Written for the Preparatory Committee by Petko Marinov, the Rev Keith Thomasson and the Rev Dr Elizabeth Breakey.
This document collates the stated and implied qualities for a Bishop in the United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway as per the Diocesan Description and the Ordinal.
Visionary church leader rooted in prayer and reflective practice
For the majority of people who worship in one of the Diocese’s fifty-four church communities, the periodic visits by the Bishop to preside and lead worship are perhaps the most visible aspects of the Episcopacy. Their typical expectations and hopes for a new Bishop are expressed in the word cloud in the Diocesan Description. It describes a pleasant, outgoing, even jovial leader who would be welcomed at any charge on any Sunday morning. In forming relationships, the Bishop is called to foster positive connections across the Diocese that may be utilised when an opportunity or challenge arises.
A bishop who is open to listening to God’s will in their own life and in their wider responsibilities is an inspiration to others.
The self-reported Charge profiles reveal a theme of blessings experienced when genuine community connections are formed. Their stories reveal opportunities to create greater awareness of the contribution made by Episcopal Churches within their local context.
This is where hope for the future will be found.
Be prepared to carry responsibility and authority
Every action by the Bishop can be considered an aspect of Christian mission. The Bishop has the potential to embolden faith in charges and contribute to the Kingdom by caring for the vulnerable and for creation. The Bishop achieves this by ensuring the Diocese meets its social and legal commitments, including safeguarding, Net Zero, and responsible charitable trusteeships.
A thoughtful, prayerful, and decisive leader is required, who recognises that the responsibility for many strategic decisions within the Diocese rests on their shoulders.
The various needs of charges that form the Diocese require the Bishop to exercise wise leadership through trustworthy authority. This demands different attributes, including business and financial astuteness, and prayerful discretion regarding recruitment, disciplinary or safeguarding issues.
However, the capable Diocesan Centre team supports the Bishop in the day-to-day administration of this large organisation. The Bishop is anticipated to engage with the development of office staff and personnel to serve the evolving ministry of the Diocese.
Inspirational leadership is required to champion the SEC Net Zero commitments and enable charges to achieve targets locally by 2030. It is essential that a Bishop has a clear awareness of their Safeguarding responsibilities to the vulnerable members of our Church and can develop an understanding of their duties as trustees of the many charitable bodies within the Diocese.
We do not, however, primarily need an Administrator. We need a Pastoral and Prophetic voice who will speak to and on behalf of the Diocese.
Be a prophetic voice for inclusion
The Diocese considers the work done on many aspects of inclusion in recent years to be one of our strengths. Similarly, the Bishop must see inclusion as a strength, not a stumbling block, and yet can remain sensitive to the broad spectrum of opinions within the Diocese.
Our commitment to the Gospel leads us to live out our faith as an open and inclusive church at all levels, and this attitude of care and hospitality must be demonstrated in our leaders, especially our Bishop. They need to build trust with their clergy especially and discern pastorally whether they are in the best place for the charge, the people, and the clergy to grow spiritually and thrive.
Bishop is a confident communicator
The Bishop will be expected to speak publicly on faith, spirituality and moral issues as they affect the people of the Diocese, the public spaces in which the Diocese is an active participant, and the wider world.
On any given day, the Bishop may be required to move easily from boardroom to factory floor to church sanctuary, sharing God’s love and Good News in appropriate ways.
An effective networker. No bishop is an island.
We need a Bishop who can make strong connections within and beyond the Province and represent our capabilities in secular society.
It need not be lonely work; collegial support is available from the College of Bishops. As a member, the Bishop will take an active role, chairing some of the provincial boards and committees.
Drawing on the experience of the Diocesan Council, the Cathedral Chapter, the Bishop’s Core Group, Diocesan Centre team, and regional leaders, a strong and trusted network can be created to support the Bishop and share in their ministry of oversight.
Further, the Bishop works collaboratively with the Diocesan Synod lay representatives and clergy to discuss governance issues, approve the budget and elect diocesan representatives to General Synod.
Bishop may desire to build up ecumenical or companion relationships with other Dioceses in the Anglican and Porvoo communions and strengthen a collegial network of love and trust.
Bishop must be a focus of unity
One of our strengths is our diversity of worship, but it can be a weakness when we become too independent or lose the sense of being interconnected as the Scottish Episcopal Church. As per the ordinal, the Bishop must be a focus of unity across our wide spectrum of eucharistic worship styles, emphasising connection and cooperation within the Regions and Diocese.
We need a Bishop who is willing to support clergy and enable them to develop opportunities for their charges to thrive. The bishop must also be ready to make difficult decisions when the options for a charge to continue are exhausted. In these circumstances, the bishop’s unifying skills are exercised when grief and anxiety are the prominent emotions.
Bishop as disruptor or culture changer
The bishop needs to be prepared to implement new structures and means of connection to and between the charges. These structures are hoped to aid the Bishop and Diocese in working cooperatively to focus on God’s work within the Diocese.
The Bishop’s leadership can foster a culture that recognises skills among the clergy team and makes the best use of that resource for the future of the Diocese.
As the church changes to embrace the challenges posed by declining attendance, the Bishop can support initiatives to deepen vocational engagement of clergy and lay leaders to inspire them in their service of God’s people.
We need someone who can develop cultural awareness and proactively seek and act on advice from clergy and charges rather than reacting to continual crises. This requires a robust faith to face times of stress and even conflict.
We need a Bishop who has the discretion and integrity to come alongside clergy to recognise that sometimes the call to serve in a particular context can change or diminish. Likewise, Episcopal pastoral skills will be tested to address a lack of spirit experienced by a charge. These moments require imagination, empathy and self-control but may ultimately be life-giving to all involved.
Bishop works consultatively and co-operatively with existing resources within and beyond the Diocese
Charges are looking for help to unlock their particular and distinct potentials, and the Diocese is looking for a Bishop to inspire us to make the most of our resources to achieve this. Those resources are financial, social, spiritual, and communal.
We are looking for a Bishop who acts as a ‘coach’ to support, enable and motivate us to do our best to God’s glory.
Like many other Christian denominations, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and the United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway particularly, faces the reality of falling numbers, deficit budgets and generally elderly congregations. Our new Bishop must exercise bold and prayerful leadership, making difficult decisions and empowering their team to support an increasingly vulnerable community.
In summary, we are calling for a courageous and prophetic person willing to serve as Bishop who can inspire us as a Diocese to discern our purpose for God into the future. A person who, with the help of God, is open to the risky business of trying to inspire and even change the Diocese to draw on the strengths of the regions, and help us to work effectively in these groups.
We believe that it is possible to bring confidence back to the charges who are under pressure in this Diocese, but this is, however, a process that will take time and commitment from us all. It will also form a Bishop who is confidently able to exercise strategic oversight and create congregations more aware of their faith and purpose.
This role is a heavy undertaking for anyone seeking to serve God, the Church, and the people of the Diocese and still have enough reserves to care for their family and themselves. Those exploring this vocation remain in our prayers.
