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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This past Saturday, the clergy and lay delegates from all of the churches in the diocese were invited to attend a retreat to discuss the upcoming election of our next bishop. We gathered for a time of prayerful discernment, sacred reflection, and spirit-filled fellowship. We engaged and reflected on the Ordination Examination and explored the Vows of a Bishop. Additionally, we heard from our diocesan Standing Committee and the Steering Committee for Healing and Reconciliation to gain clarity and insight to the bishop’s election.
During this time together, we realized many had questions about the process itself, the role of delegates, and the timeline we expect to follow. Many of these questions are answered on the diocesan website: diocesefl.org/bishop-election
However, as this is such an important time in the life of our diocese, we wanted to reach out to you directly to clarify the process itself, where we are currently, and where we hope to go from here.
Key Dates for the Election of our Bishop:
March 31, 2025: Standing Committee called for election
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Ultimately, the Standing Committee oversees the process of electing a bishop. It created two groups comprised of members of the diocese to participate. The Search Committee discerns and presents the nominees. The Transition Committee coordinates the election and consecration logistics.
June 14, 2025: Special meeting adopting Special Rules for Election
Summer 2025: Members of Search & Transition Committees announced
- After a time of open nomination and application, the Search and Transition Committees were announced.
Fall 2025: Vision Sessions were conducted around the diocese, and a diocesan-wide survey was done in order to gather information for the Diocesan Profile, which is essentially a job listing for our future bishop.
January 2026: Diocesan Profile completed and shared with the diocese and the Episcopal Church
March 2026: Nominations and applications accepted
- Clergy and laity from inside and outside the diocese nominated priests they thought might be a good fit to be our next bishop. Clergy were also welcome to apply without a nomination. If a priest accepted the nomination, they were asked to complete an application for the Search Committee to review. Whether by nomination or application, all were asked to complete the same questions and materials.
April–June 2026 (WE ARE HERE): The Search Committee is reviewing and interviewing applicants in order to narrow down to the recommended candidates. This is a highly confidential process.
June 2026: Discernment Retreat with potential candidates
- The Search Committee spends a few days with all the candidates in order to help them discern whether this call is one from God. The candidates are fully vetted including background checks and an interview with the chancellor.
Summer 2026: The Candidate Slate is proposed to the Standing Committee
- The Search Committee presents a slate of candidates to the Standing Committee. At that time, the Standing Committee has the opportunity to review and approve the slate. Then the slate of candidates will be published, and the petition process will be opened.
- As an alternative to nominating a candidate from the floor of convention, the petition process is an opportunity for applicants to be considered after the preliminary slate is announced. If there is a petition candidate, the time immediately after the petition period is for interviews, reference checks, and background checks as required by the diocese and the Episcopal Church. The decision of whether a petition applicant will continue in the process or will be added to the slate is made by the Standing Committee of the diocese and is not appealable.
August 2026: Meet and Greets with the candidates
- The Transition Committee takes over from here. They will release communications featuring the various candidates on the slate, plan visits and Meet and Greets at various churches/missions/schools around the diocese, and show the candidates all the Diocese of Florida has to offer. This is also a time when our delegates are charged to prayerfully research and discern which candidate would be the best fit.
September 11, 2026: Electing Convention at Camp Weed
- The delegates are separated into Lay and Clergy Orders. Ballots will be held until the Lay and Clergy Orders agree on a candidate.
Fall 2026: Consent period
- Because we elect a bishop not only for ourselves but for the work of the church at large, once we elect a bishop, the Standing Committee will send a consent package to every Bishop with jurisdiction and Standing Committee in the Episcopal Church. They will have 120 days to review and consent to the election.
Early 2027: Consecration projected to take place
- Once the minimum number of consents from Bishops and Standing Committees are received, a date will be set for the consecration of our new bishop. At the service, at least three bishops will lay hands on our Bishop-Elect and make him or her a bishop.
We hope this provides some clarification and guidance as to where we are and where we are going in the next few months. As our Search Committee is currently in its highly confidential interviewing stage, we ask that you keep the committee and all the candidates in your prayers.
As always, if you have questions about the process, please feel free to reach out to your parish clergy or to the Standing Committee. This Delegate Retreat was a wonderful representation of how far we have come as a diocese, and we look forward with great anticipation to the announcement of our slate of candidates this summer.
All our hope on God is founded,
The Standing Committee
The Rev. Justin Yawn, President
Heather Prox
The Rev. Bob Goolsby
J. Byron Greene
The Rev. Lisa Meirow
Mary Dudley White
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