I worked for the General Board 1990-2002. I helped register GOE Candidates and process the exam papers and evaluations. The Administrator recruited the readers and helped with evaluations. On average half the people who took the GOE in those years “demonstrated proficiency” in all 7 canonical areas; 15% in 6 areas, 25% in 3,4,or 5 areas, and 10% in 0, 1, or 2 areas.

The Administrator and I reviewed the papers and evaluations of the last 10% to be sure the evaluations were fair and accurate.  In 1990-2002 many questions were “open book.”  I note that this year all are limited resources questions. Some of the poor papers resulted from anxious students, particularly on the first question, spending too much time in research and too little time to finish answering the question. A few papers each year showed major problems with writing a cogent and coherent paragraph or showed little familarity with the subject of the question. And each year a few had the problem referred to by the Crusty Old Dean: a bright student wrote a essay that did not answer the question asked. These frequently got past the readers and were caught by the chaplain who had helped write the question.  I note that the COD now advises his students to study the question asked and answer it carefully.

I also ran comparative statistics on 16 years results by seminary. On average GOE Candidates demonstrated proficiency on 80 per cent of the questions asked. The spread between seminaries was about 5 per cent, and every seminary was above average at least once in 16 years and every seminary was below average at least once. 

Between a quarter and a third of the GOE candidates each year were “others” - candidates at Episcopal seminaries for degrees other than the M.Div. or for certificates, alumni/ae of Episcopal seminaries with the M.Div. or another degree, students at non-Episcopal seminaries, and each year one or two who had read for orders. On average these did nearly as well as Episcopal seminary M.Div. candidates.

For three years you have been the clergy person in charge at St. Christopher’s Church….
The family has indicated to the chaplain that they are members of St. Christopher’s. They say they have been inactive at St. Christopher’s for at least five years and do not know the clergy person there, though they still consider it their spiritual home. You do not recall ever meeting the family.

Correct answer would be, you should be replaced as rector, vicar, or whatever.  If you have had 3 years, and the folks who consider themselves to be “members of the parish” don’t know who you are, you are doing a very poor job.  I guess you just sit around the building, waiting for people to come in, and just deal with whoever drops by.
Something I have seen frequently over the years among priests trained at Nashotah (and I hope and pray they are still trained this way) is that one of the first things you do upon taking charge of a parish is to contact everyone who is or ever was a member of that parish (you also introduce yourself to everyone in the parish neighborhood).  Even if it is just a post card saying “Hello, I am Fr. Smith, and I am the new rector of St. Christopher’s”.  But at the very least, they should know who you are, and you should have taken the time to let them know you welcome them to the parish, even if they have not attended regularly in quite a while.

And while I am in preaching mode, WEAR YOUR COLLAR in public.  This immediately identifies you as a priest, in a way that a polo shirt does not.  You may have to explain to folks that you are not Roman Catholic when they ask about your wife or, if you are a woman, how you can be a woman priest. But in either case, it gives you an opportunity to evangelize and maybe, just maybe, interest someone in your parish.  And then, at least, people will the clergyperson at St. Christopher’s by sight.

#2, as stated, the question doesn’t tell us whether the new “clergy person in charge” had contacted members of St. Christopher’s. I see it as a what-should-you-do-now sort of question. Obviously, you would pick up the phone, call them, introduce yourself, and explain that the hospice chaplain had contacted you. You would then listen, and offer to visit. If there’s a wall of ice, and they don’t want you to visit them at home, or meet with them at the hospice - then you nonetheless offer to help in any way you can. And, you follow up with them and maintain contact with the hospice chaplain. From the way the question is written, it’s likely that the “clergy person in charge” and the family are soon going to be meeting anyway - to plan a funeral service.

Then, if you actually haven’t made an all-parish visitation, you get cracking. God has sent this family as a wake-up call.