His Remarks:

Centered in prayer. A diocesan bishop should foremost be a person whose life is formed by prayer, Scripture and the guiding of the Holy Spirit and who will call people into a life of prayer individually and together. The bishop should have the ability and the willingness to be present, to listen well, to accept people for who they are while proclaiming the Gospel, and have concern for the spiritual well being of all of the people of the Diocese. I have been deeply touched by the Spirit of the living God. Living in that presence and calling us as children of God into that presence is what I have most to offer.

I have a vision of a diocese that is not known as a liberal diocese or a conservative diocese but rather as a healing diocese. This would be a place where symbolically the wolf dwells with the lamb, the leopard lies down with the kid....., and (to finish the sixth verse of the eleventh chapter of Isaiah),  a little child shall lead them. I envision a diocese that not only welcomes all people to the Lord’s table but invites those who strongly disagree on theology and issues of the Church to come to the table together to see where God will lead them.  I dream of a diocese that is known in the Church for the way that people who differ embrace each other and seek to understand one another. In the midst of disagreement and strong convictions there must be a place where hearts can meet on Holy Ground. Marked by authenticity, diversity, compassion and faith, I believe the Diocese of El Camino Real is already that kind of Diocese and can even more fully live into that vision of the Kingdom of God.

It is your desire for a pastor and your desire to be one in the midst of diversity that draws me most to enter into this journey with you. I have a pastoral heart. I feel strongly that the bishop must be a pastor to the clergy, their families and be a spiritual presence to all the people of the diocese. Expressing pastoral concern should be at the center of all that the bishop does. Part of this pastoral concern is to call the clergy and the diocese into unity. Unity does not mean agreement. The sign of a strong community is it’s ability to deal with difficult issues in a way that brings it together. To quote a friend, Frank Cerveny, retired bishop of Florida, “Sameness is not unity. Unity is the blending of our differences.” Pastoral care is about how we care for one another and how we can become one in Christ. “Extraordinary respect” are the key words to unity. The bishop must not only be a pastor but foster this kind of love and reconciliation.

As the disciples hearts were burning on the road to Emmaus, so my heart burns for evangelism and church growth. These two are not the same but they walk hand in hand. Together we must proclaim the Good News of Christ to the world and invite people into a relationship with the living Jesus. Although their are many different factors, and each situation is unique,  I believe as we proclaim Christ, our churches will grow. .Through God’s grace, we have had great success in my eleven years at Church of Our Saviour where we have experienced as much as 67% growth in attendance. Soon we will be birthing a new church. I am eager to share God’s joy and compassion and to find new ways to reach people with the Gospel.

It is evident that the Diocese of El Camino Real is rich in faith, diversity, and the Spirit of God. Your care for the world and each other is also apparent. I give thanks for the presence of God in your midst and rejoice in all that lies ahead as you seek the will of God. I know you will be blessed in ways beyond what we can imagine or pray for as you let the Spirit work.

Responses to Diocese of El Camino Real Questionnaire

We want our bishop to be the chief steward of God’s Mysteries, to be rooted in faith and
centered and faithful in prayer, deriving strength from a strong and mature spiritual life.
One who will be listened to and will listen to the counsel of others. To our clergy, our
bishop will be their coach, mentor and counselor; to the laity, their spiritual guide and
fellow traveler.
1. Briefly describe your personal journey to leadership in the Episcopal Church,
and your belief you are called by God to be a bishop in the Church.

My personal journey to leadership in the Episcopal Church can best be described by “seasons of ministry.”  Each of these “seasons” are a living out of my call that is rooted in prayer, Christ’s compassion and caring for one another. It is my hope that the following will not only describe what I have done, but will give insight into who I am.

