Diocese to Move Forward With Election of a Diocesan Bishop

In a letter to all the faithful people of the Diocese of South Carolina, the Rev. Cn. Caleb Lee, President of the Standing Committee, announced today that the Standing Committee has voted to move forward with the process that will lead to the election and consecration of the 15th Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. 

See a copy of the January 23, 2020, letter here. The text of the letter follows:


"We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us." - Book of Common Prayer, p. 836

January 23, 2020
 
Dear Faithful People of the Diocese of South Carolina,

On behalf of the Standing Committee, I write to you with some more good news. On January 7th, 2020, your Standing Committee voted unanimously to move forward with the process that will lead to the election and consecration of the 15th Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. This is a very exciting time for our Diocese.

You may remember that in January of 2019, the Standing Committee began a journey of discernment around what the future form of the episcopacy in the Diocese of South Carolina might look like. We spent a great deal of time exploring various options. In June of 2019, the Standing Committee wrote to the Diocese to communicate that we were initiating a process which would lead to our calling for the election of a full-time Diocesan Bishop. This process required us to develop a search committee and hire a search consultant. As we began preparations for this effort, we were also tasked with securing a Provisional Bishop for the period of transition between Bishop Adams and our new Diocesan Bishop. A few candidates were considered for this position but none of them, in the end, was called by the Standing Committee to become a Provisional Bishop for us.

It was only after all of this, at the beginning of 2020, that we explored and agreed on an arrangement with Bishop Henry N. Parsley, Jr. to join us as Visiting Bishop. For more information about this please see the Standing Committee letter of January 15, 2020.

At that same meeting of the Standing Committee, we voted to continue in the process that would lead to the election of the 15th Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. 

We have engaged with our search consultant, The Reverend Canon Richard Callaway. He is the former Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of Atlanta. Canon Callaway has extensive experience in the church and as a consultant to various dioceses who have recently been through the same process.

The Chair of the Search Committee is The Reverend Dr. Philip C. Linder, Priest-in-Charge at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Charleston. The Search Committee will meet with Canon Callaway on January 30 to begin the process and Search Committee members will be announced soon after. 
 
While this work commences, I can also report to you that plans have begun to elect our new Bishop at the 230th Annual Convention in November 2020. Between now and then, the search committee will be working along a precise timeline to accomplish all that is necessary for the election to happen at that time. Like all Episcopal elections, this timeline will include listening sessions in each deanery and the development of a diocesan profile; followed by a period of time for nominations, interviews, and selection of qualified candidates.

After the search committee announces the slate of candidates, there will be a period of time to petition additional candidates if so desired. The process will continue with walkabouts. The walkabouts are a time for the people of the Diocese to get to know the candidates. After a bishop is elected at Convention, 120 days are given to allow for a majority of the standing committees of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church and bishops with jurisdiction in the Episcopal Church to consent to the election. We expect the consecration of our new Bishop to occur in late spring or early summer of 2021. All of this has been planned in accordance with the canons of the Church and in consultation with Bishop Todd Ousley of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Pastoral Development. 

We, as a Diocese, have two great tasks at hand.

The first task is already underway as we operate as a Diocesan family under the direction of the Standing Committee. I must say, and believe with all my heart, that the governing councils of the Church are in good hands with solid and experienced leadership from across the Diocese. We also have the support and counsel of Bishop Parsley and a dedicated and supportive staff, led by Archdeacon Callie Walpole.

The second task is set before us. In the midst of this unique period of transition in our history as a diocese, we also move forward in the process of calling a bishop. This is an historic and remarkable time. The work we are called to right now will set the stage for generations to come. I am encouraged by my favorite words from A General Thanksgiving on page 836 of The Book of Common Prayer. In this prayer, we thank our Lord “for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us.”

The tasks ahead demand our very best. Your Standing Committee prays you will join us in that effort. 

Faithfully yours,

The Reverend Canon Caleb J. Lee
President of the Standing Committee