Warden Woes

Vestry is the annual business meeting of a congregation. Reports from the wardens, treasurer, various groups and the rector are submitted; a financial statement is presented, new officers are elected or appointed, a budget is given for approval and old and new business is discussed, where motions are voted on. So as I said… it’s a business meeting.

The funny thing is that ordinarily one would think it an honour to be asked to be a warden, responsible for the business life of the church, but lately, here on the Coast, it is becoming difficult to get someone to stand for this office.

I really can’t quite put my finger on it for the job, in these smaller communities, is not that intensive. This past week one point of the parish had their vestry meeting and no one would let their name stand for the “People’s Warden” (an elected position). This is happening in all my points. It’s mainly a decision making role where coming out to church every other week to help count the collection is the main “job;” it also involves calling people for some odd jobs like snow clearing and putting on the heat the night before service. It doesn’t seem too arduous. Yet, over the years it seems as if one asked for years of servitude.

Well what can I say, it kind of is like servitude, but in a good way, the way of serving Christ and his Church… the people we love and care for… our “neighbors.” Loving service is the job of a warden.

Yet… the warden ends up being the only person called upon to do certain things and so burn out is a factor. My way of fighting that is by limiting a warden to two years of service. I don’t know if I’ll request to continue this in my next parish, but it always seems to be a positive thing when more people get a chance to serve and lead. In my view two things can happen, the great power… hahahahaha… of warden can get to a person’s head and they end up thinking they own the church (40 years wardens have this tendency, and the congregation affirms this). The other thing that happens is this later point, that congregations can end up too reliant upon one person. That’s the polite way of saying the congregation gets lazy.

What to do, what to do?