My two cents about the process to elect a new bishop
I believe it is in the best interest of the Diocese of Minnesota to proceed with a modified version of Bishop Jelinek’s coadjutor plan. I believe we have already completed a two year interim process through the powerful work of the BCMS and that this work needs to be the core of the Bishop Coadjutor search process.
The Bishop’s Commission for Mission Strategy has looked closely at and been honest about our diocesan wide bad habits and helped us acknowledge, honor and move forward to create collaborative relationships and collegiality among laity and clergy.
We have begun to overcome our bad habits and new partnerships and opportunities have emerged. We have begun to discover our gifts, talents and skills as we have heard the Good News in the ministries and missions of congregations around the Diocese.
The past two years have been extraordinarily challenging and anxiety provoking. We have asked HOW we will be the Church together as we move forward. Two years of maintenance and deep spiritual discovery have helped us truly imagine what our future as the Diocese of Minnesota could be, our imaginations have been ignited by this work and we are prepared to move into portions of the action phase of the BCMS process.
This has been powerful interim work that has a well thought-out and expansive plan for continued work.
Why stop this powerful work now by creating a parallel and disconnected interim period?
Instead I propose that we fully embrace the work of the BCMS by using their report as the core of our Bishop search process and diocesan profile, making it clear to all who are nominated what our plan is for our future.
I propose that we continue with a plan for a Coadjutor so that the work of the BCMS and the report as it exists has an opportunity to shape how we participate with God to shape and form how we will be the Church together.
Let’s call for a coadjutor at our diocesan convention with this time-line:
•following convention proceed with the plan to form the next BCMS as well as a search team.
•Reduce the time the search committee needs to create our diocesan profile due to the excellent two years of work that has been done in coming to understand what sort of promised and preferred future God is calling us as a Diocese to.
•In the late fall or winter of 08 elect a coadjutor.
•Then sometime in the summer or fall of 2009 Bishop Jelinek retires and the coadjutor is consecrated as the ninth Bishop of Minnesota.
I believe it is vitally important that the coadjutor has time to spend with the new BCMS team and the regions and parishes of the diocese to explore, imagine and dream about how the BCMS report can be shaped into action steps.
The coadjutor, upon request from the Diocese, diocese being all of us gathered together, spends six to eight months steeping him or herself in the report, in the mission and ministry of the Diocese and how we can begin to dedicate our work to accomplishing the goals and dreams of the BCMS report that has been so comprehensive and empowering. Following that time of discernment the Coadjutor would have time set aside to go on retreat to help imagine a future and a vision for the Diocese to be presented for all of us.
I propose this because it is imperative that we place the work of the BCMS at the core of how we see ourselves living out God’s call to participate in God’s mission in our particular context here in the Diocese of Minnesota. We must place mission and ministry at the core of who we are and what we do in EVERYTHING we do. My fear is that we are instead placing our own expectations and anxiety about limited resources at the core of the process before we think about how the Spirit is moving among us. We must trust implicitly the work we have done as an entire Diocese and believe in the call it gives to work and walk alongside God as we are being deeply transformed by the Spirit.
Be well,
A+
The Bishop’s Commission for Mission Strategy has looked closely at and been honest about our diocesan wide bad habits and helped us acknowledge, honor and move forward to create collaborative relationships and collegiality among laity and clergy.
We have begun to overcome our bad habits and new partnerships and opportunities have emerged. We have begun to discover our gifts, talents and skills as we have heard the Good News in the ministries and missions of congregations around the Diocese.
The past two years have been extraordinarily challenging and anxiety provoking. We have asked HOW we will be the Church together as we move forward. Two years of maintenance and deep spiritual discovery have helped us truly imagine what our future as the Diocese of Minnesota could be, our imaginations have been ignited by this work and we are prepared to move into portions of the action phase of the BCMS process.
This has been powerful interim work that has a well thought-out and expansive plan for continued work.
Why stop this powerful work now by creating a parallel and disconnected interim period?
Instead I propose that we fully embrace the work of the BCMS by using their report as the core of our Bishop search process and diocesan profile, making it clear to all who are nominated what our plan is for our future.
I propose that we continue with a plan for a Coadjutor so that the work of the BCMS and the report as it exists has an opportunity to shape how we participate with God to shape and form how we will be the Church together.
Let’s call for a coadjutor at our diocesan convention with this time-line:
•following convention proceed with the plan to form the next BCMS as well as a search team.
•Reduce the time the search committee needs to create our diocesan profile due to the excellent two years of work that has been done in coming to understand what sort of promised and preferred future God is calling us as a Diocese to.
•In the late fall or winter of 08 elect a coadjutor.
•Then sometime in the summer or fall of 2009 Bishop Jelinek retires and the coadjutor is consecrated as the ninth Bishop of Minnesota.
I believe it is vitally important that the coadjutor has time to spend with the new BCMS team and the regions and parishes of the diocese to explore, imagine and dream about how the BCMS report can be shaped into action steps.
The coadjutor, upon request from the Diocese, diocese being all of us gathered together, spends six to eight months steeping him or herself in the report, in the mission and ministry of the Diocese and how we can begin to dedicate our work to accomplishing the goals and dreams of the BCMS report that has been so comprehensive and empowering. Following that time of discernment the Coadjutor would have time set aside to go on retreat to help imagine a future and a vision for the Diocese to be presented for all of us.
I propose this because it is imperative that we place the work of the BCMS at the core of how we see ourselves living out God’s call to participate in God’s mission in our particular context here in the Diocese of Minnesota. We must place mission and ministry at the core of who we are and what we do in EVERYTHING we do. My fear is that we are instead placing our own expectations and anxiety about limited resources at the core of the process before we think about how the Spirit is moving among us. We must trust implicitly the work we have done as an entire Diocese and believe in the call it gives to work and walk alongside God as we are being deeply transformed by the Spirit.
Be well,
A+
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