The Bishop Search and Transitions Committees have made great progress in recent weeks, moving ahead in the process of selecting a successor to Bishop John Harvey Taylor, who has announced his retirement in 2026.
On April 28 the Search Committee conducted a two-hour “soulful dialogue” with Taylor to hear from the person who knows best what it’s like to be the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.
“Spending time with Bishop Taylor was a sacred moment — an opportunity to listen deeply, learn humbly, and be present to wisdom,” Search Committee Co-chair Thomas Diaz of All Saints, Pasadena, said.
On May 5 the Search Committee will meet via Zoom with a representative of Holy Cow Consulting to hear the results of a diocese-wide survey. Thereafter the results will be shared with the wider diocese.
“Thank you to the nearly 500 people who participated in the survey,” Diaz said. “We had hoped for greater response, but Holy Cow assures us the results are still valid and will give us a good snapshot of who we are and our priorities and goals that will be valuable information even beyond the election of our next bishop.”
In the next few days, watch for a video to be posted on the Search Committee’s Facebook and Instagram pages in which Diaz and co-chair the Rev. KC Robertson of St. Matthew’s, Pacific Palisades, offer their appreciation to everyone who has participated in the survey and in more than 20 listening sessions around the diocese.
“It’s a big ask to expect people to turn out for the listening sessions, given how busy everyone is, and we’re so grateful to everyone who did,” KC said. “These were enlightening and revealing beyond our expectations about everyone’s hopes and dreams and concerns and their deep devotion to the diocese and the Holy Spirit.”
The Transitions Committee has been formed, and on May 3, it’s members will come together for an organizational meeting. This is the group that will introduce the candidates to the diocese (and vice versa) and will plan the meet-and-greet sessions around the diocese with the candidates the week of Oct. 20. Later they’ll be involved in the electing convention Nov. 7-8; in on-boarding the bishop-elect; and in the consecration on July 11, 2026.
The Profile Subcommittee is incorporating the results of the listening sessions and the survey into the profile and expects it to go live the first week of June. That signals the start of the nominating period, during which candidates may nominate themselves or can be nominated by others. “Please start thinking now if there is someone you want to nominate — or if you want to nominate yourself,” Diaz said.
The Applications Subcommittee is putting the finishing touches on the application and nomination forms. Those will be part of the profile.
“There’s a lot to do in the next few weeks,” the co-chairs said. “We’re excited, but we’re also mindful of the importance of this work — presenting an accurate picture of our diocese that will attract a pool of excellent candidates who feel a call here. We can’t wait to meet them!”