The Reverend Richard (Rick) C. Britton, Jr. and Family
The Vestry and Rector Search Committee are pleased to introduce you to The Reverend Richard (Rick) C. Britton, Jr., his wife, Donna, and their two sons, Derek and Evan. Although it has been eighteen years since they lived here, Nashville has a special place in their hearts. Rick and Donna met in Nashville and Derek and Evan were born here. Donna has been a flight attendant for Delta Airlines for over twenty years. In the fall, Evan will begin his sophomore year at Oglethorpe University and Derek plans to attend college in Nashville. Rick comes to St. Ann's from St. Luke's, a large corporate size church in downtown Atlanta, where he has served as Associate Priest for Outreach Ministries for nine years. In addition to outreach ministries, Rick shares pastoral, educational, and liturgical duties with other clergy and staff at St. Luke's. Throughout his career, Rick has served on numerous national and diocesan committees. After completing his Master of Divinity at General Theological Seminary in New York, Rick was ordained priest in the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1979. He was Curate and Priest-in Charge at Church of the Redeemer in Denver, Colorado, from 1978 to 1980. Rick and Donna lived in Nashville from 1980 to 1990 while Rick served as vicar at St. Anselm's. While at St. Anselm's he served as the Episcopal chaplain at Fisk University, Tennessee State University, and Meharry Medical College. During this period he also taught at Vanderbilt Divinity School as a part-time adjunct instructor. From 1990 to 1996, Rick served as Rector at Church of the Incarnation in Atlanta. While at Church of the Incarnation, he was a Stewardship Consultant for the Office of Stewardship for the National Church. In 1996, Rick moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where he was Canon for Mission at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. In 1999, Rick accepted a call to return to Atlanta as Associate Priest for Outreach at St. Luke's. On June 16, 2008, Rick accepted our call to become St. Ann's next Rector. Rick is outgoing and has a lively spirit. His strengths include: church growth and development; outreach/social justice advocate; pastoral care; liturgy; and multi/cross-cultural ministries. Rick engages and empowers the laity by setting them up to the task at hand and then letting them go, while making himself available for guidance and support. Rick believes that it is the primary role of a rector to be a servant leader that enables the congregation to live fully and faithfully into its mission. A rector provides "leadership by ensuring that the mission statement is known, celebrated, and used in developing ongoing program, ministries, and planning." Rick expresses admiration for our passion for outreach and our commitment to providing a spiritual home for all of God's children. He states that he would be proud to stand with us in living out our mission. Rick said he was drawn to our mission statement. Rick believes that "diversity in all its forms is a gift which is needed to discern God's truth." When asked his vision of the role of rector, Rick responded that as Rector of St. Ann's, he would uphold and embrace our core values of passion for outreach and social justice, embracing diversity, nurturing children and being an advocate for their welfare. He said, "St. Ann's offers an opportunity for the ongoing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the changing community of East Nashville."
