Title:             Vicar-in-Charge
Duration:    Two-year appointment with opportunity to discern whether called to be the next Vicar

Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, founded in September 2016 and affectionately known as Good Sam’s to the congregation and community, is made up of open-minded followers of Christ, whose primary mission is living our faith as the Church that Serves. While some of the congregation grew up in the Episcopal Church, many grew up in other churches or no church at all. Regardless of religious upbringing, the congregation has been drawn to Good Sam’s because of its mission and commitment to Love all, Serve all, and Include all, No exceptions. We actively engage in social justice initiatives, LGBTQIA+ support, and service projects that allow us to learn about, serve, and support marginalized populations.

Good Sam’s is seeking a Vicar-in-charge (“VIC”) who is excited and energized to help us navigate the ‘tweenage’ phase of ministry we’re now in: we aren’t brand new anymore, yet we still have developmental milestones to meet before becoming a self-sustaining parish. We welcome a priest who can readily navigate the balance in keeping us focused on both numerical and spiritual growth, help us continue to meet and integrate our increasing number of newcomers so that no one gets lost, and provide the administrative leadership that our young church needs. We seek a priest with a heart for pastoral care and making personal connections with our members, and who has a passion for engaging with many organizations to foster diversity and inclusion to further the mission of Good Samaritan Episcopal Church.

This position will be a two-year appointment, but the Vicar-in-Charge will be eligible to discern whether they are called to be the next Vicar of Good Sam’s. During these two years, the parish will undergo its own self-discovery of who God is calling them to be and the skills and characteristics it seeks in its next Vicar.

For the next chapter of Good Samaritan’s ministry and life together, the Vicar will especially need to focus on leadership in four key areas:

1. 1. Continued evangelism, community presence, and integration of newcomers. While we’ve experienced significant growth over the last five-and-a-half years, Good Sam’s current congregation size (approximately 212 people with most recent in-person Sunday attendance about 75 with some additional via livestream) is still not large enough to sustain a program-sized budget. The Vicar will lead an all-part-time staff to help us grow to a program-sized congregation.An important aspect of Good Sam’s identity and history includes finding ways to boldly portray our inclusivity whether that be attending and speaking at community meetings on topics such as supporting Brownsburg school students in being called by their preferred name and attending a zoning forum to support the local Islamic community’s plans for a new mosque and community center. Being visible as a Vicar and as members via our actions, our service, and our marketing is vital to letting people know that our kind of congregation exists for God’s children who feel marginalized or not fully loved in other churches.
   2. Continued spiritual formation of the congregation. As a young church, Good Samaritan has attracted a diverse mix of people with little or no religious background and both experienced and inexperienced, new Episcopalians. We are still building healthy practices of discipleship and growing in spiritual maturity as followers of Jesus. The Vicar will nurture the spiritual development of our people by working with lay leaders to build a progressive system of comprehensive formation offerings, ranging from basic instruction in the Catechism to advanced theological inquiry and spiritual practices.
   3. Determining our next Worship Space and Leadership of Village Hub Project. Good Sam’s multiyear use agreement with Brownsburg Community School Corporation to use building space at Harris Academy for Sunday Worship will end in June 2023. Since 2019, and with some interruption by the pandemic, we have been working on a vision for a new home called “The Village Hub” which would be a newly constructed community center in Brownsburg on eight acres owned and held in trust for us by The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. The Village Hub will be an incorporated group including Good Samaritan Episcopal Church and multiple nonprofit partners – together sharing the new building. This work has progressed but is still far from securing the grants or capital sources to support architectural design, construction, and operations. In spring of 2022, we will utilize an awarded Predevelopment Grant to complete an initial Design phase. The Vicar will work with the Diocese, Bishop’s Committee, and Village Hub Committee in continuing to advance this project, seek grant funding for future phases, and in empowering, coaching, and cheerleading lay leaders who are overseeing specific areas of programming, design, and legal and financial planning. In the meantime, “Plan B” or interim space solutions will also need to be developed.
   4. Continued building of healthy stewardship practices and congregational giving. Good Sam’s needs continued nurturing and strategic stewardship development over the next five years. The Vicar will work with our Stewardship Ministry Chair and Bishop’s Committee to increase our stewardship giving from existing members while inviting new members to make first-time gifts and pledges as the congregation continues to grow. The Vicar will stay in close contact with the Bishop’s Office to ensure appropriate continued diocesan support that enables self-sufficiency over the course of the next five years. The Vicar will work with the Wardens and the Diocese to continue to pursue external grants and resources for congregational operations.

If you feel called to serve at Good Samaritan, we encourage you to send a letter of interest, resume, and OTM profile to Transition Minister Jennifer Phelps at phelps@indydio.org. We look forward to entering into mutual discernment with you.