FAILED: Third Proposed Amendment to the Canons

Amendments

Amendment to Title II. Canon 1. Section 9.

Text of the Proposed Amendment:

Title II. Canon 1

Sec. 9

(a)    The Rector shall, in addition to such duties as shall be prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer and by Canon, have exclusive direction of all spiritual concerns of the Parish, in subordination to the Ecclesiastical Authority and Canon law, and have full direction and control of all guilds, societies, and associations within the Parish. The rector shall be responsible for hiring, terminating, and providing direct supervision of all paid employees of the parish, or the rector may delegate these tasks to others.

Proposer

The Rev. Dr. J. Paul Board

Rationale of the Proposer

Currently, there is nothing in the national or diocesan canons that clarifies the relationship between the rector and paid employees of the parish. This amendment addition assigns ultimate authority for all paid employees to the rector, who in turn reports to vestry. Employees should not report to vestry, the wardens, or the treasurer. The intent of the amendment is to alleviate the confusion that may arise in the relationship between a paid bookkeeper and the volunteer treasurer, or the parish administrator and the wardens. The employees need to understand who they report to in the fulfillment of their duties. The rector has the option to delegate supervision responsibilities to others while retaining ultimate authority. This option may be useful in a larger staff. An example is an accompanist who reports to the Director of Music or nursery attendants who report to the Director of Christian Education.