St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, MA, is beginning the process to call a new fulltime rector. The vestry has commissioned a search committee, who are leading the parish’s efforts to discern where we are as a faith community and what we are looking for in our new rector.
Below is a timeline of the steps we will follow during the search, with additional information linked as appropriate. We encourage you—whether you are a prospective candidate, a current member, a newcomer, a Diocesan staff member, or a visitor—to review this information and our entire website to get a sense of St. Paul’s and our members.
We look forward to welcoming you to our community.
SELF-STUDY
Parish survey: The search committee is offering an all-parish survey to help determine where we are as a worship community and what qualities we’re looking for in our new rector. The survey is open from September 1 through September 30, 2025.
Small-group discussions [link to come]: The search committee is hosting several informal meetings to provide members an opportunity to share their hopes for a new rector in a small-group setting. Sessions will be held in late October through November 2025.
- Signup link coming to participate in a discussion
Parish profile [link to come]: The search committee incorporates the information from the survey, small-group discussions, and parish statistics into a comprehensive parish profile, to advertise the position and tell prospective candidates who we are and what we’re seeking. WINTER 2025–6
INTERVIEWS
Receiving applications [link to come]: The search committee receives applications, using the Diocese’s and the greater ECUSA’s platforms to advertise the position widely.
Preliminary interviews: The search committee conducts preliminary interviews of our longlist and shortlist of candidates.
Finalist interviews: The search committee conducts extensive final interviews of the finalist candidates, including opportunities to meet with vestry and staff members.
Call of the new rector: The search committee recommends one candidate to the vestry. If the vestry agrees with the committee’s choice, the wardens are authorized to call the new rector and negotiate an agreement. The new rector will be formally installed at a service within a few months of their start date.