It's no secret that Episcopalians love their parishes. We
take great pride in the sanctuaries we maintain and occupy. But as
Episcopalians, we are part of a larger church, unified by our commitment to
Christ’s mission to bring God’s kingdom to earth. In that sense, there is no
Grace Church or St. Augustine’s or Church of the Mediator. We are Christians,
simply, who are participants in Christ’s Church.
Many of you will have your annual meetings in the coming
month, and in electing your fellow parishioners to positions in the diocese –
including delegates to diocesan convention, Standing Committee, and deputies to
the General Convention and Province V Synod – I ask that you nominate and elect
people who would most likely have a commitment to the larger church. Elect
people who have a vision beyond the local parish and a mission which pools our
financial and people resources, making us truly the Body of Christ healing a
broken world in desperate need of being reconciled to God and to one another.
It is also with a mind toward the arrival of the ninth
bishop of the Diocese of Western Michigan that this is important. The newly
elected will be able to join the already good lay and clergy leadership serving
this diocese and the larger church well.
The new bishop will arrive to find a team of people who will
work with, not against, him/her. When individuals in leadership positions bring
their own local agendas or serve in order to grind an ax, they are unable to
hear the new plan or see the new path laid out before them.
By identifying the best people possible from the vast number
of talented individuals already working and serving in our parishes, and inviting
them to serve on the diocesan, Province, and The Episcopal Church level, you
will be giving your new bishop one of the best gifts possible - a great start
to the ministry of oversight (the bishop’s role) and relationship-building in
the diocese and beyond. Consider electing people who have never served before.
While electing experienced people is important for continuity, it does not give
others the opportunity to experience church in a different way and it denies
the church the gifts and fresh vision they bring. We need some of each.
A few years ago your Diocesan Council and I compiled a list
identifying some of the characteristics the people you elect to diocesan
positions should have. (To read it, click here now). Please share or post this
list in your parish.
We elect people to diocesan positions to be stewards for the
welfare of the whole diocese. They are people who get along well with others,
and are concerned for the common good, rather than the needs and wants of their
own parish.
All of this is best accomplished when parishes take the time
to discern the gifts that exist within their community of faith and then invite
those with the appropriate gifts to serve. Just asking who wants volunteer does
not accomplish the same results. It requires prayer and observation as well as
discussion and invitation. It is a gift your new bishop deserves.
– Robert R. Gepert, VIII, Western Michigan
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