Nominations open for 2017 Diocesan Convention

Nominations are now open for eight positions that will be filled at the 2017 Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth in Cleburne, Texas, on November 10 and 11.

The Nominations Committee earnestly seeks participation from parishioners across the spectrum of our diocese.

Diocesan members are invited to read, pray, and discern if they know someone to nominate, or if they are called to offer themselves in nomination, for any of the elected positions described below. Nominations may be made by another person with the candidate’s permission or by the candidate on their own. The deadline for online nominations is Monday, September 11, 2017. Nominations are open for two months.

The Nominations Committee has a goal for at least two candidates per position.

Positions to be Filled:

Members-at-Large of the Diocesan Executive Council – two lay and one clergy member. The Executive Council carries on the work of the Diocesan Convention during the rest of the year when the Convention is not in session. The canons passed in 2015 made changes affecting the Executive Council, including how its members are elected. Previously, all the members were elected by the deaneries. Now, one representative is elected from each deanery, and nine members are elected at-large by the convention. In 2016, the convention elected all nine at-large members at once and followed a process passed by the 2015 convention for staggering their term lengths. As a result, three of the members will be elected in 2017; members whose terms expire this year are Bob Gross, Barbara Evans-Chowning and Victor Mashburn.

The Standing Committee – one lay and one clergy member. The Standing Committee is the council of advice for the bishop or the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese if there is no bishop. Three priests and three lay persons serve for three years each (those elected in 2017 will complete their term in 2020) with one clergy and one lay member elected each year. No person may serve for more than two consecutive terms. The Standing Committee typically meets monthly. View the current members of the Standing Committee here. Members whose terms are expiring are Joel Walker and Amy Haynie (currently the president).

Trustee for the University of the South – one clergy person. Length of term is three years (October 2018-2020). Duties include attending trustee meeting in the fall at the University of the South at Sewanee, TN, which usually involves several weekdays, especially for a new trustee. There is an optional spring meeting. There may be some expenses related to this responsibility. The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is one of the owning dioceses of the University of the South and thus is represented at the primary Trustee meeting. Continuing trustees are Suzanne Meyers and Jill McClendon (whose term will start in October). Andrew Wright’s term will expire in October 2018, just before next year’s Diocesan Convention, so we are electing for that position now, and the new trustee will start approximately a year from now.

Disciplinary Board – one clergy and one lay member. One clergy member and one lay member are to be elected for three-year terms (expiring 2020). The Disciplinary Board meets as needed when called by the bishop. View the current members here. Those whose terms are expiring are Becky Snell and Janet Nocher.

Nominate Someone

Nominations are open through Monday, September 11; use the form below to nominate yourself or someone else. After September 11, nominations can still be made, but the process changes.

The nominations form is now inactive.

Nominations after September 11, 2017

Any nominations after the closing date of Monday, September 11, 2017 may be made from the floor at diocesan convention. Nominations from the floor will follow all the requirements for candidates, including sufficient copies of the nominees’ picture and biographical information for all clergy and convention delegates, plus verification of qualifications. The requirements for nominations from the floor of convention are in Canon I.2.8.2.5 “Nominations from the Floor,” which can be found in the Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

Other Positions

In addition, the following individual positions are nominated by the bishop and confirmed by the convention.

• Diocesan Secretary and Assistant to the Secretary
• Diocesan Registrar
• Diocesan Historiographer
• Diocesan Treasurer and Assistant to the Treasurer
• Diocesan Chancellor
• Corporation Trustee
• Episcopate endowment trustee

Groups which welcome new members each year, appointed by the bishop include:

• Commission on Ministry
• Finance Committee
• Diocesan Schools Commission
• Constitution and Canons Committee

If you would like to volunteer in these areas and potentially be available for a future nomination, please email the nominations committee at nominations.committee@edotn.org to let them know of your interest, in case the bishop needs recommendations.

For more information on nominations, please email nominations.committee@edotn.org.