The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop calls for nominees
The Episcopal Church
Office of Public Affairs
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) has issued the Call for Discernment and Profile for the election of the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.
The Call for Discernment and Profile is located here and in Spanish here and in French here.
Between now and September 30, any member of The Episcopal Church may submit a name of a bishop to JNCPB whom they believe should be considered for nomination through the email listed in the Call for Discernment and Profile. JNCPB will inform bishops whose names have been presented and advise them that if they wish to engage the discernment process, they must submit their materials as specified in the Call for Discernment and Profile between October 1 and October 31. The JNCPB will announce its nominees in early May 2015.
According to JNCPB, the Call for Discernment and Profile is intended to paint a picture of the skills, qualities and gifts the Church seeks in its next Presiding Bishop in light of what the Church may look like in the next decade, to assist bishops, deputies and prospective nominees in discerning which bishops may be called to the ministry of Presiding Bishop and to assist JNCPB in discerning potential nominees. To assist in that process, last year the JNCPB crafted and circulated a church-wide survey. The synthesis of the more than 5,200 responses helped develop the Profile.
The JNCPB is comprised of a lay member, a priest or deacon, and a bishop elected from each of the nine provinces of the Episcopal Church, plus two youth representatives, appointed by the President of the House of Deputies, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings. The General Convention Deputies and bishops serve a three-year term to conclude at the close of General Convention 2015 in Salt Lake City.
Some excerpts from the profile below:
A Presiding Bishop for our Time
We are in a time of both uncertainty and opportunity. The Church we are electing this person to lead can be characterized as follows:
Changing and Evolving: The next Presiding Bishop will be comfortable in the midst of ambiguity and able to lead the church in the rich, temporal space between the “now” and the “yet to come.”
Diverse: We are a multi-national, multi-lingual, multi- cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-generational church. Our Presiding Bishop will delight in this diversity.
Complex: Our polity has many components and complexities. Our Presiding Bishop will possess the requisite skills and wisdom for leading complex and democratic systems through a time of significant change.
Personal and Professional Attributes
Our next Presiding Bishop will possess the following attributes or demonstrate
• An authentic spiritual life deeply grounded in prayer
• An evangelist’s heart, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ
through preaching and teaching
• Love of the people, with vibrant relational skills
• Personal health and self-awareness
• Collaborative leadership skills
• Knowledge of, and experience in, the Episcopal Church
• Ability to nurture dioceses and congregations in their development
• Ability to inspire growth and lead through change
• Ability to balance roles and responsibilities in complex governance