SOUTH CAROLINA: Bishop outlines plans to re-elect Mark Lawrence
Episcopal News Service. May 10, 2007 [051007-03]
South Carolina's 13th Bishop Edward L. Salmon has written to diocesan clergy outlining procedures for a new election to be held this summer with the intention of re-electing the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence as bishop.
Salmon wrote his letter after returning from a meeting of the diocesan Standing Committee where, he said, "critical decisions were made" toward Lawrence's re-election. The Electing Convention, Salmon said, will be convened "later in the summer of 2007."
Lawrence, 56, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Parish, in Bakersfield, California, in the Diocese of San Joaquin, was elected September 16, 2006 to succeed Salmon as South Carolina's 14th bishop.
Under the canons the Episcopal Church (III.11.4), a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan Standing Committees must consent to a bishop's election within 120 days.
In the weeks following Lawrence's election, questions arose about his intentions concerning the diocese's continuing membership in the Episcopal Church and some diocesan standing committees announced their intention not to consent.
Lawrence's election was declared "null and void" by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori on March 15 since the required number of consents had not been received.
Salmon turned 72 on January 30, 2006 and was required by the Episcopal Church's constitution Article II, Section 9 to resign. He is serving as the diocese's acting bishop until a new bishop is consecrated.
"The position of the Standing Committee was that there was an overwhelming consensus that 1) the Holy Spirit had spoken in the election of Fr. Lawrence; 2) that the Bishops and Standing Committees had intended to consent to the election even though technicalities had prevented it; 3) and that we carefully follow our own Canons in order to strongly support the election," Salmon said in his letter.
Citing the Church's Canons, Salmon said it is necessary to re-convene the Diocesan Convention on June 9, 2007. "At that Convention, it will be necessary to suspend Rule 21; because it would require an entirely new election process duplicating the process we used in the first election. Rule 22 gives us the authority to suspend the Rule 21 by a 2/3 vote. After its suspension, the Convention can then call for an Electing Convention. This would then require our congregations to elect new delegates for this Convention. The former Electing Convention cannot be re-convened. It was called for the purpose of electing a Bishop for the Diocese, and this work was done."
"Following the election, the Standing Committee will implement an intensive effort to receive the consents during the 120 day period. Since a majority of Standing Committees intended to approve in the first election, the Standing Committee has a clear field in which to work," he said. "This process will allow a consecration date to be set so that when consents are in, we may proceed to consecrate Fr. Mark Lawrence as the 14th Bishop of South Carolina."
The full text of Salmon's letter is available here.