Rector Search
Find updates to our search for a new rector/dean here.
Church of the Resurrection seeks a full-time rector to lead our congregation, clergy, and staff.
The rector is the primary leader of our church’s worship services, responsible over preaching, teaching, and administration of the sacraments. He leads the staff in fulfilling the church’s mission through their operations and hires, supervises, and terminates positions as needed. The rector sees that the resolutions of the vestry regarding the church’s business affairs are carried out. Ultimately, he is responsible to articulate and lead a vision and mission for Resurrection. Since Resurrection is also the diocesan cathedral, the rector is given the title of “Cathedral Dean.”
Search Process
The Vestry is responsible for overseeing the search process and hiring a rector by a two-thirds majority vote. The bishop provides final approval of the proposed candidate.
The Vestry has successfully formed a Search Committee, which includes the Senior and Junior Warden—Amy Patton and Andrew Merrick—along with seven dedicated and actively involved members of Resurrection. This committee represents a diverse range of life stages, perspectives, ministry and professional backgrounds, and skills beneficial to the search process, such as expertise in human resources. No staff members, staff spouses, or vestry spouses are part of the committee.
Amy Patton
Vestry Senior Warden
We have been blessed by Amy’s many leadership gifts on staff at Resurrection over the years. Amy laid the foundations for RezKids as our former Children’s Pastor more than a decade ago. She has also served as former Executive Pastor of Staff and as Executive Director of Gregory House, the diocesan training school for future leaders. Amy and Ryan have been at Rez for over fifteen years. They have four young boys, and they love raising them in the beautiful, loving community of Rez. Amy is now at home with her boys. She loves reading, coffee, and going on adventures.
Andrew Merrick
Vestry Junior Warden
Andrew is married to Rhonda (29 years) and together they have five children (aged 16 to 27) and one granddaughter. They live in Lombard and started attending Rez in 2007. Andrew has served as a Eucharistic Minister, on Welcome Team, as a Transformation Intensive small group leader, as a Vestry member and as a warden. He has also served the Diocese on the Bishop’s Council. Andrew works as an electrical engineer for Case New Holland, developing the next generation of precision farming control systems.
Lindsey Bergsma
Lindsey lives in Wheaton with her two roommates and works for Tyndale. She first began attending Rez in 2014 and has served in choir, RezArts, women’s retreats, Immanuel Prayer, Harbor, and RezYouth. A highlight has been investing in youth, where she’s seen the young people of Rez grow into brilliant men and women of God. Her prayer life and her understanding of Easter are two of many aspects of her life that have been transformed by Rez. She enjoys playing frisbee, being outdoors, tea & coffee, travel, and most of all people.
Jeff Chan
Jeff is married to Laurie and they have six children ranging in age from 30 to 13. They live in Wheaton and have been attending Rez since 2020. They were initially drawn to Rez due to its special needs ministry, which resonated with a need they have for their daughter, Lucy. Both Jeff and Laurie now actively serve in the THRIVE ministry, which supports families and individuals impacted by disabilities. Jeff works as a management consultant working with businesses to help them navigate complex change and improve performance.
Dcn. Dr. John Clark
Deacon John and his wife Kate have been faithful members of Church of the Resurrection since 2013, where their journey in the Upper Midwest Diocese began after moving from Michigan to Wheaton. John was recently named a Canon Theologian for the Diocese. Vocationally, he serves as Professor of Theology and Chair of the Theology Department at Moody Bible Institute. Parents to two young adult children, John and Kate now navigate an empty nest but nonetheless very full days.
Dr. Stan Jones
Stan has been married to Brenna for 49-plus years. They began attending Rez in 2004 after being blown away by a joyous and worshipful All Saints Sunday morning service. Stan retired from Wheaton College in 2019 after fifteen years as a clinical psychology faculty member, twenty years as Provost, and a final three years back on the faculty. Stan and Brenna together wrote a sex ed book series for Christian parents. They enjoy their three adult kids, their spouses, and four grandsons immensely.
Nancy Longhurst
Nancy has been attending Church of the Resurrection since 1991. She has been married to Jeremy for 35 years and they have three grown children. In her 33 years at Rez, Nancy has served in many ministries including: RezKids, vestry, RezYouth, prayer ministry, communion ministry and as a small group leader. Currently, she is a member of the THRIVE Leadership team, serves as a Buddy in RezKids, and helps in the Baby Bank. In her spare time, Nancy loves to play tennis, knit, walk, read, and spend time with her family.
Kevin Sheehan
Kevin has been at Resurrection with his wife Kristen since 2014, and they have three kids, ages 3 to 9. He previously served as our Children’s Pastor and Executive Pastor. He currently volunteers in our children’s ministry and Eucharist team and works as a Business Analyst for Wheaton College’s HR and IT departments.
Jill Smith
Jill and her family have called Resurrection their church home for nearly twenty years, with a ten year adventure in the middle. For five years she served on the vestry and as a warden for most of those years. She also has served as a prayer minister and in Rezkids. Jill is the mother of five tremendous children and rigorously practices the Christian disciplines of Solitude, Prayer, Laundry, and Dishes in reverse order and descending frequency.
Gathering Feedback
The Search Committee will gather input from the congregation through a church-wide survey and additional feedback. They will prepare application resources and discern how they will review applications and interview candidates. The position will open to all applicants in the new year. Applications will be kept confidential to the Search Committee, Vestry, and the bishop.
Expert Support
To aid our search, the Vestry has hired Jim Singleton of Leighton Ford Ministries to coach the Search Committee through the hiring process regarding steps like our church-wide survey and interview process. His ministry in helping churches find senior leaders will save the Search Committee valuable time and enable them to focus on decision-making and discernment regarding applicants and interviews.
FAQs
How long will the process take?
The Vestry anticipates the search process will take 12 to 18 months from November 2024, when the Search Committee was formed.
What is the difference between a rector and a dean?
Since our church is the diocesan cathedral, the rector is also titled “cathedral dean.” As the Cathedral, Resurrection serves as the Mother Church of the diocese and provides headquarters for the bishop and the diocesan office.
The previous Canons of our diocese named Resurrection as the cathedral church. Our newly amended canons provide a process in which the bishop and a congregation agree to designate the cathedral under mutually agreed upon terms. Bishop Stewart and Resurrection’s leadership have done this.
What are the qualifications for a rector?
The rector must be an ordained Anglican priest, a mature Christian who meets Scriptural qualifications for a good leader (1 Timothy 3) and a proven track record of pastoral leadership. He accepts the authority of Scripture and agrees to live in godly submission to the Bishop. Only men may be ordained as priests and appointed as rectors in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. (See the Diocesan Constitution and Canons, Title III, Canon 1, Sections 2 & 3).
Further questions? You can email the Search Committee at rectorsearch@churchrez.org.
