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Listening Lent Summary

We are tremendously grateful for everyone who answered the survey and joined one of the Listening Lent Sessions. Your openness, commitment, and engagement helped us to get a full, deep, and honest picture of what people throughout the Diocese are seeking in the next bishop. This was truly a holy process.

Your responses in writing and on zoom are informing the “What We Seek” section of the profile, as well as other profile content. We will also use your input in developing interview questions for candidates.

Here is a brief synthesis of major themes that emerged:

Spirit

  • “A joyful, humble, spirit-filled person”
  • “Someone deeply grounded in prayer, who takes themself on retreat”
  • “A person who walks the way of Christ, reaching out to the community, across faiths, and to the religiously unaffiliated”
  • “We need someone to ignite spiritual growth to bring the revolution that we know the Diocese of New York can be”

 

Vision

  • “Someone attuned to the movements of the Spirit, who can help us listen where churches are being called”
  • “A leader who sees where there is life in small churches, and not just where we are dying”
  • “Someone with a vision of boldness and fearlessness to enter into the future of our Diocese and the wider Episcopal Church with hope”
  • “The ability to seek out communities where smoldering fires of faith are present and to fan them”
  • “An understanding of how big systems work, and the challenges of leading a small parish”
  • “Someone who can guide us in a vision of hope and renewal, pastoring to us while listening with us”
  • “A leader with a prophetic voice who is unafraid to speak to events in our world -- the climate crisis, Jan 6, BLM, Ukraine, and others”

 

Collaboration

  • “A bridge builder, who can bring all the regions together with a common purpose”
  • “Someone who is pastorally attentive to the needs and gifts of lay leaders and clergy, care and celebration of the hard work people are doing”
  • “A leader who sees other people’s gifts and engages them in mutual ways -- ways for parishes and non-parish settings to collaborate”
  • “Someone who who can put together a strong team and empower them, someone who empowers congregations”
  • “Getting committees and parishes out of our siloes, developing systems and processes to help us work together”

 

Priorities

  • Prioritizing youth and young adult involvement and leadership
  • Empowering lay leadership
  • Promoting the diaconate
  • Creating a sustainable diocesan financial structure that partners with churches through transparent and pastoral approaches to apportionment
  • Seeing and knowing congregations from many contexts and regions and in all areas of ministry
  • Strengthening Latinx ministry
  • Addressing racial injustice in our Diocese and our neighborhoods
  • Considering undertaking a Capital Campaign
  • Pastoring to clergy and lay leaders exhausted from two years of pandemic ministry

The profile and applications are due to go live later this month.

Please circulate them widely, and consider nominating someone!

If you have questions or further input, please get in touch with us at committee@electabishop.org.