Associate / Assistant Rector for Engagement at Good Shepherd Episcopal Lexington

About the Church

Good Shepherd is a vibrant and growing parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington committed to spreading the love of God in word and deed. The parish theme is Love is all, with the aim to live out the love-ethic of Jesus as presented in the Sermon on the Mount. The church has meaningful, traditional worship; a deep contemplative prayer life; an enthusiastic community; beautiful music; active outreach programs; and robust formation offerings for all ages. Good Shepherd is a contemplative and a developmental church which means we are drawn to the depth dimension of the spiritual journey and we seek to include people with all manner of different worldviews.

About the Ministry

Good Shepherd has been transitioning to a model of deeper engagement in church life across all ages, working to invite members intentionally into their faith journey through worship, formation, and outreach. Two functions of deeper engagement include welcoming and intentional newcomer process as well as deep and abiding pastoral care support. 

The Ideal Candidate

Good Shepherd is seeking a loving, energetic, curious, faithful priest who will help members of the parish and newcomers engage their faith journey through the offerings of our church. This person must enjoy collaborating with staff and volunteers, leading and supporting volunteer teams, and generally enjoy nurturing individuals in their faith. This is a great job for an experienced priest to be an Associate Rector who is particularly called to pastoral ministry. Likewise, it can be a great job for someone starting out in the priesthood as Assistant Rector at Good Shepherd is an excellent place to learn to be a priest.

Key Responsibilities

• Vision and implementation of engagement deeper into church life

• Stewardship of the pastoral care process and committee

• Intentional development of welcome and inclusion practices for newcomers

• Liturgical, sacramental, and preaching responsibilities regularly

Qualifications

• Ordained in the Episcopal Church

• 2-3 years of parish ministry experience for Associate Rector

• A deep personal faith supported by intentional spiritual practices

• Experience in recruiting, training, and equipping volunteers

• Strong communication skills 

About the Community

The perfect mix of small town and big city, Lexington is energetic, electric, and southern. The heartbeat of Lexington is the University of Kentucky and horse racing. Lexington offers a unique blend of tradition and progressiveness and is a magnetic community to call home.