Position Available: Associate Priest
Profile Description:
The Associate needs to commit into the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ but not turn it into cheap grace. The Associate also needs to commit to the work ethics of accountability, to God (c.f. the parable of stewardship Mt. 25:14-30), to the Rector and the lay leaders of GSV. The Associate needs to know how to manage his/her work time diligently and do the ministry fruitfully and effectively.
The Associate needs to accept the past 30 years of GSV, and, in principle, its vision and mission of outreaching to Chinese immigrants and local born Chinese-Canadians. GSV is willing to open up the English ministry to multi-ethnics, which can become an English multi-ethnic congregation. However, the Associate needs to realize that GSV is called to minister to the Chinese (Asian) immigrant flow (which has never stopped in past over 100 years) and raise up new generation leaders in both English and Chinese congregations. At present this includes the work of planting a Mandarin congregation and raising up her leadership. (Please refer to our vision in the previous section “Who we are”)
The Associate is a full-time position, chiefly responsible for the Cantonese congregation. The Rector of GSV is now also a regional/suffragan bishop of ANiC looking after the ministry of Asian & Multicultural Ministries in Canada (AMMiC), a ministry of ANiC. This needs to be clear that due to the Rector also being a Bishop, he may not provide as much support as a conventional Rector. The Rector therefore oversees the parish vision, chairing the church committee, financial committee & vestry, and looks after the pastoral team and lay leaders. The Associate’s major role for the 3-year term is to:
- assist the Rector and share part of the Rector’s role in supervising the pastoral and staff team,
- ensure the implementation of outreach and pastoral ministry effectively and fruitfully in local community, and
- implement the church’s current vision and not to change it during the 3-year term. The position has growth potential (eligible to apply for the Rector role when it becomes open). The Associate Priest’s ministry performance will be reviewed upon the completion of the term.
The Associate is the Associate priest of Good Shepherd, a parish of ANiC, a diocese of ACNA. The Associate needs to commit to the Anglican Articles of Faith, and the Canons and Constitution of ANiC and ACNA.
For more details about the church and the associate priest ministry opportunity, please review the church profile document.