My first season was my time in Seminary and the seven and a half years that followed. I went straight from college to Seminary eager to share the joy and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ. My focus was on Pastoral Care and Christian Education with a strong calling to respond to youth and families. I had the unique opportunity to serve for three years as a Seminarian in an inner city parish in Chicago and then later joined the staff of that church as a priest for two more years. I was very engaged by the diversity, challenges, unpredictability  and adventure that this setting brought. I returned to Minnesota for one year after graduation from Seminary where I was involved in a unique program sponsored by the Diocese. In this capacity I was in charge of two small rural churches, was youth director of a large church and was chaplain to an alternative high school with mostly Native American students. My focus in this first season of ministry as a parish assistant, diocesan staff, Provincial Youth Coordinator and Rector of a small church was on pastoral care, youth and families, and Christian Formation all centered in inner city and settings of great diversity and challenges. It was a very enriching beginning.

The second season was marked by a call to join the Bishop’s staff in the Diocese of Central Florida as the Canon for Youth and Education where I served for ten years. To this day I have a heart for young people and for the life long Christian formation process that is so essential to the faith of each of us. This was an exciting time of creating vision, training adults who work with youth and raising up leaders who were teens. Youth and Christian Education programs flourished throughout the diocese. I initiated the Youth Ministry Internship Program, The Institute for Professional Youth Ministry and several models for effective youth ministry in large and small churches. The joy of children, youth and growing in faith have energized me for years.

In 1985, I was invited to become a facilitator with The Foundation for Community Encouragement (FCE). This organization was founded by M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled and several other books. I was a facilitator with FCE until it’s close in 2002. Peck developed a model of helping individuals and groups experience true community. I led many workshops over that 17 years and have been deeply formed and moved by these experiences. This was not a church organization but it truly was spiritual and I experienced the Spirit moving powerfully among people who were very different and found compassion in their souls for one another. My association also involved two training sessions each year which included community building, organizational development, conflict response, diversity training, and collaborative learning. These skills have been so valuable to my ministry and I am committed to living the principles of community.

The third season, beginning in 1992 and continuing until now, was one of rediscovering parish ministry. Coming out of ten years of Diocesan ministry I sought an associate position in a large church. This allowed me many freedoms to serve God while developing a new Organization called YouthVision. This experience made me realize how much I missed parish ministry especially the pastoral care and the sense of community. In 1996, I became the Rector of Church of Our Saviour where I currently serve. Pastor, Preacher, Teacher, Visionary, Organizer are the words that I would use to describe myself in this setting. We have a wonderful sense of community and hospitality and the Spirit of God is among us. I have been able to use my organizational skills in collaboration with many fine leaders and an outstanding staff to do what God has called us to do. We are blessed by an incredible children’s ministry and youth ministry (over 100 active teens). The parish has one of the most extensive outreach and mission programs that I have ever seen and people respond to the needs of other generously. Joanne and I have been truly blessed to be part of Church of Our Saviour.

During my ten and one half years as Rector of this parish, I have been very active in the Diocese of Florida. I have been involved in evangelism and church growth, have served in several capacities and have been the Diocesan Chair of the Pastoral Care Commission for about eight years. I continue to support the Bishop and others who seek peace and reconciliation. There is much work to do but God is bringing us together.

To answer the question about being called to be a bishop in the Church, I must share how I understand what it is to be a bishop. I believe that a bishop should first and foremost be a person whose life is shaped by prayer, Scripture and the guiding of the Holy Spirit. From there everything else will fall in place. It is from prayer that I seek to do whatever God calls me to do. The bishop must have the willingness and ability to be fully present, to listen will, to accept people for who they are while not compromising the Gospel, and have concern for the spiritual well being of all the people of the Diocese. It is that pastoral role that draws me to allow myself to be considered as a bishop of the Church. Finally, I see myself as a reconciler who can help us focus not only on our  differences but on the common faith we share and the unity to which the Scripture calls us. By listening to the call and vision that God has for the Diocese, all of this is possible and that through the power of the Spirit working in us, God is able to do far more than we could pray or ask for.            

We seek a bishop who has the determination to address our many challenges such as our
declining church membership, reduced financial support for both the diocese and
congregations, and our great diversity—ethnically, culturally, economically and
technologically. Our bishop will identify and implement processes that will grow new
congregations and other ministries that are healthy and self-sustaining.
2. How have you encouraged church growth including evangelism, faith formation,
and stewardship in your ministry? Please give specific examples of how you
increased worship attendance, financial well-being, and spiritual maturity in
congregational settings.

