Bishop Consents at General Convention

In July of 2003, there were ten newly minted bishops seeking consent for their election from General Convention. Ordinarily a Bishop-elect would be confirmed by a majority of diocesan Standing Committees and Bishops, but the Canons of the Episcopal Church require a different approach when the election falls right before the next General Convention. Canon III.16.3(a) provides that,

"When a diocese desires the ordination of a Bishop-elect, if the date of the election occurs within three months before a meeting of the General Convention, the Standing Committee of the diocese shall . . . forward to the House of Deputies evidence of the election of the Bishop-elect by the Convention of the Diocese, together with evidence that the Bishop-elect has been duly ordered Deacon and Priest, evidence of acceptance of election, and a testimonial signed by a constitutional majority of the Convention, and a summary of biographical information relating to the Bishop-elect . . ."

In addition, attestations to physical and psychological fitness are forwarded to the Secretary of the House of Deputies. The election is then confirmed by the House of Deputies, followed by concurrence in the House of Bishops.

At the March 2005 meeting of the House of Bishops, in considering the request of the Windsor Report to “effect a moratorium on the election and consent to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate who is living in a same gender union until some new consensus in the Anglican Communion emerges,” it was decided that a moratorium on all consecrations was the way forward until the next meeting of the General Convention. Consequently, a number of dioceses have delayed Episcopal elections (including South Carolina), and the result is a smaller-than-usual number of Bishops-elect to confirm at next month's convention.

As there may be no elections within thirty days of General Convention, last Saturday's election of Mark Andrus in California may be it. This, of course, includes the non-election of a bishop for the Diocese of Tennessee, having attempted to elect a successor to Bertram Herlong in no less than 36 ballots.

The House of Deputies will be asked, this year, to confirm the following Bishops-elect:

The Rt. Rev. Mark Andrus as Bishop of California
The Rev. Canon Barry L. Beisner as Bishop of Northern California
The Rev. Todd Ousley as Bishop of Eastern Michigan
The Rev. William Love as Bishop Coadjutor of Albany
The Rev. David Mitchell Reed as Bishop Suffragan of West Texas
The Ven. Dena Harrison as Bishop Suffragan of Texas