St. Paul’s is a small parish located in Georgetown, the county seat of Sussex County, Delaware. Our membership consists predominantly of older, retired and semi-retired individuals and couples and a smaller number of mid/late-career professionals and families with children. While we are a mostly white middle class congregation, Georgetown itself is highly diverse with over half its population identifying as Hispanic and African American, many under the age of 18.

In early 2020 we undertook a survey to learn how parishioners thought about St. Paul’s in terms of its strengths and challenges and the desired characteristics of a new rector. We used the results as a guide for the narratives that follow. Once St. Paul’s is able to reconvene we plan to hold a series of parish-wide focus groups to address issues of change, as well as review mission and vision statements.

In addition to a half-time rector, St. Paul’s employs a part-time music director and part-time parish administrator. Bookkeeping, cleaning, and grounds maintenance services are procured by contract.

Our Strengths

St. Paul’s is friendly, welcoming, and inclusive. Parishioners care for one another deeply and are mutually supportive. We live out the biblical injunction to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). These characteristics have enabled us to attract new people to St. Paul’s in recent months. We aspire to continue growing in number and diversity. 

St. Paul’s is an active congregation with energetic and vibrant members, most of whom are 65 and older. We are dedicated to service within our congregation and to the larger community. Although St. Paul’s is not a wealthy parish our finances are stable; we have learned how to accomplish much with what we have, thanks to a strong volunteer work ethic. 

St. Paul’s has a vibrant and expanding music program featuring the 579-pipe Haskell organ and a talented director of music. We have a growing vocal choir and expect to re-establish our handbell choir when we are able to reconvene. Parishioners feel that our music program magnifies the worship experience and promotes unity and cohesiveness. It also affords opportunities for outreach when, from time to time, we host public concerts.

St. Paul’s has a 225 year history in Georgetown. The church building is architecturally significant, beautifully appointed and functional, having generous classroom, office, and event space. We would love to see our space more effectively utilized.

Our Challenges

St. Paul’s has undergone a series of leadership transitions in the last decade, having moved from a full-time rector to two interims, with supply priests in between. These changes have empowered parishioners to develop a high level of self-sufficiency. We are comfortable with the notion that, “except for those sacramental ministries which are the special gifts of the ordained, all the ministries of the church are understood as shared ministries of all the baptized.” (A Supplement to the Active Clergy Guide for the Employment and Compensation of Contractual and other Part-Time Clergy serving Congregations in the Diocese of Delaware). In furtherance of that understanding of the role of the laity, we seek to develop concrete and measureable programs to identify, encourage, and train members to share fully in the liturgical, pastoral, administrative, and service ministries.

We seek to enhance outreach to our culturally diverse community (45% white non-Hispanic, 35% Hispanic, 15% African-American and 5% Asian/Pacific Islanders. Demographics for the Town of Georgetown provided by Town Manager.) There is more we can do to encourage and welcome our community into the life of St. Paul’s; likewise, there is more we can do to be more engaged in community events and causes that resonate with the diversity of Georgetown.

To further this goal, St. Paul’s needs to develop a coherent communications strategy. This would involve media announcements/coverage of, for example, guided tours of the church, open houses, the annual flower sale, seasonal concerts, and the parish’s participation in the annual Hispanic festival. Not to be neglected is the need to adopt a more personal, one-on-one communication strategy that resonates with our cultural milieu. We would like our light to shine brighter in the larger community!