What is your vision for the Diocese of Los Angeles?
My vision, if called to serve as your bishop, “chief pastor” – or “chief missionary,” as the diocese’s first bishop, Joseph Johnson, characterized the role – would be to lead the movement of the diocese out into the world. Followers of Jesus are people in motion. We are called to carry the Gospel to the outer reaches, to meet those who dwell on the edges. By “edges” I am not here referring to the churches in Santa Maria and Needles, though I see you, and I also recognize all 36 mission congregations who may feel themselves to be living “on the edge.” My vision is to point the 40,000 Episcopalians in the Diocese of Los Angeles to the people beyond the walls of the churches we so love and delight to serve.
My vision of course includes working collaboratively and diligently to support the 133 worshiping communities of the diocese, along with the 39 schools and 5 social-service institutions, but if asked, “to what end?” I see clearly that our common life, our common feast – taking in, as we do, the Body of Christ, the bread of heaven, the Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation – is meant to fuel us for our work in the world. We are called to be a people concerned with those who live “on the edge.” As I understand it, in the diocese this includes so many people uncertain of their safety, and, for example, whether they will enjoy shelter, citizenship, mental health, employment, respect, or even daily bread. There are more people still whose “life on the edge” has a lot to do with not knowing the goodness of God, and for whom that location, seemingly outside or disconnected from Christ’s mercy, is a painful and lonely place to be.
In this liminal time in which the Church is between the known past and an unknown future, we have an opportunity to ask “what are we doing?” and “what do we want?” We know that we have not liked the increase of secularization and the decrease of our church membership, but the project before us is not to preserve what was, rather, to imagine what could be. Where we have lost our confidence, our determination to share good news, or our willingness to try anything for the sake of the Gospel, I would invite us to hold fast to our faith, and open ourselves to the vision God sets for us. The Holy Spirit will help us to see the world as it is and long for what might be if our prayers are answered: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.”
What are your primary spiritual resources, and in what ways do they support your ministry?
As an unsophisticated mystic, I have always yearned for the felt presence of Christ. I practice centering prayer and carve out time to listen in silence. I love the depth and beauty of the prayer book. Reading Scripture and a range of books, journaling, singing as I strum my guitar, and praying as I swim are all helpful instruments for my spiritual life, alongside community, connection, and exercise. For me, spiritual, relational, and physical health are foundational to my ministerial health. Spiritual direction, therapy, and sabbath rest also keep me properly oriented, and the ocean, all of nature, grounds me.
What do you understand to be the primary thrust of the Gospel?
The good news, as I understand it, is that God delights to be with us and relentlessly pursues us with tender mercy. And, by us, I mean all of us – everybody. There’s no gatekeeping of Christ’s love – which is why the Church’s obligation is to open wide the gates. This is our message: God is here, God is right here with us. God is faithful, even when we are faithless. God’s mercy is new every morning. I am in awe of God’s deep, foolish, constant, and extravagant love and I am convinced that this love knows no bounds.
What primary principles are central to your leadership style?
I endeavor to be truthful at all times and faithful to God and to the communities I serve. Prayer, humility, and a healthy orientation to the Church are fundamental for my leadership. Through the years, I have learned how effective collaborative leadership is, and my natural propensity for drawing people in, hearing and valuing others’ contributions, supports inclusive and participatory processes. I seek to be an emotionally intelligent leader, balancing the urgency of the Gospel while pacing change at a pastoral speed. I prefer to work directly through conflict and have witnessed God’s grace in leading communities to health.
As chief pastor of the diocese, how would you call upon and strengthen laypersons to engage their gifts for ministry?
The ministry of all the baptized remains the great untapped potential of the Church. Prayerfully inviting people to prioritize bringing their talents to the church in ministry and governance has been a central part of my leadership. The future of the church calls us to further invest in lay leaders. I have seen the power of invitation and effective education, coupled with regular feedback and accountability, in equipping laity for ministerial leadership. We must become a learning community, picking up the pace of adaptation, and experimenting bravely, failing frequently, learning quickly, and trying again for the sake of the Gospel.
Similarly, how would you describe the relationship you would hope to have with the clergy of the diocese?
I would be among the clergy, learning by listening, seeking to understand, and lifting up their ministries and gifts. I know that pastoral authority is earned over time building relationships through faithfulness and trust. I recognize that clergy have carried a tremendous burden through the pandemic, deportations, and fires, among many other issues, alongside the reality of a shrinking church, yet I am confident that the future of the Church that we are ordained in belongs to God. I would pray for the clergy regularly and earnestly, and invite us to partner and inspire one another as we seek to follow Jesus in this time and place.
How would you seek to involve young people in the life of the Church?
I have been passionate about the mission of the Church in the lives of young people since beginning ministry with youth over twenty-five years ago. Four years ago, we launched “Wonder Church,” a growing child-centric, neurodivergent-friendly worshiping expression. I appreciate how eager young people are to know God, and how effective it is to recognize their agency. Acknowledging that some of our traditional forms and practices do not always resonate with young people’s longings and concerns, I would encourage us to make space in the life of the Church for their expressions and needs by resourcing ministries by and for young people, encouraging cross-congregational partnerships, and fostering a culture of experimentation.
In what key ways would you serve and engage the multicultural and socioeconomic diversity of Southern California in raising up lay and ordained leaders across this spectrum?
I love LA precisely because of its beautiful, broad diversity. I would prioritize raising up leaders from among EDLA’s churches and partnerships, where leadership potential is immense. I would seek to understand which obstacles have prevented us from developing diverse leaders previously in order to measure the amount of course-correction, intentional and invitational effort, resourcing, and persistence that will be needed to cultivate a leadership body that reflects the diversity of the communities served. In my experience of raising up ministers across multicultural and socioeconomic diversity, the talent is already present. The region is brimming with gifted people whose origin stories span the globe. The Church needs to welcome them in with joy.
What opportunities do you see for evangelism and bringing seekers into the life of the Episcopal Church?
The network of relationships maintained by each of the 40,000 Episcopalians in the diocese is the primary context for evangelism, because evangelism is always relational. I would wish to equip us to speak of our Christian hope. EDLA has also built, through churches, schools, agencies, and partnerships, avenues that can open new doors to spiritual seekers. Every conversation can be an opportunity to share God’s grace. From chance encounters with strangers, to tender and attentive dialogue with loved ones, I never cease to be amazed by the power of the Holy Spirit to make her presence known.
Around what central global and local issues would you seek to provide a prophetic voice as bishop in the public square?
Whatever we say in the public square must be grounded within the witness and hope of the Gospel. Over the years, I have taken that witness to the steps of the state Capitol, shared that hope out on the streets, and proclaimed the Gospel from the pulpit, addressing a range of matters from homelessness and poverty, to racial justice, and global conflict. Place matters. I would want to learn from you the issues that matter most to EDLA and to the 5 ½ counties it serves in order to understand the complexities and nuances of the struggles you see and exercise prophetic ministry cognizant of your hopes for the kingdom of God.
How would you interpret and apply the following observation from the late Brazilian Archbishop Dom Helder Camara: “The bishop belongs to all.”
The bishop is called to draw all people to God’s reconciliatory love. She must navigate the complexities of an increasingly polarized and siloed society, leading confidently within the “broad tent” of our Anglican heritage which refuses to choose rich or poor, red or blue, the global south or global north. Serving in contexts as varied as a downtown street ministry to a well-resourced parish in the suburbs, I have grounded myself in the belief that to be a minister of the Gospel is to serve indiscriminately. As bishop, I would be committed to building relationships across difference, sharing a ministry that really does belong to all.