why it wouldn’t work,” he said. Instead, then-wardens Kim Helsel and Billy Green asked him, “How can we make this happen?”
The God spark flamed even more when Moore met The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. “Ted” Gulick Jr., visiting bishop for the Diocese. St. Stephen’s Catlett was his childhood church and where he first served as an organist. “With his blessing and several offers of assistance, it was clear that God was doing something new,” Moore said.
Diocesan Support
The partnership next consulted with Dickinson, who works to empower vestries and search committees to call effective clergy to lead our congregations.
The new priest “will get to know both congregations, assisting Trent as the pastoral demands of Culpeper’s fast-growing church rise, while helping St. Stephen’s Catlett as their priest to invest in their community and grow,” he said.
In Catlett, the new priest-in-charge will lead worship and preach at two Sunday services; collaborate with parishioners in community evangelism; and take the church to the people. This Catlett role is expected to grow into a full-time position.
In Culpeper, the new clergy will assist Moore in regular priestly duties.
“This position comes from a place of abundance, not scarcity,” Dickinson added. “Both churches see the potential for growth in the area. It’s about two churches working together to witness to a whole geographic area in a new and intentional way. St. Stephen’s Culpeper has a long history of working with other churches so that both can grow. This is a new way of doing just that.”
Application Details
A joint committee of representatives from both churches and Moore will receive applications, conduct interviews, and make a joint decision. Dickinson said each church should feel confidence and ownership in the process and decision.
The application deadline is April 10, but Dickinson said the joint committee will wait if necessary “to find the right priest, not just the first available priest!”
Newly ordained priests are encouraged to apply because they will receive mentorship from Trent, learn from both churches, “and have the opportunity to cut their teeth as the priest-in-charge in Catlett,” Dickinson said.
Both churches will split the expense of the new priest, with Culpeper’s share coming from its Legacy Fund.
“The decision to utilize the Legacy Fund to support this mission reflects the Vestry’s forward-thinking leadership, as it has thoughtfully addressed several important concerns and issues,” said Kim Helsel, Culpeper senior warden at the time of the churches’ agreement.
She, too, is enthusiastic about the Culpeper-Catlett covenant.
This article was adapted from a story by E. Ray Walker in Beyond the Red Door, the monthly newsletter of St. Stephen’s Culpeper.