We are very excited to announce that we have hired a new rector! The Search Committee and Parish Council voted unanimously to call Matt Wilcoxen to pastor our church, and he has accepted. He and his family will be joining us in July!
February 16, 2025
Dear Church of the Incarnation,
I am overjoyed to be joining you as your next rector. For nearly a decade, Annie and I have admired COTI as a model of a gospel-shaped church, committed to loving God, serving one another, and working for the flourishing of the city. Our conversations with the search committee and parish council have only deepened this conviction. We can’t wait to be with you in July!
The church is far more than just another earthly organization; it is “the household of God” and “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15). The local church is what Lesslie Newbigin calls the “hermeneutic of the gospel”, a living community that makes the realities of Christ and his kingdom real, intelligible, and convincing as it lives together in celebration of God’s grace. So, I count it both an incredible joy and a weighty responsibility to have this priestly vocation in general, and now to have the specific calling to serve as your pastor. I step into this role with deep gratitude, trusting that the Lord will equip and sustain me as we begin this new chapter together.
My family and I will be coming to Harrisonburg straight from Australia. We’ve been living and serving here in Sydney since 2021. I have been the rector of the inner-city parish of St John’s Darlinghurst. Annie is a pediatric nurse and works as the health center manager at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, where our three children all currently attend. With this announcement, we now enter the final stretch of our time here. While transitions are always bittersweet, we’re praying these next few months will not only prepare us for change but also deepen our faith and joy in the process.
By the time we arrive this summer, Annie and I will have just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. We first met as students at Biola University in southern California. I had tried to date another young woman I knew through one of my classes. She rejected me, but she also set me up on a date with her roommate, Annie. That turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. Annie and I have been together ever since, seeking to serve Jesus faithfully and having lots of fun along the way. Together we enjoy entertaining friends, going for long walks, and periodically getting obsessively immersed in big sporting events ranging from grand slam tennis tournaments to the NBA Playoffs.
Annie and I got married with the hope of having children together. This is a desire that the Lord has fulfilled in the most unexpected of ways. After many difficult years of trying and failing to have biological children, we took this as a sign that God wanted us to care for children in the foster care system. One thing led to another and, while living in Washington, DC, we fostered and then adopted a sibling set of three beautiful children. It has been a joy and privilege to be part of their ongoing growth and development. It is a journey that is, of course, ongoing—as any current or former parent of teenagers can attest.
Ziyra is now 15 years-old and is in 9th grade. Fiercely strong and courageous, she loves just hanging out with friends and is passionate about, and gifted in, music and dance. Deeply emotionally intelligent, Caira is 14 years-old and just started 8th grade. She wants to be a counselor to children someday, a vocation we think she was made for. Christopher is an 8-year- old in 3rd grade. He is brimming with humor and charisma, and he loves anything to do with sports, cars, or animals. We love our three children dearly and have no doubt that you will come to love them too.
I hope this letter has given you at least a start on knowing us. We’d love to start getting to know you! If you’d like, feel free to send us a photo and a quick note introducing yourself. We’ll read each one with great interest and share them with our kids, who will love knowing they already have friends-to-be in the Friendly City. You can send these through to matt@theincarnation.org.
Yours in Christ,
Matt
For details, please check out Matt’s cover letter and resume.
Here’s what to expect:
Here’s what you can do:
February 2025:
We completed the “weekend visit” stage in January and narrowed down our candidates to one! The Parish Council and the Search Committee voted unanimously to offer the position to that candidate, and he accepted! We will make the official announcement to the church on February 16!
January 2025:
We’ve completed our on-site visits! Next up is “Bishop Interviews” (i.e., an intense, three-hour-long interview with our Bishop!) Then we start getting ready for on-site visits in Harrisonburg. We’re getting closer to the final stages!
December 2024:
We completed our first-round Zoom interviews in November and have narrowed down our list of candidates. This month, we’ll be conducting second-round Zoom interviews, talking with references, and scheduling site visits. It’s a packed month, but we’re right on schedule!
November 2024:
This month, we will be conducting Zoom interviews with our selected candidates. We hope to start scheduling church visits (to candidates’ home churches) for December and January!
October 2024:
We’re still accepting new applicant submissions through the end of October. Then, starting the weekend of November 1-2, things will really start to take off! The Committee will meet that weekend to decide which candidates to move forward with. We’ll schedule Zoom interviews for early-to-mid November. After the interviews, we’ll narrow down the list again and start scheduling on-site visits (at candidate home churches) for December and January. Please keep praying for us!
September 2024:
We completed our Parish Profile document and received Parish Council approval on August 30 (a few weeks ahead of schedule)! We’re now working on the “Advertise” stage. We’ve identified over a dozen organizations (including seminaries with Anglican tracks, etc.) where we can promote the position. We’re also exploring paid advertising opportunities.
Please help us by sharing the word with your own contacts!
August 2024:
The Congregational Survey was a success! We achieved over 80% participation, which far exceeds the 50% standard. (Thank you to everyone who participated!) We were able to gather the information we need and have used it to build our Parish Profile (which includes the Rector Profile). On August 19, we sent the Parish Profile draft to the Parish Council to being their review. After we receive their approval, we can start the “Advertise” stage!
July 2024:
We have officially moved into the “Prepare Parish Profile” stage of our process. This is the stage in which we gather information about our congregation, so we can paint a well-rounded picture of who we are today.
This picture will help us identify which characteristics are most important in our new rector—and it will also help potential candidates quickly identify whether they should apply.
As part of this process, we’ll conduct a congregational survey. Church members and attendees will receive a link to the survey via the church newsletter in mid-July.
As a temporary committee of the Parish Council, the Rector Search Committee was responsible for seeking, evaluating, and recommending candidates for the church’s Rector position.
Thank you for your prayers throughout the search process! Please continue to pray for Incarnation and for Matt and his family as we prepare for this new chapter!
