Following on the departure of our rector, the departure of our music director, the habit-disrupting pandemic constraints, and our conversations with the parish about the desire to broaden our worship and music styles, we see this time of transition as an inflection point–a unique opportunity to marry our past with something unknown and yet exciting. And while we’ve embraced our traditions and past, today we are ready to explore a broadening of our liturgy, music, and media so that we can still honor our tradition while we expand our horizons.

We are deeply committed to worshiping, working, and gathering together; and we seek a priest-in-charge to help us make this journey together:

• We seek a Pastor: a spiritual guide who opens up, builds upon, diversifies, and broadens our love for beautiful liturgy, excellent preaching, and quality music in order to experience the holy in our midst.
• We seek a Facilitator: a priest who builds relationships inside and outside our community, with a vocation for connecting people to each other, and will help us attract, welcome, and incorporate newcomers, seekers, and new Christians.
• We seek a Partner: a priest who can bring out the best in others, who can inspire and energize, without needing to be at the center.

We are a dedicated congregation.  We have a lean but balanced budget. We have a strategic plan and we have accomplished most of its facility-improvement projects.  But we have more yet to accomplish in our spirit-building projects: to get us where we’re called to be, we seek a priest with skills and experience as a pastor, a community organizer and a partner.

Aware that the cost of living is higher in Palo Alto than elsewhere, the Vestry has set aside significant funding to enter into an equity share with our next priest.  We believe this will allow the priest to decide their housing situation for themselves, as well as build their own equity.  We are prepared to begin the work of finding housing for our next priest as soon as they are called.

Question for Applicants:
One of the key characteristics in a Priest-in-Charge that All Saints’ is looking for is an embrace of partnered ministry, with the congregation becoming a true partner alongside the priest. Please describe your experience with sharing decision-making and implementation authority with members of a congregation, or equivalent experience working with another organization. What approaches have worked well, and which have not? Please provide specific details. Are there any areas where you feel it is not appropriate for the Priest-in-Charge to consult/partner with parishioners?