What is the Vestry?

 

Our vestry is made up of lay members of the church who are elected by the congregation at the annual parish meeting (usually takes place in February). Vestry members normally serve a three year term and must be members in good standing of the parish. The vestry of All Saints church currently has fourteen elected members. Each year, the vestry elects the Senior and Junior Wardens. The remaining officers, Clerk and Treasurer, are chosen by the vestry from among the members of the vestry. 

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The vestry meets monthly to review and approve normal certain operational expenses, review reports from various committees, plan and approve future projects, and attend to any concerns that arise within the parish. The vestry also serves as an advisory committee to the rector of the church.

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Read more about the Vestry from the Episcopal Church Glossary, 

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"In England the annual election of churchwardens took place in Easter week. The parishioners gathered at the church to hear the outgoing wardens render their accounts and elect their successors. The parishioners assembled in the vestry, the room off the chancel where the clergy vested. The assembled parishioners came to be known as the vestry. These were open vestries in that all adult male parishioners could participate. It was like a modern annual congregational meeting. In Virginia the parishes were very large and it was difficult to get all the male parishioners together. So they would meet only once and elect twelve of their number to serve for life. This was known as a closed vestry. The transition to a closed vestry was completed by 1633 or 1634, when a Vestry Act was passed. It provided that “there be a vestrie held in each parish.” The current vestry evolved from this colonial pattern.

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The vestry is the legal representative of the parish with regard to all matters pertaining to its corporate property. The number of vestry members and the term of office varies from parish to parish. Vestry members are usually elected at the annual parish meeting. The presiding officer of the vestry is the rector. There are usually two wardens. The senior warden leads the parish between rectors and is a support person for the rector. The junior warden often has responsibility for church property and buildings. A treasurer and a secretary or clerk may be chosen. These officers may or may not be vestry members. The basic responsibilities of the vestry are to help define and articulate the mission of the congregation; to support the church’s mission by word and deed, to select the rector, to ensure effective organization and planning, and to manage resources and finances." (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/vestry/)