Transitions at the Church Center...anyone want to be Secretary?

ENS sent out a notice this last week titled, "Still time to apply for General Convention Executive Officer."

This was a Media Release follow up to the earlier posting of this position. 

Hard to know what is behind this. 

On the one hand the outgoing Executive Officer, Gregory Straub, did such a fine job that he will be a tough act to follow.  There is no protection in this job, no "interim period" between appointments. Memories will be fresh and woe awaits the one who steps on the Straub years too smartly.

On the other, what a mess of a job. The full job description should give any candidate the willies. 

Still, on the odd Wednesday I feel a little bit of lust for the job. The Episcopal Church is a quite amazing collection of various groupings of people in the church - the Commissions, Committees, Agencies and Boards (CCABs) - combined with various offices and the workings of General Convention itself.  The matter of being in union with the General Convention is the primary focus of the job and it is a big one. In some ways this is a great job!

So it would appear that more candidates are wanted. Go for it! The media release is given below.

But first a small warning shot across the bow of those who are turning toward that position thinking to land there. 

The Episcopal Church, as its life is reflected in the work of church wide staff, is not particularly expressive of its thanks for work done.  

The wall in the entry way says it: "Whose Service is Perfect Freedom."  Those who serve the General Convention /  Executive Council / Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society do so with a great deal of skill, faith and energy. They come to the Church Center to do their work and then sometime later they go. When they come there is reasonable publicity.  When they leave there is seldom any big to do. When they leave, it is that they did only what they were supposed to do. It was service and freedom. But it would not be too much to note their passing.

In fact when staff are cut and leave they are often not even named. The Episcopal News Service recently posted a story about transitions at the Church Center following General Convention. It noted a variety of changes and the need to provide severance pay and so forth. No names were mentioned, at all. It was stated that all changes would be made by August 29th. Now a week later, no word as to who has left.

I experienced the downsizing that took place in 1994 and was treated well in the transition time that followed. Some of my companions at the Church Center hosted a gathering. I felt alright about that end of it. I don't remember if the Church Center said anything about my leaving. I certainly told those I worked with that I was leaving. 

Perhaps there are good reasons not to tell the wider church just who has left, but my experience on Executive Council was that even there little was said about those who left, much less anything about how they might have landed elsewhere. This is both sad and odd in a church community.

So Gregory will serve until the end of the year and I hope a really fine party is held for him. He is one of the core leaders of The Episcopal Church and when he leaves we will notice and ENS will take note, just as ENS has taken note of the fact that there is still time to apply. Folks further down the power chain need to have their coming and going noted as well.  Hope they can work it out to do so.

Meanwhile, for goodness sake, if you can do this job or know of someone who can, get the NAME in to the Church Center.  It is a job that needs to be done well and for us all, and for the honor of the Church and in service to Jesus, which is perfect freedom.

So... here is the media release:

Still time to apply for Episcopal Church
General Convention Executive Officer

Deadline is coming soon

[September 4, 2012] There is still time to apply for the position of Executive Officer of General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

Following a review by a search committee, the new Executive Officer will be appointed jointly by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, with the advice of Executive Council.

The position is open to an active Episcopalian, either clergy or lay.

The position calls for a thorough understanding of the polity of the Episcopal Church, supervisory responsibilities and a working knowledge of parliamentary procedures. There is extensive travel throughout the Episcopal Church associated with the position.

Among the duties of the position are: to serve as Executive Officer for General Convention, and, if elected, as Secretary to Executive Council; to coordinate the work of the Committees, Commissions, Agencies, and Boards (CCABs) that are funded by General Convention; to supervise and manage the General Convention office staff, located at the Church Center in New York City; to participate as a member of the executive oversight group of the churchwide DFMS staff.

Detailed requirements and application are located here or  https://www7.ultirecruit.com/EPI1003/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*CB108203C93EC147

Deadline for applications is Friday, September 21.

Employment begins no later than January 1, 2013, following the retirement of the current Executive Officer, the Rev. Canon Dr. Gregory Straub.

Named by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori and President Jennings to serve on the Search Committee for the Executive Officer  are: Stephen F. Hutchinson, Diocese of Utah, chair; Bishop Clifton Daniel, III, Diocese of East Carolina; the Rev. Dr. R. Stan Runnels, Diocese of West Missouri; Deborah J. Stokes, Diocese of  Southern Ohio; and Anne Watkins, Diocese of Connecticut.  All are members of Executive Council.

John Colón, director of Human Resources, is providing staff consultation and support to the committee.

For more information contact Colón at jcolon@episcopalchurch.org.