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May 01, 2015

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Nominees Announced

 

The nominees for the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church have been announced in a report posted by the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB). The report, filed for the Blue Book, is available here(link is external) 

 

The 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church will be elected on Saturday, June 27 during The Episcopal Church’s 78th General Convention which will be held June 25 – July 3 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT (Diocese of Utah).

 

Nominees

Nominated for Presiding Bishop are:

The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio(link is external) 

The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina(link is external)

The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut (link is external)

The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith, Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida(link is external)

 

Process

On Saturday, June 27, members of the House of Bishops with seat, voice, and vote will convene in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Salt Lake City, where the election will occur in the context of prayer and reflection.  Once an election has taken place, current Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will send a deputation to the House of Deputies for confirmation of the election. 

 

The Rev. Gay Jennings, President of the House of Deputies, will refer the name to the House of Deputies legislative committee on the Confirmation of the Presiding Bishop without announcing the name to the full House. The legislative committee will make a recommendation to the House of Deputies whether to confirm the election or not confirm, and the House of Deputies will immediately vote on the recommendation. President Jennings will then appoint a delegation from the House of Deputies to notify the House of Bishops of the action taken.

 

The Presiding Bishop serves for a nine-year term.  The Presiding Bishop is Primate, Chief Pastor of the Church, Chair of the Executive Council, and President of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society.

 

General Convention

The 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church is June 25 – July 3, in Salt Lake City, UT (Diocese of Utah). The Episcopal Church’s General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It comprises the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay deputies elected from the 108 dioceses and three regional areas of the Church, at more than 800 members.