St. Stephen's Vestry

The Episcopal Church Canons view the Rector, Wardens and Vestry as the legal leaders of the Parish. Accordingly, at St. Stephen’s we operate as follows:

The Vestry is a microcosm of the Parish.
The Vestry is comprised of twelve lay members. They are elected by the Parish and serve a term of 3 years.
Traditionally, the sense is that the Priest is the spiritual leader and the Vestry the leader for worldly matters. At St. Stephen’s, we consider Christ to be the real focus of the Parish, so the Rector and Vestry are jointly responsible for moving the Parish forward.
The Wardens are elected by the Vestry each year. Historically, their official duties were to “keep order and unlock the Church for services.” They are also the chief contact for the Diocese if there is no rector.
The Vestry is responsible for proper and timely management, maintenance and administration of the congregation’s property. However, the Diocese must approve purchase or sale of real estate.
The Wardens are the principle liaisons between the Rector and Parish.
The Vestry calls a Rector when there is a vacancy, subject to approval by the Bishop.
The Clerk is responsible for preparing Vestry and Parish meeting minutes.

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And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14:23