I have engaged as an elector in selecting three bishops diocesan, two presiding bishops, and various positions for which the House of Bishops holds responsibility (for example, the Bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries, and bishops in missionary jurisdictions). In 2001 I endured an election myself, when I was a nominee in the Diocese of Missouri. I was blessed to be elected, and blessed to serve there for eighteen years. In 2021 the Convention of the Diocese of Southern Ohio also made me Bishop Provisional—another election of sorts, though an odd one. The Standing Committee, following the canons, presented me as the sole nominee. All of which is to say that I have witnessed bishop elections.
An electing convention brings both excitement and anxiety, and they often come together, a package deal. Here are a few ways to make the most of the season’s energy and minimize the worry.
- Share both the excitement and the worry among friends. Doing so breaks down isolation and eases any burden these emotions might bring. Social media, however, may not be your friend during a church season like this. They are good vehicles for sharing information but tend to roil the emotions. Which leads to my next point.
- Gossip quickly makes a bishop election toxic. Gossip proves more damaging in these times than the mere untruth of it might suggest. It becomes corrosive to the community at large, undermining trust and questioning it. Any statement including the phrase “the fix is on” should trigger skepticism. Same for any reference to a “reliable source” whom, of course, gossip cannot name.
- Work to build trust in the whole process. There are good agents for this Diocese at every turn of the journey toward the 10th bishop. Standing Committee, Nominating Committee, Transition Committee—all have sought out the best practices. All have kept appropriate confidences while sharing broadly the information which we need to know. Remember that they have borne burdens on behalf of us all, and they deserve trust as a default assumption from us, not suspicion.
- Honor the nominees. Those on the ballot will have given themselves for the purpose of a public work of discernment in our election processes. I firmly believe that every nominee has something to bring to the conversation and helps clarify our discernment, nothing being wasted in God’s economy. Acknowledge, however, the emotional, spiritual, and physical burdens they have all faced. It is exhausting for them all, and only one becomes bishop. Don’t forget the others.
- Listen to the nominees and how they have spoken about vocation. The canons (III.11.1) and the ordination rite (BCP, 517) make clear that a prerequisite for discernment to the episcopate is the election itself! Often we ask the questions of our nominees in less than precise ways: “Why do think you are called to be Bishop of Southern Ohio?” No one is so-called until the clergy and people of a diocese say so. That’s what our canons and Prayer Book say. “What made you willing to be a nominee here?” might be a better question. Or “What about our diocese attracts you?” I remember the cringy rector from The Innocent Curate (Paris Leary’s 1963 novel) praying, “O God make me a bishop. But not of Nebraska.” Listen for any intimation like this.
- Remember the relational genius in our Anglican way of following Jesus. Remember that the meet-and-greets were a step along the way in building a long relationship (pray God!) with the next bishop diocesan. How we treat the nominees during the electing season may signal how we might treat a bishop over the long haul. We have interviewed them, yes, but in a real sense they have also interviewed us.
- Savor the energy of the convention itself. Electing a bishop, and being elected, is a sweet moment. Remember the inverse level of disappointment that will likely visit those not elected. The energy of the convention and election may lead us to forget them, and their irreplaceable contribution in the discernment.
- Pray always, and do not lose heart. Luke 18—Jesus himself—tells that story best.
