After the April 16 announcement that Bishop DeDe has been added to the slate of nominees to be the next Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Bishop DeDe’s own pastoral note of the same day, many of you felt (and are still feeling!) a flurry of emotions mixed up with questions. On this page, we’ve compiled some helpful answers to questions you might have. If we haven’t covered your curiosity or concern below, feel free to reach out to Rachel with your question and we’ll do our best to answer it!
1. Is Bishop DeDe still our bishop?
YES! Bishop DeDe is the eleventh bishop of Central New York and she is proud and grateful to be serving in that role until and unless God calls her to something else. The process for calling the next presiding bishop is not unlike the process for calling a new priest to a parish. A slate of people are put forth as possible candidates, but until and unless someone is called to a new role, they are still serving in their current role.
Our diocesan ministry as a whole is not just stable, it’s thriving and vibrant! Our processes for parishes in search are continuing, attracting applicants from across the country. Our diocesan programs – lay and staff-led – are ongoing and responding to needs in our communities.
- Bishop DeDe is live each Tuesday morning for Coffee and Conversation with the Bishop on our diocesan Facebook page at 7:30 EDT.
- Speaking of Faith with Bishop DeDe, our weekly podcast, is available here with new episodes each Thursday. (And if you’re not listening along, you’re missing out on some excellent conversations about we live out our faith!)
- Bishop DeDe has a full schedule of parish visits and she is busy with the work of our diocese! It is her joy and honor to be able to serve the people of our diocese. As always, if you have a question about connecting with Bishop DeDe, reach out to Sarah, the bishop’s Executive Assistant.
We can be proud that the stability and health of our diocese is such that Bishop DeDe was able to say yes throughout the discernment process for those nominated to stand for presiding bishop!
2. Is Bishop DeDe running for presiding bishop like someone runs for public office?
No, but no one else is, either! The process for calling a presiding bishop is a holy and prayerful one. It is above all a discernment process for the whole church. The nominees for presiding bishop do not campaign, host rallies, give stump speeches, buy ads, or anything else you might associate with someone running for a public office. They’ve been part of a nearly year-long discernment process and all five of the nominees have said a lot of faithful “yeses” to the Holy Spirit as they’ve stayed in the process.
But speaking of people running for public office… have you registered to vote? #VoteFaithfully
3. What has the discernment process for choosing the slate of nominees been like?
Great question! The process began in the fall of 2021 with the creation of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB), which outlined the general process for nomination and election in this essay. Again, much like the process to call a new priest to a parish, the JNCPB began with creating and sharing a profile to help clarify what The Episcopal Church is looking for in the next presiding bishop before then opening up a call for nominations for presiding bishop that opened in May and closed in mid-July of last year. Bishops whose names were put forward and who prayerfully consented to engaging in the discernment process then spent several months answering questions and prompts in writing, via video and on site with the JNCPB. They also submitted to important due diligence steps like background and reference checks and psychological evaluations. In January, the JNCPB invited a small group of bishops who had advanced to that point in the process to join them in a final discernment retreat in March before they made their final decision regarding which nominees to put forth to the House of Bishops for the election at The General Convention. They also announced a petition process for any bishop not on the slate to be nominated to appear on the slate. Bishop DeDe participated in the full discernment process, including the final discernment retreat in March.
4. How will the next presiding bishop be elected?
In The Episcopal Church, our highest governing body is The General Convention which is, itself, a bicameral, senatorial (i.e., equal representation for every diocese) system. According to our constitution and canons, the presiding bishop is elected in a closed-door voting session by the junior of the two General Convention houses, the House of Bishops. Once the House of Bishops has voted and selected the next presiding bishop, the senior of the two houses, the House of Deputies, will vote to confirm or deny the choice of the House of Bishops.
Here’s a breakdown of the timeline of election from this point forward:
- On Wednesday, April 24 of this year, the House of Bishops gathered on-site together so that all bishops in good standing were able to interact with and listen to each of the five nominees.
- On Friday, June 21, each of the five nominees will address General Convention attendees from 4 to 6 p.m. on June 21. Bishop DeDe will address attendees via Zoom, since she will not leave central New York for the convention in Kentucky until after her youngest child’s graduation the next day.
- On Tuesday, June 25, each of the nominees will be formally submitted to the General Convention during a joint session of both houses.
- On Wednesday, June 26, immediately after a Eucharist, the House of Bishops will vote to select the next presiding bishop, followed immediately by a vote to confirm or deny in the House of Deputies.
5. What happens once the next presiding bishop is elected?
After the election by the House of Bishops and confirmation by the House of Deputies on June 26, the wider church will know who the presiding bishop-elect is immediately. Be sure to follow along our @cnyepiscopal channels for up-to-the-minute updates from RomComm (Rachel, our Communications Director).
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s nine-year term concludes on October 31, 2024. The presiding bishop-elect’s nine-year term will begin on November 1, 2024. The more than four-month delay between election and term commencement allows, among other things, the presiding-bishop elect to enact a careful transition plan within their own diocese which will involve ecclesiastical authority being given to that diocese’s standing committee. It is important to remember that, regardless of which diocese’s bishop is elected to be the next presiding bishop, the ministries of that diocese will continue without missing a beat! In our church, walking the Way of Love is only dependent on Jesus, not on any one bishop, priest, deacon, or lay person. No diocese will be left to flounder throughout the transition between presiding bishops.