Consents for Ordination

After the election of a bishop, if the date of the election is more than three months before the next meeting of the General Convention, the Standing Committee of the electing diocese shall send a certificate of election to the standing committees of all the dioceses of the Episcopal Church for their consent to the ordination of the bishop-elect. If a majority of the standing committees consent, evidence of the consents shall be forwarded by the Standing Committee of the electing diocese to the Presiding Bishop, who communicates this to the bishops of the Episcopal Church exercising jurisdiction. If a majority of those bishops consent, the Presiding Bishop then notifies the Standing Committee of the electing diocese and the bishop-elect of the church's consent. If the election of a bishop takes place within three months of the General Convention, consent must be given by the House of Deputies at Convention. If the House of Deputies consent, notice is sent to the House of Bishops. If a majority of bishops exercising jurisdiction consent to the ordination, the Presiding Bishop notifies the Standing Committee of the electing diocese and the bishop-elect of the church's consent. There have been occasions when the granting of consent has been more than a formality, especially when the bishop-elect was a controversial figure in the Episcopal Church. For example, James DeKoven (1831-1879) was elected to be Bishop of Illinois in 1875, but the consents were not given because of his controversial reputation as a ritualist.