An Update Regarding Your Pastor’s Episcopal Nomination

Missy and I leave for summer vacation today. We are looking forward to spending a little time out West, doing some fly-fishing for trout, and spending time with our family. We will be gone July 13 through August 3 (I will be back in the office on Monday, August 3).

While we are away, the Global Methodist Church will release public information regarding my nomination for the episcopacy. To update you on the episcopal process, I have been interviewed by four of the eight GMC Area Episcopal Committees (Scroll down at this LINK to view the AECs) regarding the possibility of being their future Bishop. This is a part of the process of potentially “calling forth” Bishops in the Global Methodist Church. Of the four, two have reached back out for additional interviews. It is my understanding that the two that reached back out have placed me in their top three to five (and this is subject to change - they could remove me from their final list altogether based on my last interview(s)).

Area Episcopal Committees are required to submit their top five candidates (Ranked in order from #1 to #5) by July 22. The top five from each area are to be made public on either July 30 or August 1. If an AEC does not rank me as a #1, it is VERY UNLIKELY I will be called to serve in the episcopal office. If I am ranked as someone’s #1, there is a likelihood (albeit not certain) that I will be called to an episcopal office. The Global Episcopal Committee is working behind the scenes to ensure that multiple areas will not name the same #1 to minimize potential tensions/confusion on the floor of the General Conference in Johannesburg this September. All #1’s will undergo additional vetting through an interview conducted by the GEC, and that interview will be published for the public. Thus, nothing is certain until votes are taken at General Conference. 

I am sharing the above because I love the people of Christ Church. Because I love you, I want you to have understanding about the process, and I want you to have understanding regarding relevant information that will be made public while I am away on vacation. 

Like you, I simply want God’s will – nothing more and nothing less. In His will, all His puzzle pieces come together - for you, for your family, for Christ Church, for the Global Methodist Church, and for His Kingdom. “Kingdom come, will of God be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” 

Prayerfully . . . Trusting in Him . . . Abiding in Him . . .