The bishops of the reorganizing dioceses of The Episcopal Church met with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on February 10-11 at the Church Center in New York City.
Bishop Scott Mayer joined Bishops Dorsey McConnell of Pittsburgh, David Rice of San Joaquin, and Charles von Rosenberg of South Carolina in a wide-ranging discussion with the presiding bishop designed to update him on developments in those dioceses.
Reorganizing dioceses have much in common
As the meeting unfolded the bishops discovered that, even though the four dioceses are all very different one from the other and all are facing their own particular legal challenges, they have many things in common. While their litigation is important, it is not the center of life in any of the dioceses. Additionally, all the reorganizing dioceses:
- have healthy congregations with thriving outreach and ministries.
- continue to cultivate and train lay leadership.
- seek to create a healthy balance in roles among the four orders of ministry — bishop, priest, deacon, and laity.
- actively form and recruit clergy inspired by the leadership challenges of dioceses that are reimagining The Episcopal Church in their local contexts.
- are filled with people who have made a conscious decision to be Episcopalian, which endows them with a unique commitment to the mission and ministry of The Episcopal Church.
All of these things position these dioceses for healthy growth and make them remarkable assets to The Episcopal Church as a whole.
“I left the meeting encouraged and refreshed, both by the fellowship with the other bishops and with Michael, but also by the strong sense of common purpose. Each bishop is inspired by the people we have been called to serve, as together we participate in the Jesus Movement to change the world by the power of God’s love,” Bishop Mayer said.