A Prayer for Our Rector Search

Gracious God, our Good Shepherd, you have blessed us with a rich heritage and a future full of hope. As we embark on this sacred journey to seek a new rector, we humbly ask for your guiding presence.


Guide our hearts with your wisdom, our minds with your clarity, and our spirits with your peace. Help the Search Committee and the entire congregation to listen deeply, discern faithfully, and trust completely in your divine timing.


We ask, Holy Spirit, that you lead the one who is called to serve among us, and prepare us to welcome them with open hearts, ready to join together in ministry. Continue to lead us, and direct us, that we may grow evermore in the likeness of Christ and be a true beacon of love and hope to our community and the world. Amen.

A nighttime view of a building with lights and a tree canopy. The building is white and has a red door.
Group of seniors in green shirts pose with a soccer ball near a fence and building on a sunny day.
Group of people with donations in bags, indoors. Some are smiling, likely a volunteer or charity event.

The Steps to Find Our New Rector

Members of our Parish Profile, Website and Compensation Committees have been hard at work since last February. We wanted to share the many steps of this process to in finding our next rector.


Listening: We are thankful to all who participated in the Congregation Assessment Tool (CAT) survey. The interpretation of the responses, by Holy Cow Consulting, helped us better understand who we are and what our needs are as a congregation. This information formed the foundation of our Parish Profile and the next steps of the search process. This process was completed this past April.


Preparing to begin the search: In this step, the Profile Committee composed two key documents, the Office of the Transition Ministry (OTM) Portfolio and the narrative Parish Profile. The OTM Portfolio is a questionnaire focused on key topics including our liturgical style and how we navigate change. It also provides the salary and benefits we are offering for the position. The second key document is the narrative Parish Profile which tells our story and highlights what is important to us as a community. During this time, the Compensation Committee undertook difficult task of looking at our church finances in order to determine the compensation package. The Website Committee has also been continuously working to update our website, so that it reflects who we are as a church family. The Parish Profile and OTM Portfolio have been completed and approved by the diocese, and we officially posted the position for a new priest with the Office of Transition Ministry on October 16, 2025.


Review of Applicants: Those interested in discerning a call with Good Shepherd will submit their documents to the diocese, who then reviews the applications and ensures applicants pass a background check and meet the requirements for the position. Following diocesan approval of applicants, the Search Committee receives and reviews all approved applications and discerns further who they would like to invite for an interview.


Interviews: The Search Committee listens to their sermons and watches how they conduct services on-line and/or in-person. Members of the committee may also travel to see an applicant at work in their current parish. After this process, the committee may invite a few applicants to come and interview at Church of the Good Shepherd. Lastly, after prayerful consideration and the Spirit’s guidance, the Search Committee submits one name to the Vestry, who votes on the recommendation.



Transition: The final step is officially hiring a new priest, at which point the welcome begins. This includes introducing them to our community and helping them relocate.

Search Committee

Randy Arsenault – Committee Chair

Madeline Bradsher – Youth Advisor

Carolyn Brenner

Dave Crichton

Peter Guile

Louise Gurley

Daniel Koinis

Barbara Mordock

Kathy Pappa

Paul Willsey

How to Apply

Clergy who feel called to explore ministry with Church of the Good Shepherd are invited to submit the following application materials:

·     Cover Letter

·     Current Resume

·     Completed OTM Portfolio


Please send these materials to:


The Rev. Canon Richard H. Norman

8005 25th Street East

Parrish, Florida 34219

Phone: 941-556- 0315          Email: rnorman@episcopalswfl.org


Any questions or requests for additional information should be directed to Canon Norman at the Diocese of Southwest Florida


PLEASE NOTE: Our posting will remain open until December 15th, 2025