Employment Opportunities at Saint Mark's Church

Associate Rector Position

Position Summary

Saint Mark’s is seeking an Associate Rector whose primary responsibility will be to bring clarity, structure, and steady oversight to our volunteers, ministry groups, and formation ministries — particularly for children and families — while sharing fully in the liturgical and sacramental life of the parish. This priest would work closely with the Rector, staff, and lay leaders to strengthen the systems that support our ministries, ensure our volunteers are well-led and well-supported, and help align our programs with the larger mission and direction of the parish.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Children’s and Family Ministry

  • Oversee children’s and teens’ faith formation programs (including Young Acolyte Guild), strengthening and expanding what has been offered to date.

  • Supervise staff and/or volunteers involved in children’s and family ministry.

  • Engage families as partners in faith formation.

  • Ensure Safe Church compliance and best practices in child protection.

2. Volunteer Development & Coordination

  • Oversee the recruitment, training, coordination, and pastoral support of parish volunteers.

  • Develop clear structures for volunteer engagement, communication, and accountability.

  • Partner with ministry leaders to align programs with the parish’s strategic priorities.

  • Foster a culture of appreciation, clarity of roles, and sustainable leadership development.

3. Parish Life

  • Provide oversight and support to ministry groups (e.g., young families, seniors, 20’s/30’s, outreach volunteers, fellowship groups, etc.).

  • Strengthen interconnection among groups to promote unity and shared purpose.

  • Encourage new ministries in response to parish needs.

  • Serve as a pastoral presence within these communities.

4. Liturgical & Sacramental Ministry

  • Celebrate and preach at Sunday and weekday liturgies (including frequent chanting).

  • Assist in sacramental preparation and in administering the pastoral offices.

  • Provide pastoral care, including hospital and home visitation as assigned.

  • Participate in the shared liturgical and pastoral life of the parish.

5. Collaborative Leadership

  • Serve as a member of the clergy staff and attend regular staff meetings and monthly

  • Vestry meetings.

  • Participate in strategic planning and ministry review processes.

  • Collaborate with clergy and lay leaders to develop thoughtful, theologically grounded programming.

  • Support the Rector in implementing parish-wide initiatives.

  • Model collegiality, transparency, and healthy staff dynamics.

Qualifications

  • Ordained (or a Candidate for Ordination) in The Episcopal Church.

  • Demonstrated experience in volunteer development and ministry organization.

  • Strong administrative and organizational skills.

  • Experience with children’s and/or family ministry preferred.

  • A collaborative leadership style with the ability to empower lay leaders.

  • Strong communication skills in preaching, teaching, and pastoral presence.

  • Commitment to liturgical excellence and the sacramental life of the Church.

Personal Qualities

  • Grounded in prayer and the church’s sacramental life.

  • Pastorally sensitive.

  • Systems-oriented while relational in approach.

  • Calm, steady presence capable of managing complexity.

  • Joyful in spirit and committed to congregational vitality.

Accountability

The Associate Rector reports directly to the Rector and works collaboratively with clergy, staff, vestry, and lay ministry leaders.

Compensation

Compensation and other benefits will follow Diocesan guidelines for a parish of our size.

Application Process

To apply for the position, please submit the following to the Rector, Father Blake Sawicky.

  • A resume or CV with a cover letter.

  • 2-3 video sermon recordings.

Ministry Resident Program

Ministry Residents at Saint Mark’s are young adults, usually just out of college, who want to give a year of service to the church, in a context of prayer and active ministry, in an intentional community, that allows for focused discernment about how God is calling them to live their lives.

Ministry Residents live in the Rectory, and contribute to and support the daily round of prayer and worship in the parish. They take leadership in outreach ministries and in ministries with families and children and young adults.

Sharing is at the heart of the Ministry Residents program.  Ministry Residents share a common home, common prayer, common worship, common meals, common services common purpose, and, we pray, common joy.

Saint Mark’s is looking for two or three young people who have attained a certain measure of maturity and who will bring energy, enthusiasm, and imagination to the community to serve as Ministry Residents for 2026-2027.  Those who bring a particular interest in outreach ministry to those in need, and/or in ministry to and with children and families will be particularly well suited to the positions.

Applicants can direct questions to Father Blake Sawicky.

Apply to be a Ministry Resident

More details about the Ministry Resident Program’s Rule of Common Life can be found here.

About Saint Mark’s

Saint Mark’s is a growing, urban parish with strong emphases on the worship of God and service to God’s people, especially the poor and needy. A parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, we treasure our Anglo-Catholic tradition and outlook, joined to a Eucharist-centered, socially progressive, deeply sacramental expression of Christian faith.

Service to those in need is the one of two markers of the parish’s identity. Saint Mark’s has operated a Food Cupboard for more than 30 years that provides pantry staples, and the Saturday Soup Bowl feeds nearly 200 hungry people every Saturday morning. Saint Mark’s was also instrumental in the 2011 founding of St. James School – a tuition-free independent urban middle school for children from low-income families – at an abandoned church in North Philadelphia.

Ministry to and with families with children is an area of necessary growth and renewed attention in the parish. On Sundays during the school year, the 9 a.m. Family Mass is designed to be more accessible for families with young children and the continued growth of this Mass is one of the top long-term goals identified by the parish. The Family Mass also features the Saint Mark’s Choir of Boys & Girls, established in 2013. The choir provides children and youth ages seven to 17 with an outstanding after-school music education with professional choral training, music theory, and leadership development. A Summer Choir Camp is held at Saint Mark’s annually in early August.

Saint Mark’s seeks to provide opportunities for Christian formation for young and old and for people in various stages of their spiritual journey. The parish community is always aware that this kind of formation happens best when being attentive to developing the gifts of the community, and providing individuals paths to discovery and transformation in the context of an active parish.