Church of Our Saviour has experienced tremendous growth in membership, attendance and spirituality. Our congregation grew each year by almost 10% from 1996 to 2003. Our stewardship of time, talent and treasure increased each year even beyond that percentage. We have been truly blessed and as a congregation give thanks to God on a regular basis.

In the year 2000, Church of Our Saviour was experiencing overcrowding. There was no place to park and nowhere to sit at the main Service. We added creative worship services but continued to grow. Out of much prayer, conversation and visioning, a new model of church growth emerged. A mission only ten minutes away from our Church was closing. The Diocese was considering selling the property even though it was in one of the fastest growing counties in Florida. Our vision and this opportunity came together and a new vision was born. God’s hand was truly in it and we sensed that it was not just our vision but God’s vision. We opened “St. John’s Chapel” as a “second sight worship.” The concept was “one church in two locations.” I hired a full time priest named Patricia Turk to provide strong and dynamic leadership for this new venture. It has often been challenging and sometimes difficult but today St. John’s Chapel continues to thrive and grow with many strong leaders. Through working together in harmony, the Chapel will soon become a parish. I t is a day in which we will all rejoice.

Over the past 15 years, I have become a student of evangelism and church growth. I have discovered many new models of reaching people with the Good News and love of Jesus Christ and growing our congregations. I am always eager to share these ideas, models and visions.

The General Convention of 2003 had a major negative effect on our growth and membership. About 40 families left over a twelve month period because of the decisions that were made at that convention. Of course this made a great impact on our attendance and finances. In that way, 2004 was a very difficult time in the life of our congregation. We held steady, proclaimed the Good News and welcomed all people. Toward the end of 2004, we began to experience growth like never before. Many of the new families have been without a church for a very long time. We sincerely feel like we are in a time of real evangelism.

We have always had a strong stewardship program. I have much to say about the theology of stewardship but for the sake of brevity, I won’t do it here. Overall, Church of Our Saviour in the last 11 years has had great success in the giving of time, talent and treasure and has managed God’s resources well. However there are two times of struggle and challenge that have taught us to trust in God. The first was at the end of 2001, the first full year of St. John’s Chapel, we ended up with a $70,000 deficit mostly due to unpredicted expenses for the Chapel and an overestimate of unknown income. We had also invested an additional $30,000 for start up costs. We therefore spent $100,000 from our reserves. This caused great anxiety and was something that forced us to trust in God more than ourselves and to believe that God will provide when we remain faithful. The second challenging time was in 2004. Because of the departure of so many families, our income was significantly down and we had to make several cuts including staff. This was a very painful experience for me and the leadership of the parish. Once again, we held steady and overcame adversity. 2005 was a good year and 2006 has been our best ever with over 50 new pledges and a budget that has gone over $900,000. I truly believe that it is in the painful and difficult times that we learn to rely on God and understand the true meaning of stewardship.

One other experience that I would like to share has greatly impacted my own faith journey and the life of our congregation. In 2004, my wife, Joanne, and I had the opportunity to take a four month sabbatical thanks to grant from the Lilly Foundation. Our theme was, “Roots, Growth and Community.” We traveled to England, Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand seeking churches that were thriving and growing in these cultures. This took us to spiritual places we could have never imagined and it changed our lives. I was deeply touched by Celtic Spirituality. Through a series of God events, we developed course to share with our congregation and beyond called “Hospitality of the Heart....a way of life.” The core of this practice of life is summed up by phrase that we use repeatedly, “When paths intertwine and hearts meet, lives are changed.” Many parishioners have been through this course and the I believe the fabric of our congregation has been changed and deepened. “Hospitality of the Heart” focuses on how we as individuals and congregations can welcome the stranger and be more open to all of God’s people while going deeper in our own spiritual journeys. It has been an amazing experience for all who have been involved. I don’t think it is coincidental that at the same time that we were sharing this with our congregation was the time that so many new families joined our church. We have become eager ambassadors for “Hospitality of the Heart.” This has truly been a deepening and maturing of faith and spirituality.

