Hello, we’re the Bishop Search Profile Subcommittee: Chair: Kathy Eisel, St. Luke’s, Monrovia; Craig Riemer, All Saints, Riverside; the Rev. Canon Gary Hall, St. Stephen’s, Santa Clarita; the Rev. Dr. Shane Scott-Hamblen, St. Michael and All Angels, Corona del Mar; and the Rev. Jeffrey Thornberg, Church of Our Savior, San Gabriel.
What does your subcommittee do?
We are charged with creating a diocesan profile that tells our story — who we are as a diocese, where we believe God is calling us, whom we seek as our next bishop. It is filled with facts, figures, and statistics; history and anecdotes; maps and charts and photographs. The profile is, in effect, our “help wanted” ad to the wider Church.
Sounds like a lot of work! Tell us how you organized yourselves, who did what.
First, we studied recent profiles from other electing dioceses to see what they typically include and how they are organized and to seek inspiration for how to present information. We developed a list of topics, then each of us chose sections for which we’d gather the information. Craig tackled the Finance section; Shane gathered details about our clergy; Kathy researched demographics; and Jeff and Gary summarized the challenges and opportunities our next bishop will face.
As a group, we sifted through the notes from our 20 listening sessions, and we studied the results from the Holy Cow survey. This combination of anecdotal and statistical information helped us to hear what is on the mind of the diocese and shape the story we have to tell to help potential candidates get to know us and determine whether they feel a call to the Diocese of Los Angeles.
We were blessed early on to have Bob Williams, diocesan canon for common life, participate in our Zoom meetings and contribute his vast institutional memory to many sections. His contributions to this Profile have been invaluable. He and Canon Janet Kawamoto, editor emerita of The Episcopal News (coming out of retirement to help!) are designing an attractive, readable, appealing online document.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Time! We were working on some sections of the profile even as the listening sessions and survey were happening live. We lost a few weeks at the beginning of the year because of the wildfires. And everyone is busy with the demands of daily life these days. We all made this work a priority because we know how important it is.
You’re putting the final touches on the profile now. What happens next?
The entire Search Committee must sign off on the profile. Then it goes to the Standing Committee for their approval. And then it will go live the first week of June, posted on the diocesan website. We will advertise it widely throughout the Church, and we’ll be looking to you, the members of our diocese, to share it with friends across the Church and to nominate people you think would be good candidates, or to encourage them to apply.
Our Applications and Interview Design Subcommittee has created the actual application and nomination forms, which will be included in the profile. And our colleagues on the Nominations and Recruitment Subcommittee will then take on the task of soliciting nominations and applications. It’s an exciting time!