The group of parishioners who make the decisions regarding the business aspects of Trinity Parish is known as the vestry.  As with many terms in the Episcopal Church, “vestry” has an interesting history.  Originally, it referred to a room in the church where the minister kept his vestments and prepared for the worship service.  The name of the room eventually became used for the group of men who governed the parish.

Vestries are charged with assisting the rector of a church in the day-to-day life of the parish.  While the rector is the spiritual leader of the congregation, he or she can’t possibly cover all the duties of keeping a church going, and should be free to exercise his or her spiritual gifts for the well-being of the congregation.  Enter the vestry.

The following are excerpts from the booklet, “So, You’re On The Vestry”, published by the three Dioceses of Tennessee:

The duties of a Vestry are set out only in broad terms by Canon (organizational rules and regulations for churches, both national and local).  The Vestry shall administer the temporal affairs of the Parish, shall elect and call the Rector, shall provide for the regular and well-ordered worship of Almighty God, and cooperate with the Rector in all efforts to develop the spiritual life of the Parish.

The Vestry is also required at all times to “keep the Church in proper condition for its uses, and to give proper care to all buildings and grounds.”

Vestry members must be confirmed communicants of the Parish in good standing at the time of election.

All communicants of the Parish over 16 years of age are eligible to vote for election of a Vestry.

The Vestry is the representative of the Parish in relations with its Clergy.  Thus, in matters of worship, both Rector and Vestry have canonical powers and duties.  The Rector has the power to control the use of the church buildings for purposes of worship, but the Vestry is required to keep them in good order for such use.

As to those functions which are the Vestry’s primary responsibility, i.e., financial and temporal, Vestry members usually function well.  Too often, however, the Vestry tends to leave the Minister to wrestle alone with matters of worship and spiritual life.  This should not be.  The Minister is one person, and has human limitations, of time, of energy, of ability.  As programs of the Parish develop in areas of Christian education, of calling on newcomers and the sick, of work with young people and old people, of Bible Study, or otherwise, it is the proper role of the Vestry to assist the Minister with whatever abilities its member have to offer.  In this way, the Vestry sets an example to the Parish.

If you’d like more information about the mechanics of the Church, there are several very good resources in our library.