Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh invites your prayerful participation on the Transition Committee for the election of the IX Bishop of Pittsburgh. Lay and clergy persons alike are encouraged to join this Committee, which we expect will have 10-12 members from across the Diocese.
The tasks of the Transition Committee are completely separate from those of the Nominating Committee and include the following: arranging “walkabouts” for the final candidates for Bishop; helping the newly-elected Bishop and his or her family to make a home in Pittsburgh; managing the logistics of the consecration service and planning welcoming activities for the new Bishop and family; and planning a celebration of ministry for Bishop McConnell and Betsy as we thank them for their ministry to us.
A detailed job description for the Transition Committee, together with an application form, is available below.
Please use the application form provided below and send it by e-mail to Russ Ayres at rwayresiii@gmail.com by November 7, 2020. We plan to announce the members of the Transition Committee in mid-December.
As you know, the Standing Committee accepted Bishop McConnell’s recommendation last spring that we add approximately 3 months to the election calendar due to uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are still following the revised calendar; here are the important dates that the Transition Committee will need to work with:
January 9, 2021 – first meeting of the Transition Committee and our consultant, Judy Stark. This may be in person or by Zoom conference; either way, attendance is mandatory for all Transition Committee members.
April 11-16, 2021 – “walkabouts” for the final slate of candidates.
April 24, 2021 – Special Convention to elect the IX Bishop of Pittsburgh.
September 11, 2021 – Consecration of the IX Bishop of Pittsburgh.
Service on the Transition Committee is a vitally important contribution to the life of our Diocese, and we thank you for joining us in this sacred work.
Faithfully,
The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Russell Ayres, President
Lisa Brown, Secretary
The Rev. Noah Evans
The Rev. Jonathon Jensen
Robert A. Johnston
The Rev. Eric McIntosh
The Rev. Annis Rogers
Stephen Stagnitta
TRANSITION COMMITTEE JOB DESCRIPTION
In the Process to call the IXth Bishop of Pittsburgh
The Diocese of Pittsburgh will choose a diocesan bishop, whose consecration will occur on September 11, 2021, and who will become our chief pastor after Bishop McConnell retires on September 18, 2021. The election of a Bishop Diocesan is provided for by the Episcopal Church Constitution (Article II) and Canons (III, Title 11,12 and 13).
The Transition Committee, which will consist of between 10 and 15 members, led by two co-chairs, will shepherd the process of choosing our next spiritual leader from the time of the selection of the candidates by the Nominating Committee through the consecration of our new diocesan bishop. The task of the Transition Committee is foremost one of pastoral care and diaconal in nature, by the completion of varied service tasks ranging from:
- Communications surrounding the entire process,
- Support for our retiring bishop, Dorsey McConnell, and his wife Betsy, in their respective transitions,
- Support for the Diocesan staff, who will be dealing with varied emotions, as they say goodbye to Dorsey and welcome the new bishop,
- Presentation of the nominees through various events or forums, such as walkabouts and online interviews or question and answer sessions,
- Assisting in the planning and execution of the electing convention,
- Support of the bishop-elect and his or her spouse and family,
- Planning of celebrations for our retiring bishop and his spouse, and
- Planning the consecration service for our next diocesan bishop.
The following are requirements and skills needed by anyone wanting to serve on this committee. Each person on the committee should bring one or more of the skills to bear in this process:
- A heart for service and pastoral care, including good listening skills and the ability to hear and act upon the needs of varied people,
- A commitment to complete confidentiality and neutrality, both now and going forward, which is a must-have by all on the committee,
- Excellent organizational skills, allowing for timely planning and great execution of various events,
- The time to devote to meetings and tasks between January (?) 2021 and September 2021, with a commitment to attend all meetings and discharge your responsibilities faithfully,
- Strong communication skills for preparing frequent, routine, and transparent communications to the Diocese, as well as skills around development and dissemination of information via websites, e-newsletters, or FaceBook pages, and monthly communication to the Standing Committee,
- Event planning experience, to understand and execute activities which will involve varied, and at times, many people and different settings,
- The willingness to listen and take the advice of our search consultant and a possible digital consultant, as well as other committee members,
- Excellent collaboration skills and patience to deal with the challenges of organizing events involving those from the Office of the Presiding Bishop, our retiring bishop, the bishop-elect, the Standing Committee, the diocesan staff, the host parish of the consecration, and other appropriate diocesan groups,
- Experience in helping people through life transitions, including knowledge of resources which will make those transitions happen in the best way possible, and
- A good understanding of our city, and connections with schools and businesses to be able to assist and support the newly elected bishop and family with their respective transitions.
If you have one or more of these skills, have prayerfully considered this opportunity, and feel called to serve the diocese on this committee, please complete the application available by clicking here (Word document).