Planning is now underway as we prepare for the search for the ninth bishop of West Missouri

7 … ⁷Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

Matthew 7:7

Finding and selecting candidates to become the ninth bishop of West Missouri will take time. “We need plenty of time to consult, discuss, and discern what gifts, skills, and priorities the Holy Spirit is asking West Missouri to seek in our next bishop,” says Standing Committee President the Rev. Jonathan Frazier, rector of St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church in Kansas City.

In the meantime, the diocese still needs a bishop to act as the ecclesiastical authority, provide pastoral support to clergy, ordain priests and deacons, and offer guidance through our bishop search. The solution is for the diocese to employ a temporary bishop, more formally known as a ‘bishop provisional,’ to serve during this process. “The Standing Committee has been working with the Presiding Bishop’s office to find a slate of candidates suitable to be our bishop provisional. We will discern and put forward our recommendation to the diocese well before the Annual Diocesan Convention in November,” says Fr. Jonathan.

The Standing Committee hopes this summer to announce and introduce the selected candidate in New Spirit. A vote will be taken on the appointment of the bishop provisional at the Diocesan Convention, which will be asked to ratify the Standing Committee’s selection. Ratification would take place by a simple majority vote. If the candidate is not affirmed by the Convention’s vote, the Standing Committee will start the process over again.

In the absence of a bishop, the Standing Committee acts as the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese to ensure the day-to-day work of the diocese continues.

Once the bishop provisional is in place, he or she will guide us in building trust, improving  communication, and resolving “systems” issues, as well as some healing.  We can then begin discerning the Holy Spirit’s direction for the diocese and the detailed work of finding our next bishop,.

The Standing Committee has developed an outline Transition Plan, available by following this link: Outline Transition Plan. “We want to ensure that all members of the diocese have the chance to make their voices heard and the opportunity to take part in the selection process,” Fr. Jonathan said.

Transitional Prayer

Good and gracious God, as we enter into this period of transition, this threshold time, we give you thanks for what has been and we rejoice in the hope that always accompanies new life. We pray in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Standing Committee is the Bishop’s counterpart and advisory body providing a check and balance on the Bishop’s authority and also giving the Bishop the benefit of its council. The Standing Committee becomes the Ecclesiastical Authority in the absence or incapacitation of the Bishop. It also has final approval of applications for candidacy and ordinations, consents to episcopal elections, and property sales of diocesan or parochial properties.