We warmly welcome your interest in St. John’s Episcopal Church. Established over 112 years ago as a parish in the heart of the Village of Southampton, St. John’s has had only seven Rectors in its history. Now we find ourselves in a second period of transition in ten years. With a rich history behind us, and with much to be grateful for, we are responding prayerfully to God’s call forward. We see this time of transition as an opportunity for growth, to continue our journey of faith in a renewed way. To accomplish this, we need a leader who can recognize our strengths, help us meet our challenges, and empower us to move forward in faith.
As you get to know us through this Parish Profile, we sincerely hope that the Holy Spirit may inspire and guide you in carefully considering who we are and what we seek in our next Rector. Through our discernment process we aim to identify a leader who aligns with our values and can carry our mission forward with dedication and fervor. We believe that God has a plan for all of us, and we trust that the right person will come forward to lead us in faith, love, and service. We welcome the opportunity for you to reach out to us, and to gain insights into the enriching journey that awaits the next Rector of our beloved St. John’s Church.
The 2024 Parish Profile of St. John’s Episcopal Church tells the story of our historic parish community, its values and vision for the future. Learn about our deep commitment to faith, stewardship, and community involvement. Read the profile here.
Our Values
We held a Summit Meeting in July as part of our discernment. We answered five questions that revealed what we cherish and strongly want to preserve.
- A feeling of being connected, accepted, and part of a larger community.
- Finding a big family in our small congregation.
- The compassion and empathy shown by Rectors who have guided many people to find God for the first time or find their way back to God.
- The pastoral strengths of Rectors who have provided solace at times in life when they were saddened or challenged by events.
- The close relationship between St. John’s and St. Andrew’s Dune Church.
- The open, accepting, inclusive attitude of The Episcopal Church that creates a welcoming community.
- The Rector’s willingness to listen and be available to the parishioners.
- That St. Johns has good relationships with other churches and charitable organizations.
- A respect for the traditions, music, hymns, and special services of our Anglican tradition.
- Opportunities to gather as a whole congregation.
Our Hopes
We want to grow St. John’s family. We are an aging congregation, like many others, and want to attract more young families. We desire more mingling of generations. We want to offer more opportunities for formation and fellowship. We look to our new Rector to help us deepen our faith and grow the size of our congregation, while inspiring new ministries, and stewarding our buildings and finances. At our Summit Meeting, we confirmed a wide consensus on the most important qualities we seek in a Rector.
WE SEEK A RECTOR WHO:
- Wants to help us grow our parish.
- Engages fully in our community with a warm and caring spirit; someone quick to laugh, quick to understand, quick to pastor, quick to lead.
- Preaches and teaches thoughtfully, translating our faith and scriptures to the realities of our everyday life.
- Communicates and connects effectively with, and ministers to, all age groups, meeting each of us where we are, regardless of our backgrounds or where we are in our spiritual journeys.
- Supports a strong and creative Christian education program for children, youth, and adults .
- Appreciates and honors the importance of music in worship and its historic role in our parish.
- Values different expressions of our Anglican tradition.
- Inspires parishioners to support the ministries of St. John’s with their time, talent and treasure.
- Commits to outreach ministries and engages with the wider community beyond St. John’s.
WE SEEK A LEADER WHO:
- Thinks strategically
- Prizes transparency
- Brings financial savvy
- Coordinates and delegates the work of staff and lay leadership
- Leads teams with the whole community in mind
We want to build onto our strengths to steward more, serve more, sing more, in ways that grow us as a congregation and brighten the wider community around us. We want to let this little light of ours shine. If St. John’s sounds like a place where you could continue your journey and weave it into ours, please let us know. Begin by contacting the Diocese of Long Island’s Transition Minister, Rev. Canon Claire Woodley, via email at this address: cwoodley@dioceseli.org.