The Rt. Rev. Robert H. Johnson, Chair	Western North Carolina
The Rt. Rev. Bruce Caldwell, Vice-Chair & Secretary	Wyoming
The Rt. Rev. Clarence Coleridge	Connecticut
The Rt. Rev. Theodore Daniels	Texas
The Rt. Rev. Gary Gloster	North Carolina, resigned
The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori	Nevada
Ms. Ira Leidel	Eastern Michigan
The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey	Rochester
The Rt. Rev. Larry Maze	Arkansas
Ms. Jamel Shimpfky	El Camino Real & New York
The Rt. Rev. Vincent W. Warner	Olympia

The Committee met twice a year during the Triennium. The primary function of the Committee is to serve as a council of advice to the Bishop of the Office of Pastoral Development, as well as to oversee pastoral programs of the House of Bishops, and serving as a resource for the Planning Committees of the House and the Spouses Group.

At the Committee’s first meeting, we were asked to draft a preliminary Action and Response Statement for the House of Bishops to consider on the issues surrounding the election and consecration of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. The draft was used by the Presiding Bishop’s Council of Advice in its proposed Alternative Pastoral Oversight which was presented to the House of Bishops and became the document, Caring for All the Churches.

The following were ongoing matters of concern during the Triennium:

take seriously the systemic and individual importance of the pastoral dimensions of our shared life;
continue as a council of advice and support to the Bishop for the Office of Pastoral Development;
provide direct attention to the pastoral care of bishops and spouses;
seek increased funding for Episcopal formation and development including educational courses;
respond to specific needs raised by the House and the Spouses Group.

During the Triennium, we worked on Resolutions GC2003–A023 and GC2003–B008 which had been mandated to us by General Convention. In response to 2003–A023 (Establish Institutional Wellness and Prevention of Sexual Misconduct Task Force), we endorsed the Task Force’s establishment and work. In response to 2003–B008 (Protect Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse), we worked with the Bishop of the Office of Pastoral Development and the House of Bishops in encouraging all diocesan bishops to respond to a questionnaire on the 2003–B008 resolves. The findings of the questionnaire will be reported to the House of Bishops and to the General Convention.

Because of our pastoral concern for all bishops and their families we worked with the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop to establish a Transition Committee. The Committee, chaired by the Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey, includes members from the Pastoral Development Committee as well as members from the Nominating Committee. We endorsed the following priorities for the Transition Committee’s work:

Collect the current Presiding Bishop’s reflections on the first months of his ministry and share this information with the Presiding Bishop-elect;
Identify the specific needs of the current Presiding Bishop during this time of transition;
Orient the Presiding Bishop-elect to the domestic and international expectations of the Primate as well as the operations of the Episcopal Church Center;
Assist the Presiding Bishop-elect and his or her family as needs arise in their relocation;
Identify the pastoral needs experienced by the nominees in 1997;
Provide intentional care for nominees and their families before and after the election.

Committee Mission Statement

We developed a new mission statement for our Committee. The latest draft is as follows:

The House of Bishops Committee on Pastoral Development is charged with building “shalom” in the Episcopal Church through its attention to the life and work of bishops and their families. To that end the Committee:

pays attention to the corporate health of the House of Bishops, assessing needs and providing for programmatic responses where appropriate;
is concerned with the well-being of individual bishops and builds systems that allow for pastoral care and opportunities for education and training in order to better serve and enable the community of the baptized; and
serves as a primary source of advice and support to the Office of Pastoral Development.

Recommended Core Values and Behaviors

We spent considerable time on drafting a “Statement of Recommended Core Values and Behaviors” for the House of Bishops. This statement is used as a basis for discussing how we better exercise episcope together and is presented at meetings of the House. The current version states:

A review of the past covenants made by the House, conducted by the Pastoral Development Committee, reveals seven core values that are supported by observable behavior and are intended to serve us both when we are in session and out, as we strive to follow Christ and be faithful to the baptismal covenant and our ordination vows as bishops of God’s church:

(1) ATTENDANCE, as demonstrated by full participation in meetings and worship “As the body of Christ, all members are significant, the Body is diminished by the absence of some, and we have vowed to “share with [our] fellow bishops in the government of the whole Church.” (BCP 518)

Will you be faithful in ATTENDANCE? I will with God’s help.

(2) FULL AND INTENTIONAL INCORPORATION in the House, as demonstrated by engagement with the work of the College for Bishops and rotation of leadership in core and working groups during meetings of the House. “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith… (Romans 12:4ff).¹

Footnote: ¹All scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version.

We have also promised to “share in the leadership of the Church.” (BCP 517)

Will you be faithful in FULL AND INTENTIONAL INCORPORATION in this body? I will with God’s help.

(3) COLLEGIALITY, as demonstrated in our mutual respect for each other and our attention to how our individual and corporate actions affect the Church. “But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (I Cor. 12:24b-26)

Will you be faithful in COLLEGIALITY in this body? I will with God’s help.

(4) MUTUAL RESPECT, as demonstrated by respectful listening and talking, and increased attention to avoid mean-spiritedness, with appropriate confidentiality. To demonstrate EQUALITY IN COMMUNICATION in core and working groups as well as conversations in plenary sessions. We have promised to “respect the dignity of every human being” and to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself” (BCP 305). “Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:4)

Will you be faithful in MUTUAL RESPECT AND EQUAL COMMUNICATION in this body? I will with God’s help.

(5) COLLECTIVE WISDOM, as demonstrated in retaining materials that need further attention from one meeting to the next and (in learning from each other). “A bishop in God’s holy Church is called to be one with the apostles . . . You are called to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church . . . With your fellow bishops you will share in the leadership of the Church.” (BCP 517) “Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? I believe in . . . the communion of saints.” (BCP 304)

Will you be faithful in sharing COLLECTIVE WISDOM in this Body? I will with God’s help.

(6) DIRECTNESS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, as demonstrated by a “check it out, talk it out” covenant. “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37) “For I fear that when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” (2 Cor. 12:20) “Your joy will be to follow him who came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (BCP 517)

Will you be faithful in DIRECT COMMUNICATING in this Body? I will with God’s help.

(7) ACCOUNTABILITY, as demonstrated in past work to involve conversation and prayer before moving toward controversial actions. “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” (BCP 304) Will you be faithful in prayer and in the study of Holy Scripture, that you may have the mind of Christ?” (BCP 518) “Are you persuaded that God has called you to the office of bishop?” (BCP 517)

Will you be ACCOUNTABLE to God and your fellow bishops in this Body? I will with God’s help.

Conclusion

As we consider all pastoral implications of our common life as bishops in our Church, we are supportive of and encouraged by the fine work of The Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews, Bishop of the Office of Pastoral Development. Under his creative leadership, the Pastoral Development Office is growing in responsibility and in effectiveness. Accordingly, we see a need for a broader funding base and more staffing for this ministry which includes the strengthening of the work of the College for Bishops.

Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That there be appropriated from the Budget of General Convention, the sum of $51,000 for the expenses of the House of Bishops Committee on Pastoral Development for the 2007–2009 Triennium.