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Aloha my dear Siblings in Christ Jesus,
During a meeting of the Convention Plans Committee, I was asked to write an article about what to expect during the Special Convention on May 16, and to offer some thoughts on discernment as we prepare for that special day. I then attended the House of Bishops meeting (March 17-23). We discussed the changing landscape of the Episcopal Church and current issues of the clergy shortage and the impact on the election of Bishops. In the following reflection, I hope to share the current plans for the Special Meeting of Convention and the insights that I have gained.
The Special Meeting of Convention
The Constitution of the Episcopal Church in Hawaiʻi defines the purpose of a special meeting of Convention in Article IV:
Section 3. The Ecclesiastical Authority shall have the power to call special meetings of the Convention, provided that the notice of the time and place of same shall state the purpose for which it is called and such notice is sent to all members of the Convention at least thirty days prior thereto. No business other than that stated in the notice may be considered unless such consideration is approved by a two-thirds majority vote.
The Bishop Diocesan is the “Ecclesiastical Authority.” I called for the special meeting when I announced my retirement (or as the House of Bishops rules of order define it: “for reasons of advanced age”). There was a follow-up special postcard (sent on March 1) to all voting clergy and delegates/alternates with the date, time and location of the special meeting. The single purpose of the meeting is to elect the sixth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi.
We will transact no other business on that day. The only purpose is the election.
Our Constitution also requires in Article VI:
Section 1. The Holy Eucharist shall be celebrated at every Convention. The Ecclesiastical Authority shall take order for this and any other services.
I think it very important for all voting clergy and delegates to gather at St. Alban’s Chapel of ʻIolani School, Honolulu, at 8:00 AM, on Saturday, May 16, 2026, to celebrate as a Convention the Holy Eucharist. All are welcome, but to spiritually prepare, it is imperative that those voting gather for prayer and Holy Communion before the meeting convenes.
Registration begins at 7:30 AM, so, voting clergy and delegates need to be sure to be at ‘Iolani School by 7:30 AM and then proceed to the Chapel. We need to register promptly and then gather to pray.
The voting clergy and delegates will then gather for the special meeting in the dining hall of the new Arrillaga Student Center. Only voting clergy, delegates, Diocesan Support Center staff and authorized volunteers will be allowed into the dining hall. Registered visitors and alternates can watch the proceedings by video in nearby classrooms. The proceedings will be livestreamed (details to be forthcoming).
Once the meeting is convened and the quorum is established, the President of Standing Committee will present the candidates by name to Convention (with photos displayed on the video monitors) as approved by the Standing Committee (per the Rules and Procedures for the Election of the Sixth Bishop of Hawai‘i adopted by the 57th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i). There will be no nominations from the floor in keeping with the adopted “Rules and Procedures.”
We will then proceed with the voting. There will be no public debate. We will use the electronic method of voting that we have used at annual meetings of Convention in recent years (yes, we will have a couple of practice votes). Once the first ballot is complete, we will take a five-to-ten minute break (the members of Convention staying in the dining hall to be called back to order as soon as possible) for the elections committee to privately inform the President of the Standing Committee and me of the results. The two of us will then confidentially inform the candidates of the results. I will then reconvene the meeting to publicly announce the results to the Convention. If there is no election, we will then take another ten-to-fifteen-minute break for prayer, private conversation, hymn singing, etc., before reconvening for the next ballot. We will continue the process until there is an election, or 3:50 PM. We will break for thirty minutes to have lunch.
Once we have an election, the meeting is not adjourned! We will hear from the Bishop-elect (in person or by video link). We must all (voting clergy and delegates) then sign a Canonical Testimonial of Election of the Bishop of Hawai‘i. We will then gather for final prayers and blessing before adjournment. No matter what, we will adjourn (or recess if there is no election) at 4:00 PM.
So, all voting clergy and delegates must plan on being at ‘Iolani School to register at 7:30 AM. Please do not plan on leaving the meeting until 4:00 PM.
Lessons on Bishops’ Elections from the House of Bishops
We have not had an election for bishop since I was elected in October of 2006. I am surprised at how much things have changed. When I was elected, we had six candidates (five from the search committee and one by petition). In May, there will be three candidates (two from the search committee and one by petition).
I have noted the drastic decrease in the number candidates in elections throughout the Episcopal Church. There have been several elections in recent years with only two candidates. I talked with Dr. Sarah Stonesifer Boylan, the Senior Leadership Development Officer for the Presiding Bishop and the person overseeing all elections of bishops in the Episcopal Church, about the change. She followed up by email with the following facts:
The applications submitted have consistently gotten smaller over the years as the job of being a bishop has shifted. Smaller pools of candidates lead to smaller slates. The bishops ordained in and slates presented in 2025 and 2026, all of them have had 4 or fewer candidates. Of ordinations since 2020, the most frequent size of the slate is 3 nominees, the average being 3.69.
This reflects the general clergy shortage throughout the Episcopal Church.
At lunch one day at the House of Bishops, a group of “retiring” bishops gathered at a table. Some had completed elections and some had elections scheduled. The others noted that candidates withdrew before elections. A couple noted that their searches had to be reopened because very few priests applied or even no one applied.
Why? There may be a couple of factors (this is just my speculation). Clergy are less keen on moving because of family and financial reasons. Frankly, the ministry of being a bishop has gotten harder and harder with each passing year. Issues of clergy discipline, decline in congregational membership, the economy, the situation in the world, the reality of social media, and the general secularization of life has impacted who will apply. As one of my fellow bishops said with a wry smile, “Some rectors just don’t want to take a cut in salary to become a bishop.”
