- Following dinner, the session was opened by the dayâs Emcee, Bishop Victor Scantlebury of Chicago.
- Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta introduced a âhistoric occasionâ as the deans of the seminaries joined the bishops:
Bob Bottoms. Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
The Very Rev. Joseph H. Britton, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Virginia Theological Seminary
The Very Rev. Robert S. Munday, Nashotah House
The Rev. Dr. Katherine Ragsdale, Episcopal Divinity School
The Very Rev. Joseph Britton, Bexley Hall Seminary
The Very Rev. Mark Richardson, Church Divinity School of the Pacific
The Very Rev. Dr. William S. Stafford, School of Theology â” University of the South
The Very Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry
The Very Rev. Douglas Travis, Seminary of the Southwest
Bishop Peter Lee, interim dean of General Theological Seminary, is a member of HOB
- Bishop Dabney Smith of Southwest Florida introduced the topic for the evening: Selection Recruitment and Formation of Young Leadership. HOB discussed questions in table groups:
A bishop is called to ordain priests and deacons; and to encourage and support all baptized people in their gifts and ministries.
– How do you actively recruit and form leaders? Do your diocesan staff and/or structure help you do so?
– How do the Title III ministry canons and Episcopal Church deployment practices shape and/or impede your recruitment and formation efforts?
– Do the ministry canons and your diocesan policies/practices provide enough flexibility to select and recruit people in an evolving cultural landscape?
– Do your congregational visitation practices assist in the selection and recruitment of young adults?
The bishops enthusiastically shared their discussion points and findings from their small groups, particularly noting the need for greater flexibility in formation of clergy as well as a greater sense that the church needs to be attentive to the formation of lay leaders.
Media Briefers for the evening:
Bishop Jim Mathes of San Diego
Bishop Prince Singh of Rochester
The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org
Diocese of Atlanta: www.episcopalatlanta.org
Diocese of Chicago: www.episcopalchicago.org/
Diocese of Rochester: www.episcopalrochester.org/
Diocese of San Diego: www.edsd.org
Diocese of Southwest Florida: www.episcopalswfl.org
Berkeley Divinity School at Yale: www.berkeleydivinity.net
Bexley Hall Seminary: www.bexley.edu
Church Divinity School of the Pacific: https://cdsp.edu/
Episcopal Divinity School: https://utsnyc.edu/eds/
General Theological Seminary: www.gts.edu
Nashotah House: www.nashotah.edu
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary: www.seabury.edu
Seminary of the Southwest: www.ssw.edu
School of Theology â” University of the South: www.theology.sewanee.edu
Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry: www.tsm.edu
Virginia Theological Seminary: www.vts.edu