We want our bishop to be one among us and not one above us—a shared ministry
between our diocese and our congregations, between our clergy and our laity. Our
bishop will challenge clergy and lay to work together in a relationship of trust and
honesty.
3. What have you done in your ministry to resolve conflicts? In addition, describe
how your leadership has led to reconciliation in your congregation and across your
diocese regarding the important issues facing ECUSA today?

General Convention 2003, has given us in the Episcopal Church much opportunity to experience conflict and change. My parish has been no exception. Although I have encouraged us to remain in open and honest conversation and to be a church that welcomes all people, many families have left because of the decisions of that Convention. I have drawn strength from a particular passage which I have shared with my congregation which is: II Timothy 4:5 - “As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” The leadership and I have held steady, we have stayed focused on proclaiming the Gospel and have called each person to fulfill the ministry to which God calls each of us. I model Rabbi Friedman’s “non anxious presence” to the best of my ability. Using this model, we have not just survived we have thrived.

I have stressed that at the heart of community is the ability to deal with difficult issues. In the midst of disagreement, we are still in conversation and fellowship with one another as we seek to embrace all that it means to be the Church. We are being steady,  God is moving powerfully among us and much ministry is being fulfilled.

My heart has been drawn to pastoral care of clergy, clergy wellness and to helping churches in conflict or struggle. I have been used by the current Bishop and the previous Bishop to help reconcile congregations in turmoil and to pastor to clergy in conflict or in trouble. This has been a very fulfilling ministry for me and one that touches me deeply. This ministry comes from a special set of skills that have been developed over many years from training and experience. This is something that I would have to offer in a unique way as a bishop of the Church.

In 2002, as Chair of the Pastoral Care Commission for the Diocese, I  initiated, with another priest, a five day clergy conference focusing on community building and clergy wellness. Over 135 clergy participated and the sense of connection with one another was powerful. Many people who did not know each other became friends. Many who held diametrically opposed views, understood and embraced each other. Community was truly formed. Unfortunately, the General Convention caused much division and strife among the clergy in this Diocese. Several have left the Episcopal Church. However, even now strong bonds remain among those who are here. There is a strong foundation and once again we are coming together. I see myself as a reconciler. I have learned that embracing diversity also means accepting diversity of opinions while not compromising what I hold to be true. The key word in this is “authenticity.” I must be true to who I am in all circumstances while accepting the genuineness of those who feel differently. This to me is at the heart of reconciliation. I do believe that I have the unique ability to hear all sides of an issue without threatening what I believe.

Although this is a difficult time in the life of our Church, I truly believe it is also a time of transformation. God is doing a new work in our midst and that can be painful. I believe strongly in the words of Ephesians 4 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way in to him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.” It is time for us in the Church to grow up and be built up in love.

We believe that we have an exciting and spirit-led diocese offering many challenges and
many rewards. We are blessed to be part of God’s people in one of the most beautiful
places on earth.
4. From your understanding based on the profile, what excites you about being
called as Bishop of El Camino Real?

First, I was struck by the openness and honesty of your profile. I appreciate how you have presented your challenges, strengths, and the way that you celebrate all that God is doing in your midst. I have a sense of the woundedness of the past but even more a sense of your joy in the present and hopes for the future. I am taken by both the opportunities and challenges and your expressed desire to find God’s vision of what might be for your Diocese. It would be exciting to be part of that vision and future.

It is your desire for a pastor and your desire to be one in the midst of diversity that draws me most to enter into this journey with you. The richness of a variety of people and experiences makes for a very exciting Diocese as well as presenting obstacles to overcome. However, your care for one another, for your churches, your Diocese and for the world are very apparent.

I am drawn by your top priorities which match closely to what I hold dear. Organizational development, Christian Formation of all ages and youth ministry have been life long pursuits for me. I am also deeply interested in supporting clergy, making disciples and being a Church that welcomes and includes all people while proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. I give thanks for your commitment to all of the above.

Finally, the Spirit of God comes shining through in the words that you have used to describe your life together in the Diocese of El Camino Real. There is a sacredness in who you are. That Spirit is present in struggle, discernment and the joys of who you are and what you have accomplished. It is that Spirit of God that will lead you forward.

Web page last updated: 9 May, 2007