We have traveled, now we talk about who is coming to meet us.

This is an exciting week in our search for the IX Bishop of Minnesota.  Teams have now completed their visits to the 8 remaining candidates in their current ministry locations.  These teams will report on their interviews and observations at the next committee meeting on Saturday, June 20, at St. Peter’s Church in Kasson.  Invitations will then be extended to those candidates whom we decide to interview before the whole committee in Minnesota.  So the coming days will be filled with much prayer, reflection, and conversation.  Rejoice!

WHAT? It is not all just about us?

While your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota is on the road visiting our eight remaining candidates in their current ministry settings, this seems like a good time to learn about other bishop search processes that are underway across the country. More than a dozen dioceses are looking for a new bishop at the same time that we are. Many have followed our lead and adopted a web-based approach to telling their stories and sharing information, including Connecticut, Kentucky, Oregon, Western New York, and Wyoming. Please pray for others who are also seeking their next bishop as you pray for us.

Out in the world and searching

Your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota is on the road.  Going out two by two, just like the disciples, teams are visiting each of the 8 remaining candidates at her or his current ministry location.  Their references are also in the process of being contacted.  Please pray for safe travels for committee members and for thoughtful reflections by these candidates and those who know them.  This is a very exciting time for all of us as we continue to ask for the leading of the Holy Spirit in these days after Pentecost.

We met and reviewed phone interviews and now there are 8

we are down to 8

Your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota met at St. David’s Church in Minnetonka on Saturday, May 2.  12 candidates had been invited to participate in telephone interviews during the month of April.  Three teams of committee members conducted those interviews and reported back to the whole committee.  Afterwards, it was decided to invite 8 candidates to continue in our mutual discernment process.  The next step is to check references and to visit to each of the candidates at her or his current ministry location.  These are impressive candidates who represent the same diversity of our initial pool in terms of gender, geography, etc.  Please continue to pray for these individuals as we seek the next bishop who will shepherd the Diocese of Minnesota.

Next meeting, next discisions

we continue to seek

Your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota will meet at St. David’s Church in Minnetonka on Saturday, May 2. On the agenda will be reports from the three teams of committee members who have been conducting telephone interviews. 12 candidates were invited to participate in this important stage of our mutual discernment process. Please continue to pray for these individuals, and look for more details about next steps in future updates.

We continue to discern

and then there were 12….Your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota invited 22 candidates to participate in the second round of essay questions and to submit an audio or video recording of a sermon. After meeting at St. John’s Church in St. Cloud on April 4, members of the committee agreed to invite 12 candidates to continue in our process of mutual discernment. The next step will be a telephone interview with each of these 12 candidates. Please keep these individuals in your prayers during the Easter Season.  Alleluia!

Mutual discernment process

22 candidates have been invited to participate in the second step of our mutual discernment process that will eventually lead to the election of the IX Bishop of Minnesota. This includes three essay questions about ethnic and cultural diversity in our diocese, experience in dealing with conflict, and defining the realities facing the Episcopal Church. Each candidate has also been asked to submit an audio or video recording of a sermon. The essay questions from the initial steps and an overview of the steps ahead on this exciting journey are available here.

Then there were….

and then there were....

When your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota met on Saturday, February 28, at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis, the most important task was to evaluate the 48 applications that had been received by the initial deadline.  The application materials included answers to three essay questions, resumes with references, and information on their clergy profiles from the Church Deployment Office.  Part of the process involved a “blind” review of candidate responses to the three essay questions (“blind,” that is, without their names attached to their answers).  The members of the committee believed this was the most fair and objective way to determine which candidates matched our diocesan vision for our next bishop.  After a thorough evaluation, the pool of candidates was reduced from 48 to 22.  More details about the next step in the application process will be included in future updates.

We met, we have reviewed and more to be revealed!

We had so many great candidates to choose from

Your Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota met from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 28, at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis. Prior to that meeting, members of the committee had reviewed the written materials that were received in the initial application process from 48 individuals. The day began with prayer and with comments from committee members about the impressive qualities and breadth of experience represented by these candidates. Most of the time was spent evaluating their applications. The last two hours of the meeting were dedicated to interview training. More details about the evaluation process and its outcome will be included in next week’s update. Please keep in your prayers the 48 people who have opened their hearts to consider a possible call to lead the Diocese of Minnesota as our next bishop.

Our first round of candidates are here!

we are so pleased that these folks are discerning with us

This is an exciting week in our search for the IX Bishop of Minnesota. The initial application process, which is now closed, resulted in the submission of 48 applications. The total number of candidates far exceeded our expectations. These forty eight individuals came to us in a variety of ways: recommendations from diocesan bishops, discernment with colleagues and parish leaders, encouragement by members of our congregations, networks throughout the country, clergy profiles from the Church Deployment Office, and simple word of mouth about our search website. They represent a mixture of men and women, diverse ethnic groups, straight and gay, Minnesotans and non-Minnesotans, and a wide range of experience in their service to the Episcopal Church. Please keep each of these persons in your prayers.

The members of your Bishop Search Committee are currently reviewing the applications and will meet on Saturday, February 28, at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis. The months ahead will see an intensification of the screening and interview processes that will ultimately lead to a slate of 3-5 final candidates from the search process. In addition to those eventual nominees for election, there will be an opportunity to add other nominees by a petition process established at the 2008 Diocesan Convention.