Dr. Stonesifer Boylan was keenly aware of the work of our Search Committee and Standing Committee. She expressed confidence in them. She told me that they are following the practices and guidelines established by the Presiding Bishop’s office for searches under the guidance of a consultant provided by the Episcopal Church. She stressed the importance of complete confidentiality throughout the process to encourage more applicants to step forward, and to prevent harm to the ministries of those who applied and were not presented as candidates. We discussed the risk nominees were taking if they were currently in a settled ministry. She assured me that we are right on track and doing better than some dioceses seeking to elect a bishop. She assured me that all is well.
For me this was all set in the context on reports at the meeting of a rapidly evolving Episcopal Church (and of Christianity in the United States) about changing demographics, the impact of inflation, deferred maintenance of property, emerging new ministries, and a reorganization of the structures of the Church. Times, they are changing.
Thoughts on Discernment
This leads me to discernment.
Please understand that the process for the search for my successor is interesting for me (a feeling expressed by my other bishops going through the same thing). Unlike most of my ministry as bishop, I was and am completely outside the loop on anything taking place. The Standing Committee by canon oversees the process. They delegated authority to the Search Committee to conduct the search and vet nominees. Unless a nominee was from within our Diocese and I was required to write a letter of recommendation, I don’t know who or how many nominees were vetted by the Search Committee. Now, I can say that a couple of bishops informed me last week that they had clergy from their dioceses apply. I was also asked to speak to the semi-finalists by Zoom for 45 minutes to describe what it means to be the Bishop of Hawaiʻi. Otherwise, I don’t know who the nominees were or how the final candidates were selected. I was not consulted during the work of the Search Committee except to be interviewed early on to offer insights into my duties and responsibilities as Bishop. Likewise, I have not been part of the Standing Committee deliberations.
It is a bit disconcerting not to be involved as Bishop in such an important decision. So, I am approaching the election humbly as the President of Convention and as a voting clergy of the Diocese. I will help to elect my Bishop!
What do I suggest? Though these suggestions are especially for the voting clergy and delegates who will gather on May 16, I mean them for every member in this Diocese.
First, pray for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We all need to set aside any prejudices and preconceived notions. We must together seek God’s will for the sixth Bishop of our Diocese:
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Second, read and reread the DIOCESAN PROFILE 2025: THE SEARCH FOR THE 6TH BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF HAWAI‘I. I am serious: one should not vote until the profile is thoroughly read and engaged. This is what we’ve said as a Diocese we are seeking in the sixth Bishop as understood by the Search Committee following the five Kama‘ilio Kākou (Heart-to-Heart) gatherings throughout the Diocese and the results of the online questionnaire everyone was invited to complete. This is a very good profile. One bishop actually told me with a smile that if the profile of the diocese that elected her had been that honest, she never would have applied.
Third, look at the ordination rite of a bishop in the Book of Common Prayer on pages 510 to 523. Especially linger and ruminate on the Examination (pages 517 to 518) and the prayer for the Consecration of the Bishop (pages 520 to 521). We must remember that we are calling the bishop. These words describe the ministry.
Fourth, read the statements from the candidates, carefully review their resumes, and listen to their videos keeping the Profile and the ordination rite in mind. This information can be found at MEET THE FINAL SLATE OF CANDIDATES! on the Diocesan Search and Transition webpage.
Fifth, I sincerely hope everyone will attend one or more of the six Ke Aloha Kākou Meet & Greet gatherings with the candidates (in person or online – you can attend any of the gatherings virtually). Be sure to register! It is vital that as many members of the Diocese as possible take part.
Sixth, we each must be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit. We have to keep in mind that the Episcopal Church is not a democracy. We are, in the words of a former Chancellor, a federalist, constitutional, theocracy. The elected delegates are not gathering to reflect the “will” of their congregations, but to seek the will of God. The clergy are not called to seek their own self-interest or preconceived notions. We come together for the good of the whole Church. Once the Holy Spirit has moved and the sixth Bishop is elected, that person – once confirmed by a majority of Bishops with jurisdiction in the Episcopal Church and of Standing Committees of Dioceses – is ordained (God willing on November 14, 2026) and will be our Bishop. No one should ever know for whom the voting clergy and delegates voted. We are then called to do all in our power to support our Bishop.
I will support my Bishop whoever is elected and ordained!
Conclusion
Early in the search, I recommended two books to the clergy. I still think them valuable as we discern the next Bishop of Hawaiʻi:
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The Book of Pastoral Care by Gregory the Great, translated and edited by Jerome K. Williams (Cluny Media, 2021)
The classic text by late sixth century Bishop of Rome on the nature of ministry. It was once considered essential reading for bishops.
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Episcopate: The Role of Bishops in a Shared Future edited by C. Andrew Doyle (Church Publishing, 2022)
This is a collection of essays by current bishops of the Episcopal Church (including me) on the nature of the ministry of the bishop in our times.
Let me remind you that politicking in the Church is not only unseemly, I think it sinful. That is about seeking our own will. I am not saying we do not talk and discern together. We need to gather to talk and pray. We ought not pressure, degrade or cajole others. We are one family in Christ.
Lastly, let me again remind you to pray. In the early Church, when the first Apostles needed to find a successor for Judas Iscariot, they drew lots and Matthias was selected (Acts 1:24-26). Fabian of Rome (236 CE) was acclaimed bishop when a dove landed on his head during an episcopal election. The Holy Spirit moves in amazing ways when we get out of the way.
And finally, I leave you with the prayer said at all ordinations (bishop, priest and deacon):
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko mākou Haku,
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