Calling Our Next Bishop

 

 

In our life together as a Synod, we are entering into a season when more and more of our time, energy, and attention will turn to the election of a new Bishop to lead and serve us in mission for the sake of the world. The coming months are best viewed as a time for intentional discernment about what our needs and opportunities for mission are in the Metropolitan New York Synod, and on that basis, to consider who God may be calling to be our next Bishop. In short, it’s a season of vocational and spiritual discernment, in contrast to being a time to campaign for people for a particular office. To serve our discernment, we are offering these resources for worship, prayer and discerning conversations.

There is a liturgy of Holy Communion that can be flexibly adapted for local use—in congregations, conference meetings, and other local gatherings of one sort or another. Moreover, you can cut and paste portions from this material for your own local needs—Bible Studies, a Service of the Word, litanies and petitions for Prayers of Intercession for use during Sunday morning worship, hymn sings, and perhaps other occasions that you are drawn to creatively plan. There also are suggestions in the resource for guiding informal, holy conversations on such documents as our Synod Ministry Profile, our Synod’s constitution describing the responsibilities of a Bishop in the ELCA, as well as the Rite of Installation of a Bishop. Again, you can adapt the material as is, and/or use it as inspiration for your own creativity in planning and leading local discernment occasions.