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Mar 30, 2011

House of Bishops Daily Account for Tuesday Night, March 29

  • Following dinner, the session was opened by the day’s Emcee, Bishop Victor Scantlebury of Chicago.

 

  • Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta introduced a “historic occasion” as the deans of the seminaries joined the bishops:

 

  • Bishop Dabney Smith of Southwest Florida introduced the topic for the evening: Selection Recruitment and Formation of Young Leadership. HOB discussed questions in table groups:

 

A bishop is called to ordain priests and deacons; and to encourage and support all baptized people in their gifts and ministries.

 

- How do you actively recruit and form leaders? Do your diocesan staff and/or structure help you do so?

 

- How do the Title III ministry canons and Episcopal Church deployment practices shape and/or impede your recruitment and formation efforts?

 

- Do the ministry canons and your diocesan policies/practices provide enough flexibility to select and recruit people in an evolving cultural landscape?

 

- Do your congregational visitation practices assist in the selection and recruitment of young adults?

 

The bishops enthusiastically shared their discussion points and findings from their small groups, particularly noting the need for greater flexibility in formation of clergy as well as a greater sense that the church needs to be attentive to the formation of lay leaders.