The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III is resigning after six-and-a-half years as dean of Washington National Cathedral to return to Trinity Church, Copley Square in Boston as priest-in-charge.
We have two simultaneous news releases.
From the National Cathedral:
The Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, will serve as interim dean after Lloyd’s departure on September 18.
“I have always been clear that my fundamental vocation is to be a preacher, teacher, and pastor–building up the life of the church,” said Lloyd, 61, who led the Cathedral through a significant period of growth, retrenchment, and redefinition. “In recent months, I have been sensing a call to be part of the reimagining and renewing of the church at the parish level. Returning to Trinity is my way of being faithful to that call.”
Chane and Lloyd will work closely together to assure a smooth period of transition as the Cathedral begins its search for a new dean, the bishop said.
“Dean Lloyd has served the Cathedral with distinction,” said Chane, who also served as interim dean in the period before Lloyd’s arrival in 2005. “He has built a strong congregation, recruited a gifted and committed staff, and helped establish Washington National Cathedral as a place where the most pressing issues confronting our nation can be examined in the light of faith.”
“The mission and ministry of the Cathedral have new momentum, and I am confident that the future will be bright and exciting.”
During Lloyd’s tenure, the Cathedral convened numerous summits and forums on issues ranging from global poverty and the empowerment of women in the developing world to Christian-Muslim dialogues and the role of religious faith in diplomacy. These events included the Sunday Forum, a conversation between Lloyd and a prominent newsmaker, church figure, or commentator, held between the Cathedral’s two largest Sunday services.
From Trinity, Copley Square, Boston:
The Vestry of Trinity Church Boston has announced its approval of the appointment of the Very Rev. Dr. Samuel T. Lloyd III as Priest-in-Charge, by the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Lloyd will assume the leadership role at the historic church in mid-October. He currently serves as the Dean of Washington National Cathedral, but is well-known to many in Boston, having previously served as Trinity’s rector from 1993 until 2005.
“Since the announcement of the retirement of our Rector, Anne Bonnyman, we have sought a priest who is of outstanding ability as a spiritual leader through preaching and teaching; can build community within the church, and extend our involvement in the community outside our doors,” said Robert Cowden, III, Senior Warden of the Trinity’s Vestry (the lay board charged with overseeing finances and church property). “We concluded, in consultation with Bishop Shaw, that Sam Lloyd’s considerable abilities, already demonstrated at Trinity and more broadly within the Episcopal Church, and his desire to return to his vocation as teacher, preacher, and pastor, presented an unusual opportunity for Trinity. While Sam will bring deep knowledge of Trinity from his service here before, he will focus on God’s call to Trinity now.”
Lloyd concurs that his new role will be “… a fresh, new ministry in what turns out to be a familiar and much loved place. Trinity has grown and continued its vibrant life in many important ways in these past years, and I have found myself engaged in a rich and often exciting ministry at the National Cathedral. And we both have also wrestled with demanding times and difficult issues. Now, though, we have an opportunity to launch a fresh journey together to discover the new thing that God wants to happen at Trinity Church.”