Since its formation as a union parish in the 1970s, St Anselm's has had a succession of wonderful ordained ministers, the most recent being the 10-year appointment of the Rev Geraldine Coats. Geraldine retired in 2021 and while searching for a replacement, St Anselm's adopted a "guest preacher" arrangement to provide the Sunday service. On 1st February 2023, Rev Jannet Mudavanhu was appointed as minister of Trinity Union Parish in Newtown and St Anselm's Union Church in Karori. This appointment was on a 12-month trial basis with Jannet apportioning 60% of her time with St Anselm's and 40% with Trinity.
This shared-ministry arrangement worked very well from a ministry perspective but St Anselm's found it could not afford the 60% share of the stipend plus housing costs, and the trial 12-month appointment was not extended. St Anselm's decided to revert to the "guest preacher" model and not seek a replacement minister.
An enhanced "guest preacher" system operating since 4th February 2024, now consists of a pool of 7-8 regular guest preachers being a mix of ordained clergy and lay preachers.
The guest preachers generally all follow the same church lectionary and our usual order of service. This helps ensure a continuity that suits the congregation plus the benefit of Reflections from a variety of excellent preachers.
See this link for more information about these preachers.
Guest preachers and other ordained ministers are brought in as necessary for guiding the congregation on theological matters and conducting special services such as weddings, funerals and baptisms.