Bishop Coadjutor Search

BISHOP COADJUTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE

Great thresholds are crossed as we draw nearer to the election of the Bishop Coadjutor.

In less than five months, a new bishop will be selected for the Diocese of Southwest Florida and a new chapter of God’s church will begin.

Bishop Dabney Smith, at the 52nd diocesan convention in 2020, called for the election of a bishop coadjutor who will follow him as the chief priest and pastor of the diocese. This will allow for a smooth transition once Bishop Smith retires, a date which has not yet been set. Bishop Smith set in motion a process that now, a year later, has brought the Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee close to submitting the names of a final slate to the Standing Committee for consideration by the electing convention. Committee members are in the process of interviewing those who put forth their names as candidates. What does all this mean to those who sit in the pews each Sunday? For as long as there has been an Episcopal church, there have been bishops who serve on the diocesan level much as a rector serves a congregation. The Book of Common Prayer explains that, “The ministry of a bishop is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as an apostle, chief priest and pastor of a diocese; to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the whole Church; to proclaim the Word of God; to act in Christ’s name for the reconciliation of the world and the building up of the Church; and to ordain others to continue Christ’s ministry.” In practical terms, the bishop is the CEO of the diocese with a staff to administer the day-to-day activities of the diocese and a Standing Committee that operates much as does the vestry for a parish. The bishop has a responsibility to pastor to the clergy of the diocese, to confirm candidates for affirmation of their faith and to examine those seeking ordination to the clergy. But the duties of the bishop are far more encompassing. As Bishop Smith explains it, there is implied a level of being spiritually mature, grounded and humble. He notes as well that a bishop must give careful consideration for the implications beyond context of his words and actions. Bishops are ordained in a ceremony that includes the presiding bishop and at least two other bishops of the church. The presiding bishop examines the candidate for ordination with these words, “A bishop in God’s holy Church is called to be one with the apostles in proclaiming Christ’s resurrection and interpreting the Gospel, and to testify to Christ’s sovereignty as Lord of lords and King of kings.”

All Episcopalians should be assured that the new bishop coadjutor will be one selected through an extensive process of discernment directed by the desires and wishes of those who worship in this diocese. Months of prayer, discussion and investigation will have gone into this decision. But in the end, the person selected will need the prayerful support of all.

UPCOMING DATES IN THE COADJUTOR SELECTION PROCESS

November 2021 - Review of applications: The Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee are busy at work reviewing background work and arranging bishop coadjutor applicant interviews through January 2022.

January 2022 - Transition Committee takes over following the Standing Committee approval of the selection of the final candidates.

Spring 2022 - Deanery Walkabout: Final candidates will come to our area and spend time in various locations around the diocese meeting with parishioners. Dates and locations will be announced by the Transition Committee as it is decided.

April 2, 2022 – Electing Convention: Delegates from each church in the diocese will come together (similar to annual convention) to elect the next bishop. This will take place at the Cathedral of St. Peter in St. Petersburg.

September 24, 2022 - Pending Presiding Bishop and other dioceses approval, Bishop Coadjutor will be consecrated and commence ministry with Bishop Dabney Smith.

As the Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee winds down and wraps up its crucial part in recommending the final candidates for the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, a new committee steps up to take the banner during the transition process for finalists.

The Transition Committee, selected by the Standing Committee, will be responsible for planning the meet and greet events presenting the Search Committee’s candidates to the diocese, and the petition process for candidate nomination. The Transition Committee is also charged with planning certain aspects of the electing convention, the consecration of the new bishop, the presentation of gifts to the new bishop of the diocese.

The Transition Committee has the honor of coordinating much of the diocesan-facing events where our clergy, vestry, and parishioners can participate in the Bishop Coadjutor process. For the important role of communication, the Transition Committee works in a liaison capacity with the Standing Committee, diocesan staff and leadership, Bishop Smith, and the Presiding Bishop’s office. Finally, this committee serves the elected bishop coadjutor and their family as they begin their move to Southwest Florida in the summer of 2022.

“I am humbled to have been chosen as the Chair of the Transition Committee. Our team is assembled and is dedicated to creating an atmosphere of extreme hospitality for the candidates selected. We are at a pivotal time in the life of our diocese, that has been so prayerfully and efficiently run for these last sixteen years, and the Transition Committee is honored to serve in the process of electing the future Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida,” said Kevin M. Fitzgerald, Transition Committee Chair.

MEET THE TRANSITION COMMITTEE

Kevin M. Fitzgerald, Transition Commmittee Chair Erika Cannon, St. Mary's, Tampa Donna M. Davis, Good Samaritan, Clearwater Melissa Rau, St. Mark's, Venice The Rev. Joe Hudson, Good Shepherd, Venice Dominick Maldonado, St. Francis, Tampa Leila Meizer, St. James House of Prayer, Tampa

The prayer written for this process is as follows:

as we walk by faith the shared journey of choosing a bishop for the Diocese of Southwest Florida, nurture within us discerning hearts and minds hopeful for possibilities yet to be revealed. Send to us a caring leader, we pray, who will uniquely delight in the abundant gifts of our diocese, and the beauty of this land, which so richly reflect your unity in diversity. Equip our human eyes and ears with divine recognition for the chief pastor of our diocese whom you have chosen to lead us in the ever-unfolding mission of your Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord.