Understanding the Bishop SearchNominating Process

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Understanding the BishopSearch/Nominating Process

• By Louie Crew

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The Episcopal Church has

• 111 dioceses (100 of them domestic).
• Each diocese has at least one bishop (a.k.a. the
  ordinary or the diocesan). Only the ordinary
  has jurisdiction (that is, the last word)
  

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The Episcopal Church is Not a National Church

• Eleven of our dioceses exist outside the
  United States

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• Central Ecuador
• Colombia
• Dominican Republic
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Litoral Ecuador
• Puerto Rico
• Taiwan
• The Convocation of American Churches in Europe
• Venezuela
• Virgin Islands

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Beginning with Samuel Seabury in 1784 and ending
with Edward Ambrose Gumbs, Bishop of the Virgin
Islands the most recently consecrated bishop,
in 2005, The Episcopal Church has had a total of
1,003 bishops to date
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The Current Moratorium On March 16, 2005, at t
he urging of Bishop Gene Robinson, the House of
Bishops meeting at Camp Allen in the Diocese of
Texas, voted to impose a one-year moratorium on
the consecration of any new bishops until General
Convention 2006
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Of the 1,003 TEC bishops

• 321 are still living 32
• (just under one-third)

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Active Bishops in TEC

• 108 ordinaries
• 3 vacant ordinaries
• (CE, ECR, Navajoland)
• 1 bishop coadjutor (WTx)
• 18 bishops suffragan
• 3 bishops on special assignment
• 19 assisting or assistant bishops
• 152 Total (48 of the living bishops)

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Retired TEC bishops

• There are 169 retired bishops of TEC (52)
• Of these
• Average age 76.9
• Average age at retirement 64.8
• Average length of service as ordinaries 12

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The 108 Current Ordinaries

• Average age 59.8.
• Average age at consecration 47.0
• Average service as bishop 12.8

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Bishop John P. Croneberger

• Age next January on retirement 68
• Age at consecration 60
• Service as bishop 8

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During Bp. Cronebergers Tenure

• Bp. Croneberger was the is 943 in the American
  succession, consecrated in November 1998.
  
• 60 bishops have been consecrated since he was or
  45 of the current House (excluding assistant
  bishops
  
• There were 299 candidates for those 60 elections,
  or an average of 5 per race.

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During the PBs tenure

• 76 new bishops have been elected (50 of the
  active bishops)

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Additional Data

• Quean Lutibelle's Reports on the House of
  Bishops
  
• At http//www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/lcrew/bishops
  //
  
• Quean Lutibelles Profile of the House of Bishops
  at
  
• http//rci.rutgers.edu/lcrew/bpsprof2003.html

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Current elections

• 21 dioceses are currently searching for a new
  bishop. Seven already have announced nominees
  and will elect in time for consents at GC
  
• Diocese of Albany
• Diocese of California
• Diocese of Eastern Michigan
• Diocese of Northern California
• Diocese of Tennessee
• Diocese of Texas. For a Bishop Suffragan
• Diocese of West Texas. For a Bishop Suffragan

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Elections announced to come after General
Convention

• Diocese of Arkansas
• Diocese of Central Ecuador
• Diocese of Central Pennsylvania
• Diocese of El Camino Real
• Diocese of Hawaii
• Diocese of Maine
• Diocese of Newark

• Diocese of Oklahoma
• Diocese of Olympia
• Diocese of South Carolina
• Diocese of Southern Ohio
• Diocese of Southwest Florida
• Diocese of Southern Virginia
• Diocese of Virginia

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Timetable for Newark 10

• 6/18/2005 Special Convention
• 9/27/2005 Clergy Day
• 10/2/2005 Reflection Sunday
• 10/3-10/6 Regional focus groups for lay input
• 10/23/2005 Youth focus group for input
• 11/1/2005 Draft Profile sent to Nominating
  Committee
  
• 11/10/2005 Profile sent to the Diocese
• 11/14 - 11/17/2005 Regional meeting for lay
  responses to the Draft Profile

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Timetable continued

• 12/7/2005 Approval of Profile by the Standing
  Committee and Diocesan Council.
  
