May I Say, "No"?

From Bishop Michael G. Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota:

August 31, 2009

Dear Friends:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

In last month's post-General Convention letter, I shared with you the Presiding Bishop's challenging words about crisis. She reminded us: "The word crisis has its origins in the Greek krinein, meaning to judge, separate, or distinguish. A crisis is time for decision-making%u2026."

I've been doing some thinking about the word crisis myself. I recalled a teaching from a Marriage Encounter my wife and I attended many years ago. It seems that the Chinese symbol for "crisis" consists of the joining of two other words, "danger" and "opportunity." Therefore, "Crisis = Danger + Opportunity" is the Chinese formula and understanding of this word. I like this. It reminds us that however dangerous or dreadful a crisis might appear, there is also involved the possibility of opportunity and positive outcomes for growth and change.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has a sense of this opportunity as he concludes his post-General Convention reflections with the statement: "We must hope that, in spite of the difficulties, this may yet be the beginning of a new era of mission and spiritual growth for all who value the Anglican name and heritage" (Communion, Covenant and Our Anglican Future, § 26).

We are facing a crisis in which the churches of Anglicanism will soon be at a crossroads of decision as to whether to travel the path of an interdependent communion of churches or to go down the road of an independent federation of churches. The Archbishop of Canterbury and so called "Covenant" process are moving with the former, while General Convention clearly seems to be moving in the latter direction. (Please see my essay "Transitioning Towards Two-Tier Anglicanism" elsewhere is this issue).

This summer I read Phyliss Tickle's popular book "The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why" (Baker Books). She makes the observation that massive transitions in the church happen about every 500 years and that we are in the midst of one such upheaval currently. Basically, Tickle tells us not to despair because history teaches that when these changes take place three results typically occur: 1) a new, more vital Christianity emerges; 2) the formerly dominant expression of Christianity is reconstituted and renewed, and; 3) the Christian faith spreads into new geographic and demographic areas (p. 17).

The coming changes will challenge us at every level. These multi-level crises, with both their dangers and opportunities, are being faced at the global level through the Anglican Communion Covenant process; at the national level by cutting the budget by 14% while retaining an emphasis on serving the poor at home and abroad; in the Diocese of North Dakota by reorganizing for mission and ministry after reducing office and field staff; personal responses are left to the discernment of individuals, hopefully in the context of community.

For me personally, I have called upon a discernment committee to assist me in thinking and praying about where God might be calling in light of all these changing circumstances. (I am grateful to Deacon Zanne Ness, Dean Steve Sellers and Canon Kevin Goodrich OP for serving in this capacity and I invite you to visit with them about our process.) Some background:

As you know, I've enjoyed the opportunity of serving as a part-time assisting bishop in Louisiana the past two years. After Bishop Charles Jenkins announced his resignation, a number of laypeople, deacons and priests of that Diocese approached me about the possibility of being nominated. Initially, I thanked them and shared my reservations about whether God was calling me to serve in that capacity. Then other bishops from around the church with ties to Louisiana began to encourage me to accept nomination.

After the shock of the economic downturn and the realization that some drastic decisions needed to be made to ensure the future viability of the Diocese of North Dakota, I began to ask my immediate and extended family members what they thought about the possibility of my serving as the bishop of Louisiana. To a person they were at least open and some very encouraging. No one said no.

It was at this point that I received an invitation from yet another diocese to enter their search process and began to seriously wonder if God was up to something in terms of a change in my call. My experiences at General Convention and even the recently concluded Diocesan Council meeting have only confirmed my sense that "business as usual" is no longer the order of the day and that God is calling us to a new way of being a church in mission.

At this point, I can say with certainty and with the help of the discernment committee, not that I will be the next bishop of Louisiana, but that I am called to be part of their episcopal election process. I have allowed my name to go forward with the understanding, in the words of one of my former bishops, that "sometimes candidates are to be part of search or election processes not to be called to that post, but rather to assist those issuing the call to discern another candidate."

Therefore, if I am discerned to the final slate of candidates, I will trust the Holy Spirit's call extended through the Louisiana Electing Convention this December. If not elected, I will trust that God is continuing to call me to serve for a season as bishop of North Dakota.

We are in need of a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit if we are to thrive in the dangers and opportunities ahead of us and to resist the momentum of institutional decline. I request your prayers for all our futures. Pray for renewal. Pray for revival. Pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

(My emphases)

So. Bishop Smith, a member of the "Magnificent Seven" who recently called on Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and subsequently submitted this statement about their visit, is officially a candidate for bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. Upon consultation with his immediate and extended family, Bishop Smith reported, "No one said no". I am not a member of his immediate or extended family, but I am a member of the family of the Diocese of Louisiana, and if anyone asks me, I will say "no" to Bishop Smith as the bishop of my diocese. No one will ask me, and I don't have a vote, but I will express my opinion to the delegates from my area and ask them to vote for another candidate and to vote "no" to the election of Bishop Smith. I'd rather not have a bishop who is teetering on the edge of being part of the Episcopal Church. I'd rather a bishop who is loyal to the Episcopal Church in which he was persuaded that God had called him to the office of bishop, rather than a bishop who may work to undermine the church.

Our retiring bishop, Charles Jenkins, expressed his disagreement with decisions of the national church on more than one occasion, and yet he remained loyal to the church in which he was persuaded that God had called him to the office of bishop.

Thanks to Ormonde for the link to Bishop Smith's letter.