Bishop Neil Alexander of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta announces that he will step aside in 2012 after 11 years as diocesan bishop:
Bishop of Atlanta announces plans to leave in 2012
From the website of the Diocese of Atlanta
The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander has announced his plans to step aside next year after 11 years as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
He said he will join the faculty of Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta in the fall of 2012.
On Feb. 7 Alexander informed the diocese’s Standing Committee of his intentions, stating that his resignation will become effective upon the ordination of his successor. He also informed clergy of the diocese in a letter mailed Monday.
He has asked the Standing Committee to initiate the process to elect the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta. “I believe it is reasonable to expect an election in the spring of 2012 and the ordination of the next bishop of Atlanta late that summer or early in the fall,” he wrote in a letter to clergy of the diocese.
When Alexander, 57, was elected 10 years ago as the ninth bishop of Atlanta, he left behind an extensive career in theological education, including service at two Episcopal seminaries. “I am richly blessed,” he said. “These years in the Diocese of Atlanta have been a wonderful season in my vocation.”