90-Day Transition Plan - Rector or Vicar - 2022

Sep 2, 2026

90-Day Transition Plan template to help stipendiary rectors and vicars newly joining a congregation co-create a structured plan with the senior warden or bishop’s warden. It emphasizes early momentum, relationship-building, learning congregation history and culture, understanding church finances, and addressing early opportunities. The template also defines review cadence, signature/record fields, attachment schedules, and weekly meeting agendas to track actions, lessons, and priorities during the transition period.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatDOCX

Pages11

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Key Points in Customizing Your Plan

Recommended Resources

Summary of 90 Day Plan, Actions and Learnings

Attachment A: Weekly Meeting with Senior Warden - Template

Attachment B: One on One Meeting with Individual Vestry Members/Lay Leaders

Executive Summary In his book, “The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Level”, Harvard Business School professor, Michael Watkins makes the case that creating and executing a plan of action in the first 90 days in a new position is critical because “small differences in your actions can have a huge impact on long-term results. Leaders at all levels are very vulnerable in their first few months in a new role because they lack in-depth knowledge of the challenges they’ll face and what it will take to succeed with their new call. Failure to create momentum in the first 90 days virtually guarantees an uphill battle for the rest of one’s tenure. Creating and executing a plan in the first 90 days will get you up to speed faster and achieve more sooner. A plan will help you diagnose your situation and understand its challenges and opportunities. You’ll also learn how to assess your own strengths and weaknesses, how to quickly establish priorities, and how to develop key relationships that will help you succeed.” (Watkins, 2003). This template has been developed to assist stipendiary rectors and vicars, new to a congregation, jointly create a 90-day transition plan with their senior warden or bishop’s warden. While the template offers many actions, it is intended that you customize a plan to fit your specific needs, the needs of the congregation and community. Other actions, not included in this template, could be added to address an objective or purpose, as appropriate. By creating and executing a 90-day transition plan, you will: Identify and establish key relationships within the congregation Expedite becoming known to members Learn about the history of your new congregation Understand the church finances Learn about the culture of your new congregation (how they do things) Identify and address early opportunities for success Lay the ground work for building trusting relationships Be introduced and connect with key community leaders and organizations Establish or continue the presence of the church in the community Build supportive relationships with other clergy in the area and in diocesan convocation Establish a relationship with the Mission Amplification team for ongoing support, to name a few. Key Points in Customizing Your Plan: The plan is to be created jointly with the senior warden or bishop’s warden. Creating a joint plan will help to build working relationships early with lay leadership and encourage a lay/clergy collaborative partnership. As indicated in the letter of agreement, the plan should be created within the first 30 days of starting at your new church. The attached document is a template from which to choose the most important things to focus on in your first 90 days with your new congregation. It is important to actively seek input and support from your senior warden or bishop's ward. The agreed upon plan is signed by you and your senior warden. Once signed, a copy is sent to the Diocesan Transition Minister Rev. Kellaura Johnson ( HYPERLINK "mailto:kjohnson@epicenter.org" kjohnson@epicenter.org), who will pass it along to the Rev. Canon Joann Saylors, Canon for Mission Amplification HYPERLINK "mailto:jsaylors@epicenter.org" jsaylors@epicenter.org. It is highly recommended that the plan be reviewed at least bi-weekly with the senior warden to promote frequent ongoing communications early in the relationship, to head-off as many surprises as possible, and to track actions against the plan, adjusting as appropriate. Name of Clergy: ______________________________________________________ Name of Senior Warden: ________________________________________________ Church: _____________________________________________________________ ASA: _________________ Total Revenue:__________________________________ 90-Day Transition Plan Start Date: _______________________________ End Date: __________________________________________ Recommended Resources: The

FAQs

What is the purpose of a 90-day transition plan for a new rector or vicar?

It creates and executes an action plan during the first 90 days to build momentum, diagnose challenges and opportunities, and help the leader quickly prioritize and establish key relationships.

Who is responsible for creating and approving the plan?

The plan is created jointly with the senior warden or bishop’s warden, then signed by the clergy and the senior warden, and subsequently sent to the Diocesan Transition Minister for onward distribution.

How often should the plan be reviewed and how is progress managed?

The plan is recommended to be reviewed at least bi-weekly with the senior warden to support frequent communication, track actions, and adjust as needed to head off surprises.

Sep 2, 2026

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