It is time for me to update this wonderful parish on where things stand with this little matter of the Bishop of South Carolina. On Saturday, August 4th, the Diocese of South Carolina will hold an election. I am the only candidate on the ballot. Since there can be no nominations from the floor, (though there was a window of opportunity in July for candidates to be nominated for the Standing Committee’s vetting), it is likely I will be re-elected. Then the appropriated forms will be assembled and mailed to the Bishops and Standing Committees of every diocese of The Episcopal Church. This is what is known as the “Consent Process”. It is where we had difficulty in last year’s election. Every Bishop with judicatory oversight and every diocesan Standing Committee is required to vote on the election of a bishop. As I have written to you before, this has often been merely perfunctory. But we are in an extremely political and theologically polarized state in The Episcopal Church (TEC) today.

I represent a traditional position on matters ethical and theological. I also hold strong convictions on remaining in covenanted fellowship with the worldwide Anglican Communion, rather than following, as some have suggested, the pathway of an overly autonomous provincial or national church. With tensions remaining very much alive within TEC, my election may once again become a focal point for this ongoing debate.

With that said, what lies ahead for us? The receiving of consents from the bishops and the Standing Committees of the National Church is a 120-day process. Each diocesan bishop and each Standing Committee has essentially four months to respond to South Carolina’s publication of the election. This 120 period begins when the forms of the election are mailed. Allowing for some time for all details to be assembled, the process may not be entirely concluded and the election ruled upon by the Presiding Bishop until mid-December. Thus, given the ebbs and flows of the process last fall and early winter, it seems best to assume we will not move until after the consent process is affirmatively concluded. Therefore, I will likely be here through Christmas 2007. If my anticipated election is confirmed by the National Church, then it is possible that the consecration could possibly take place in late January 2008—though no official date has been set.

Finally, with more than a few questions remaining in this whole affair, this much is definite: a) The election for the XIV Bishop of South Carolina will take place on Saturday, August 4th; b) Should I be re-elected, the Diocese of South Carolina, St. Paul’s Episcopal Parish, Bakersfield, and I will enter into a 120 day Consent Process; If we assume this process will commence in mid-August, then it should be concluded one way or another by mid-December; c) Thus I will remain as your rector through December of this year; d) I will be meeting with the Search Committee to continue preparing for the next rector of this parish, should my election be confirmed in a timely matter.

Please know Allison and I remain profoundly grateful for your prayers and support during this unique period in our lives and in the life of this congregation. We look forward to what our Lord will do with all of us during these next five months.

Posted in Church Politics, Fr. Mark
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