Nevada diocese elects Georgia priest Dan Edwards as bishop
Episcopal News Service. October 12, 2007 [101207-03]
Mary Frances Schjonberg and Chris Clement
The Very Rev. Dan Thomas Edwards was elected October 12 as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada.
Edwards, 57 -- rector of St. Francis' Episcopal Church in Macon, Georgia (Diocese of Atlanta), and dean of the region's convocation of congregations -- was elected on the second ballot out of a field of six nominees. [ENS will update this story online once ballot counts are confirmed.]
The election took place during the diocese's annual convention, running October 12-14 at the South Point Hotel on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Edwards will succeed Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was elected presiding bishop on June 18, 2006 during the 75th General Convention and left her Nevada ministry on October 25, 2006.
Edwards will be ordained and consecrated Nevada's 10th bishop on January 5, 2008.
Upon receiving the news of his election, Edwards said: "My sisters and brothers in Christ, with utmost humility and deep joy, I accept this call to serve as your bishop. Together we can engage in our many different ministries, ever mindful that we are all essential parts of the one Body of Christ, that all of our ministries serve one mission: to reconcile all people to God and each other in Christ. For the love and glory of God, we can build bridges across whatever divides us.
"Nevada is already an exciting, creative, trail-blazing diocese," Edwards continued.
Referring to the late Bishop Wes Frensdorff, Nevada's diocesan from 1972 to 1985, Edwards added: "Together, we can keep faith with Bishop's dream of the church, consolidate Bishop Katharine's achievements, and share God's love with more people than ever before. We can build a house where all are welcome. We can support a rising generation of young Episcopalians who have enough courage to shape the future with faith.
"With God's help, the Church in Nevada will become ever more mission-minded and spirit-filled, ministering to those in need and advocating for those who are despised by the world but beloved of God. May the Lord strengthen, inspire, and unite us to do the work God has given us to do."
Edwards grew up in Texas and practiced law in Colorado and Idaho. After serving as regional director of a Migrant Law program, he later became statewide director of a Native American Law program.
According to a news release from the Diocese of Nevada, "years of interfaith spiritual searching finally brought" Edwards to the Episcopal Church. "What began as an experiment turned into a lifelong love of meeting God in the sacraments. His new faith led to study in Idaho's Deacon Formation Program, then General Seminary (M. Div.; S.T.M.); Columbia Seminary; and Harvard Divinity School. He trained in spirituality at Shalem Institute, Omega Institute, and the Mercy Center (Colorado). But the questions keep coming. The death of a 20-year-old parishioner in the TWA 800 crash intensified his struggle to find God in human suffering. The result was God of Our Silent Tears, a book he has recently written."
Edwards' ministry has been in congregations large and small, urban and rural, liberal and conservative, traditional and contemporary. He was an intern at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, and with the FisherFolk. After serving as curate in a large downtown church, he became rector of St. Francis', a smaller congregation.
At St Francis', Edwards "promotes servant leadership, Millennium Development Goals, and racial reconciliation… and enjoys warm friendships with the people of his diverse, inclusive congregation," the Nevada diocese's news release notes.
An advocate for ministry development, Edwards co-directed a diocesan program to train spiritual directors, taught in St. Luke's Pastoral Institute, and supervises aspirants in field placements. As convocation dean, he mentors other clergy and coordinates regional church activities.
Edwards served on Atlanta's diocesan Committee on Same Sex Blessings and promotes interfaith/ecumenical dialogue in his role as diocesan ecumenical officer. A former college chaplain, he has led retreats for church and college groups.
Edwards and his wife, Linda, have two adult daughters and a son-in-law.
Under the canons the Episcopal Church (III.16.4 (a)), a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction and diocesan standing committees must consent to Edwards' election and ordination as bishop within 120 days of receiving the consent request.
The other five nominees were:
- the Rev. Dr. Susan Burns, 60, rector, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Bethesda, Maryland (Diocese of Washington);
- the Rev. Dr. Cathy L. Deats, 57, rector, St. James Episcopal Church, Hackettstown, New Jersey (Diocese of Newark);
- the Rev. Dr. Charles Eric Funston, 54, rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Medina, Ohio (Diocese of Ohio);
- the Rev. Albert John Keeney, 62, rector, St. John's Episcopal Church, Canandaigua, New York (Diocese of Rochester); and
- the Rev. Jeffrey D. Paul, 52, rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Carson City, Nevada.
Biographical information about each nominee is available here.
The Diocese of Nevada comprises about 6,000 Episcopalians worshipping in 34 congregations, including one in the neighboring state of Arizona.
- ENS thanks Jon Paul Davidson of the Diocese of Nevada for assisting with this report.