Bishop Search

The Standing Committee will accept Search and Transition Committee applications from June 3 – July 7, 2025. Once the deadline passes, the Standing Committee will discern from among the nominees who will be appointed to each committee, along with who will serve as chairs of each committee. There are no predetermined members or leaders of either committee.

Our hope is that our committees will reflect the diversity of our diocese in orders (lay, diaconal, priestly), geography, parish size and context, genders, ages, and social locations. Any communicants in good standing who, by our canons, are eligible to serve on their local vestries are eligible to be nominated for our Search and Transition Committees. We encourage applications from everyone, including those youth who are 16-18 years old.

In some ways, yes. It is a long time. However, we are working closely with the presiding bishop’s office and following standard timelines for search for a bishop – in fact, some search processes alone (not including electing and consecrating!) take more than two years, so in church time, we’ve got a focused and aggressive timeline.

The biggest reason this process stretches over almost two years is because we want to leave room for everyone in our diocese to participate in the process through contributing feedback to listening sessions which will help shape the profile, through prayer, and through engagement. Our goal is that this process would be as inclusive and transparent as appropriately possible so that we are truly calling our bishop whom the Holy Spirit is preparing for us. We aim to be open and listening to each other and to the movement of the Holy Spirit, our faithful advocate, guide, and counselor.

Another reason this process is lengthy is because it is vital that we carefully execute our due diligence on background and other checks in the process. 

Finally, we had to find a time in Presiding Bishop Sean’s calendar for our consecration! God willing and the people consenting, ours will be far from the only diocese consecrating a bishop in the near term, so we all have to work together on scheduling. We are locked in for April 10, 2027.

There are two main reasons for the time between the end of the consent period – and even the time when our bishop-elect will begin work – and the consecration in April of 2027. First, we want to avoid planning a big, inclusive service in our diocese in the winter months which can make travel unpredictable at best and unsafe at worst. Second, Presiding Bishop Sean already has a pretty full schedule, so we had to fit in to what was available. 

Our hope is that we’ll talk about this so often and in so many different ways and places that you’ll never have to wonder where we are in the process. However, if you ever do, this webpage will remain up to date with all of our details and opportunities for engagement. Until the Search and Transition Committees are appointed, you can also direct questions to standingcommittee [at] greatlakesepiscopal.org. 

Oh, what a wonderful question! You can help us to refine our call and profile by participating in listening  sessions, surveys, and other engagement opportunities. You can pray for our diocese, our Standing, Search, and Transition Committees, the people who will respond to our call by applying, and the person whom God is preparing to be the I Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes. The Holy Spirit is faithful and, through your prayers and involvement, will help us to refine and define the type of leader who will help us to live and grow into our shared diocesan ministry.