Explanation

There is much discussion of transparency around salaries and striving towards greater equality. The issue that must be addressed before interviews and compensation are discussed is access to positions. A recent CPG study tells us that women are less likely to be rectors than men: 93% of male clergy have held a Rector or Vicar position, as opposed to 65% of female clergy. There are many reasons for this and some are addressed in other resolutions. However, a major factor is that a good number of positions are simply never listed or posted. Currently, many positions in the church are filled by direct-appointment and closed searches. This is particularly true for significant diocesan leadership positions and in larger churches. Women, people of color, and those outside of established networks often have no access to or knowledge of these positions and are not even considered. We have the opportunity to follow other denominations who already mandate and utilize a central database for clergy positions. Because the platform, the OTM portal, already exists and is maintained nationally, there is not a budgetary allocation needed. This resolution would also benefit transition officers who currently must post in many different places, each of which calls for different information and formats. While other resources and settings could be used, this resolution would make clear at least one consistent location for information and openings. This resolution is written to allow individual discretion in interim and part time settings.