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Bishop
This weekend, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. synod (the synod of which we are part) will be electing a new bishop. Not only here in our synod, but later this summer (July) our ELCA denomination will be electing a new Presiding Bishop – a bishop above all other bishops, if you will. Neither Bishop Leila Ortiz (our synod’s bishop) nor Bishop Elizabeth Eaton (ELCA Presiding Bishop) desire to be reelected. So there will be a lot of change coming our way over the course of the summer and fall (new bishops usually take office in September).
In electing a bishop, we use a form of an ecclesiastical ballot, similar in some ways to the manner in which the Roman Catholic church elects a pope. So, I thought this might be a good time to review some terminology and its relevance for us.
Ecclesiastical (from Greek ecclesia meaning “assembly” or “gathering”) refers to the process by which a larger church body functions. Usually the processes used by such bodies is different than the democratic process we use in our local and national government.
A synod (from Greek words syn “with or together” and odos “way or journey”) is a group of bodies gathered together for mission and support. Other denominations use terms like diocese (from Greek word dioikēsis for “keeping house” or “administration”), conference, district, presbytery, or council. This gathering of related groups/congregations allow for ministry to be done on a greater scale and to have some oversight on each congregation.
A bishop (in Greek episcopos = epi- “over” and -scopos “seeing, looking”) is one assigned to oversee and guide the activities and expressions of a synod. Each denomination determines the length of term an overseer holds; in our church body, a bishop serves a six-year term. They can be reelected at least once.
The process to elect a bishop in the ELCA follows this form:
The First Ballot is open to any ordained minister on the roster (approved list) of the ELCA eligible to serve as bishop. If any one minister receives 75% of the votes, that person is the newly elected bishop. If no one receives 75% of the votes, this list becomes the nominations list. Those who do not wish to be considered for election as bishop must declare so at this point, for this list will become the Second Ballot. Once the second ballot is set, names may not be removed other than by elimination.
Voting on the Second Ballot results in either (1) a bishop elected if that person receives 75% of the total votes cast or, if no one gets 75%, a list pared down to those who receive the top 7 vote totals (plus ties). This becomes the Third Ballot and each candidate remaining has their biographic data shared with the assembly. If on the Third Ballot a candidate receives 66% of the vote, they are elected bishop. If no one reaches this threshold, a Fourth Ballot is created of the top 3 vote recipients (plus ties). Prior to voting for the Fourth Ballot, each of the candidates is given the opportunity to respond to questions in smaller settings of voting members of the assembly. If on the Fourth Ballot a person receives 60% of the votes, they are elected bishop. If no one receives 60%, a Fifth Ballot is created of the two top vote recipients. Each is given the opportunity to address the assembly as a whole. Whomever receives 51% of the votes on the Fifth Ballot is then elected bishop.
I want to take this opportunity to say that
(1) I have discerned that I am not called to serve as a bishop (I call this the LBJ position – “I will not run and if elected I will not serve”) and
(2) I believe that Bishop Leila Ortiz has served so faithfully and well under the most undesirable and unexpected conditions over the past six years. Elected in 2019, she took office in September and within about six months was faced with building a completely new staff, a global pandemic, racial and political animus in the nation and its capital, and the resulting reduction of mission support and outreach. Closing out the lease for synod office space, shifting support for several congregations that resulted in their undergoing closure, pressure to respond/not respond to political and social issues, and reimaging how to “do church” in an online, decentralized era were areas that I guarantee seminary did not prepare her. Plus, she got married to a high school sweetheart and became mama to two girls!
So thank you, Bishop Ortiz for your faithful leadership and guidance through these difficult times.
Shalom.
Pr. Mark
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