From Senior Warden, Paul Chase:

The Vestry recently met and discussed the proposed concept of a Team Ministry with St. Alban’s Spooner and St. Luke’s Springbrook.  It was the consensus of those present that the Team Ministry is the most viable way forward for us at Grace, as well as for those in the other two churches.  Sharing clergy costs should permit the team churches to offer a more attractive salary to potential candidates, should we decide to proceed jointly in a search for a full-time priest-in-charge.

To review the concept, the three parishes would share a team of two priests and one deacon.  The priest-in-charge of the team would receive a salary and benefits.  The other priest and the deacon would receive payments for supplying at Sunday and other services.  All three would be involved in pastoral care, with the  priest-in-charge taking the lead in this area.  The priest-in-charge would receive reimbursement for travel to the two churches in towns where he/she is not resident.  The others would be reimbursed for any travel to the three parishes.  The clergy costs, which would amount to about $72,000 in total, would be shared among the three congregations on roughly a 3-2-2 basis.  All other matters relating to church upkeep and operating expense would remain the responsibility of each individual congregation.  Further details need to be worked out relating to the interrelationship of the vestries and other matters, but the principle is that each church remains its own entity while sharing clergy with the other churches.

The Senior Warden and Vestry would like to hear your views on this concept.  Please contact them with specific positives and negatives that you see in the plan.

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