Vestry

The Vestry is a governing body of the parish, responsible for financial oversight, for the care of the buildings, and for helping the Dean fulfill the Cathedral mission. Vestry members are elected by the congregation for three-year terms. Vestry members also act as liaisons with various other committees and commissions. The Christ Church Cathedral Vestry typically meets the fourth Monday of each month. The meeting begins with Evening Prayer in the Chapel, followed by the Vestry dinner in Cheek Hall and the meeting in the Wheeler Room.

Commissions

Each of the Cathedral’s eight commissions constitutes a collection of ministries essential to the Cathedral’s life and reflective of its values. Commissions oversee the creation and management of appropriate committees to conduct the work necessary to their particular area of ministry. The commissions carry out their charges in consultation with the Vestry and members of the Christ Church clergy and staff. When creating, developing, and guiding committees, Christ Church Cathedral’s mission statement and core values guide the commissions. The primary charge of each commission is to consider how it serves each of the stated core values: as disciples, evangelists, servants, stewards, and friends.

Commission for Administration

Donald McKenzie, Chair

Sarah Tally and Susan Barge, Vestry Liaisons

The Very Reverend Serena Sides, Clergy Liaison

Mark McQueen, Staff Liaison

The Commission for Administration is charged with supporting the physical and financial infrastructure of Christ Church Cathedral. The commission guides the development and establishment of stewardship and endowment activities. It works with the dean and appropriate staff (accounting, facilities management, and related areas) to ensure administrative needs are met. The commission creates committees to focus on various aspects of this work, ensuring that their actions reflect “stewards who acknowledge and honor the Holy Trinity as the source of all, in the care of creation and the right use of our gifts and offerings.”

Commission for Cathedral Life

Anne-Louise Branstetter, Chair

David Paine, Vestry Liaison

The Very Rev. Serena Sides, Clergy Liaison

The Commission for Cathedral Life, in consultation with the Vestry, designated clergy and staff, and, where appropriate, the Cathedral Chapter, is charged with oversight of ministries and events associated with our parish’s role as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Tennessee. The commission assists the Cathedral parish to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ” and provides opportunities for the Cathedral community to fulfill its calling to be “disciples, evangelists, servants, stewards, and friends.” The commission defines and develops ways to enable all people to encounter God in art and in worship within the Cathedral’s historic space. In accordance with the diocesan canon, the commission includes committees and activities that enable the church to be “a place of liturgical and spiritual renewal; a center for Christian education and outreach to the congregations of the Diocese, the wider Church, and the community; an ecumenical center and ‘house of prayer for all people’; and a place where the Good News of God in Christ is proclaimed ‘by word and example’.”

Commission for Christian Formation

Mary Margaret Sprinkle, Chair

Ellie Teal Gardner, Vestry Liaison

The Reverend Canon Madeleine Rebouché, Clergy Liaison

The Commission for Christian Formation is charged with fostering the love of God in Christ through the spiritual, educational, and moral formation of all parishioners from their baptism through their burial. Christian formation through worship, prayer, service, and guided and continuous learning invites “young and old alike (to) grow into the full stature of Christ.” This commission works to provide opportunities for instruction on the belief and practice of the Episcopal Church, nurture a thirst for the Holy Scriptures and a facility with the Book of Common Prayer, encourage spiritual practices, and cultivate a sustained theological imagination for all parishioners.

Commission for Evangelism

Maura Black Sullivan, Chair

Anna Grimes, Vestry Liaison

The Reverend Richard Wineland, Clergy Liaison

The Commission for Evangelism is charged with coordinating and managing Christ Church Cathedral ministries that assist parishioners, friends, associates, and staff in “proclaiming by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.” This commission creates opportunities that invite those beyond the boundaries of Christ Church membership and/or the Christian faith into the Body of Christ, working to “make known God’s plan for reconciliation, that all may grow into the full stature of Christ.”

Commission for Liturgy

Andrea Tucker, Chair

Donald McKenzie, Vestry Liaison

The Very Reverend Serena Sides, Clergy Liaison

The Commission for Liturgy is charged with providing assistance to the dean and, when applicable the Canon Precentor, to plan, coordinate, and execute worship. This commission convenes committees with responsibilities related to regularly scheduled worship as well as seasonal and special liturgies, schedules and organizes lay leadership in the implementation of worship, maintains and, as needed, updates customaries that govern the Cathedral’s practices, manages the proper diocesan licensure for all lay liturgical leaders, and dreams with the clergy about new worshipping opportunities for the community. In addition, this commission, through its committees, encourages, recruits, and trains members of the congregation to be lay leaders who facilitate common prayer.

Commission for Outreach

David Morton, Chair

Susie Ries, Vestry Liaison

The Reverend Canon Madeleine Rebouché, Clergy Liaison

The Commission for Outreach is charged with coordinating and managing servant ministries of Christ Church Cathedral that focus on the urban, regional, diocesan, and global contexts of its mission to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” This commission establishes means to connect parishioners, friends, associates, and staff to opportunities that enable them to be “servants who seek the face of Christ in every human being and strive for the justice and peace of God.”

Commission for Parish Life

Deaver Collins, Chair

Susan Barge and Billy Ballard, Vestry Liaisons

The Reverend Richard Wineland, Clergy Liaison

The Commission for Parish Life is charged with fostering the bonds of affection among the congregation as members of Christ’s Body by considering ways for all parishioners to make connections with one another, share in the fellowship of Christ and “welcome the stranger.” To that end, the commission creates and sustains forums for fellowship and sponsors events, retreats, and gatherings that nurture life together at Christ Church Cathedral.

Commission for Pastoral Care

The Reverend Mary McCarthy, Chair

Sam Bessey, Jay Wellons, Vestry Liaisons

The Commission for Pastoral Care is charged with ensuring that all members of the Christ Church Cathedral community have access to guidance, support, and ministry during times of need and times of life’s milestones. The commission is charged with “seeking and serving Christ in all persons” and, in regard to the Cathedral’s core values, is charged with “bearing one another’s burdens as we share in the ministry of the apostles’ teaching and fellowship.” The commission creates appropriate committees or ministries as needed, with attention to persons in emotional and spiritual need, ministries for the homebound, healing ministries, and others as the commission determines. The commission manages the proper diocesan licensure for all ministries requiring a license. Find out more about the committees and ministries here.