• Call for Nominations to be received.
• 2/15/2006 Deadline for suggested nominees
• February through June Screening of candidates
• April 30-June 15, 2006 Informational sessions in
  all 10 districts
  
• 6/28/2006 Nominees announced
• 7/5/2006 Deadline for nominations by petition
• 9/1/2006 -- 9/13/2006 Walkabouts.
• 9/23/2006 Special convention to elect

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Timetable concluded

• October and November, 2006 Consents process.
• 12/1/2006 Bishop-Elect of Newark in office
• 1/27/2007 Ordination/Consecration of the 10th

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How members of committee were chosen

• One clergy, one lay member elected by each
  district
  
• 5 additional members chosen by Standing Committee
  to achieve balance
  
• The co-chairs, chosen by the Standing Committee
• Subcommittee Structure

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Subcommittees

• Communications
• Profile
• Education
• Screening
• Visitation Interview
• Presentation
• Executive Committee

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A separate transition committee
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Screening

• CDO Profile
• Resume
• Responses to 7 questions
• Sermon
• Interviews. Visits both ways.
• Reference.
• Oxford documents.

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Newark 10s Seven Questions

•  What would you propose as an evangelism strategy
  for this diocese given our strengths and
  challenges? How have you attracted and increased
  the active participation of young people (ages
  20-35) in your own ministry settings?
• How do you define the ministry of presence and
  connection of a bishop as chief pastor? Please
  provide three examples of presence and connection
  from your own ministry.
• Please give us examples of your own spiritual
  growth and development. What have you done in
  the past to help the spiritual growth and
  development of others? What aspects of your own
  life and ministry do you think would make others
  think of you as a person of God? How have you
  taught or conveyed your faith to others in the
  past?
• What is your theology of stewardship? Do you
  tithe? Why or why not? How do you articulate
  that theology in an economically or spiritually
  challenged environment? 

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7 questions continued

• 5. We are known for our full inclusion in the
  body of Christ of all sexual orientations. How
  would you help us to continue this inclusion
  along with making progress in other areas such as
  race, class, ability economic justice and the
  plight of our cities?
• 6. Please list and explain two major
  characteristics of your own leadership style that
  you see as relevant to the ministry of the next
  Bishop of Newark.
• 7. Given the climate of our time and what you
  know about the history of action in the Diocese
  of Newark, how would you inspire and lead our
  diocesan congregations to respond to the issues
  and concerns of the Episcopal Church, the
  Anglican Communion and the world?

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From 17 Questions Asked in Diocese of Albany

• Question 1
• As stated in The Examination of a
  bishop-elect on page 517 of the Book of Common
  Prayer, a bishop is to proclaim Christs
  resurrection, interpret the Gospel, and testify
  to Christs sovereignty as Lord of lords and King
  of kings. In addition, a bishop is to safeguard
  the faith, unity and discipline of the Church to
  celebrate and provide for the administration of
  the sacraments of the New Covenant to ordain
  priests and deacons and to join in ordaining
  bishops and to be in all things a faithful
  pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock
  of Christ. Please elaborate on your understanding
  of each of these different roles and
  responsibilities of a bishop, and how you would
  attempt to live them out if elected bishop. (Use
  1,500 words or less)

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Albany questions continued.

• -3-
• Are there any articles in the Apostles and
  Nicene Creeds with which you are in anything but
  full personal and theological agreement? If so,
  which and why? In your response, please address
  the following questions Was Jesus raised bodily
  from the dead, such that the tomb was empty of
  his physical being, and in his body he appeared
  unto his disciples until his ascension into
  heaven? Do you believe Jesus was virginally
  conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the
  Virgin Mary? Do you agree that the Persons of the
  Trinity are only the Father, the Son, and the
  Holy Spirit and no other expression or naming may
  be substituted? For example, do you believe that
  a person baptized in the name of Creator,
  Redeemer, and Sanctifier is validly baptized?
  (Use 500 words or less)

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Another of Albanys 17 questions

• Under what circumstances would you authorize
  the use of rites for or any practice of same-sex
  blessing, union, or marriage in this diocese or
  support such rites or practices anywhere in the
  Church? Under what circumstances would you permit
  or approve the ordination or licensing of a
  person who is sexually active outside the bonds
  of marriage between a man and a woman? (Use 500
  words or less)

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The six questions used in the Diocese of
California

• How do you deal with conflict? Give at least one
  specific illustrative example.
  
• What pastoral situations make you most
  uncomfortable? Why?
  
• What has been for you the most valuable learning
  experience in ministry outside of your current
  primary ministry?
  
• Tell us about a difficult situation in your
  ministry which you felt you did not resolve very
  successfully. In retrospect, what would you have
  done differently?
• Based on your reading of the diocesan profile
  A. what do you see as your greatest challenge
  as the bishop of California? B. what excites
  you most about the position?
• What have you found most compelling in Christs
  call to you? How is this related to your
  interest in becoming the bishop of California?
  

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Website of the Search Committee
http//bishopsearch.dioceseofnewark.org/