NORTHERN MICHIGAN: Diocese forms bishop search committee
Episcopal News Service. February 18, 2010 [021810-01]
ENS staff
The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan has chosen an 11-member committee to guide the search for its next bishop, and laid out a timeline for the search.
"The Standing Committee was committed to having a search committee that is representative of our diocese's geography and diversity," said Linda Piper, chair of the Standing Committee. "With this committee, we have achieved that goal. We are grateful to all of its members for agreeing to serve."
The diocese's previous search for a bishop ended in July 2009, when the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester, a priest of the diocese, did not receive the necessary consents from the wider church. The diocese has been without a bishop since Bishop James Kelsey died in an automobile accident in June 2007. Bishop Tom Ray, who preceded Kelsey, now serves as assisting bishop.
Diocesan Convention met in October 2009 and set out the framework for conducting a second search for the diocese's next bishop.
The Search Committee's regional representatives were chosen after each congregation discussed potential candidates with their congregational representatives, and identified up to two candidates per congregation. Congregational representatives then met by region to discuss and vote on the names brought forth.
The Diocesan Council and Standing Committee followed a similar process, discussing potential candidates at an initial meeting and then later electing a representative. Diocesan Convention gave the Standing Committee the authority to appoint additional members to the committee to insure that it was representative of the diocese.
The members of the search committee are: Mary Sullivan and Gladys Dompierre from the North Central region; Carol Clark and Kim Moote from the South Central region; Warren Maki and Leonard DeWitt from the Western region; Pam Finkel and Phil Schaffer from the Eastern region; Pat Micklow, representing the Diocesan Council; Arlene Gordanier, representing the Standing Committee; and the Rev. Charlie Piper, representing the diocese's ministry developers, or its five seminary-trained priests.
"Being part of this Search Committee is something I really want to do," said Moote, a deacon and member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Munising. "We have a good foundation to build on, but we can move on and use a process that the national church will accept to choose a person who will guide us in the mutual ministry that is such an important part of our lives. I've been a part of this diocese for 40 years and involved with mutual ministry for more than 20 years, since the beginning. We want to continue on that path and share it with the world."
(Mutual ministry includes every baptized person and focuses on ministry in daily life.)
Thew Forrester, chosen during a special convention on Feb. 21, 2009 to succeed Kelsey, came under intense scrutiny after his election.
Initially, concern centered on his status as the only candidate at the convention and the question of whether his practice of Zen Buddhist meditation has diluted his commitment to the Christian faith, making him unsuitable to serve as a bishop. That attention led to the internet publication of some of Thew Forrester's sermons and writings along with a revision he made to the Episcopal Church's baptismal liturgy, raising further concern among some about his theology.
The Standing Committee has suggested the following calendar for the search:
- Deadline for submission of names: May 2010
- Interviews and visits: August-September 2010
- Announcement of candidates: October 2010
- Election: November 2010
- Ordination: Spring 2011
The Diocese of Northern Michigan, founded in 1895, comprises 27 congregations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.