Dear Sisters and Brothers,
"It is a sacred privilege as members of the Communion to choose our Presiding Bishop. We, the Nominating Committee, ask for your help in this process. The ECC is a communion of communities so every person's input is important. We ask that you thoughtfully and prayerfully consider someone who might fulfill the role of Presiding Bishop to lead us forward at this time. Please talk with your nominee about this opportunity. The following is just a sampling of the many duties required of our Presiding Bishop and may help determine a candidate’s interest. The nomination process is outlined below.
1. The Presiding Bishop’s role in the ECC. Here are some excerpts from our Canons concerning theduties and expectations of the Presiding Bishop:
• Canon 1. The Presiding Bishop is the official convener of the Synod, and appoints a facilitator for theSynod gatherings in consultations with the Leadership Council.
• Canon 4. The Office of the Presiding Bishop shall be the central executive office of the Communion.The Presiding Bishop shall be elected by a two third (2/3) majority vote of an electoral college, which iscomprised of all members of the two (2) houses of governance. The Presiding Bishop may be elected for amaximum of three (3) four (4) year terms, and serves as the President of the Episcopal Council.
4.1 The Presiding Bishop shall be responsible to establish an administrative body, which shall include aChancellor, and other officers as deemed necessary in order to fulfill the duties of the Office of PresidingBishop. The Presiding Bishop may also establish standing committees or ad hoc committees in order tofurther the mission of the Communion.
4.2 The Presiding Bishop shall be responsible to sign or veto all legislation, liturgical changes or
intercommunion agreements. A veto may be overridden by a 2/3 majority vote of both the HOL and theHOP. When the veto is exercised, the matter must be reviewed by the Episcopal Council.
4.3 The Presiding Bishop receives faith communities applying for membership into the Communion, as setforth in the Guidelines for Formation of New Faith Communities, with confirmation by the EpiscopalCouncil.
4.4 The Presiding Bishop accepts a faith community’s request for withdrawal from the communion.
4.5 The Presiding bishop may issue a pastoral letter with the confirmation of the Episcopal Council.
• Canon 6.1 The Office of the Presiding Bishop will submit a proposed budget annually to the House ofLaity for approval. The House of Laity then submits their approved budget to the House of Pastors foraffirmation.
• Canon 8. Intercommunion agreement with other ecclesial bodies shall be negotiated and signed by thePresiding Bishop and become effective through a vote of confirmation by both the HOP and the EpiscopalCouncil.
• Other duties include accepting religious orders and specialized ministries into the Communion,providing faculties for clergy who function on behalf of the ECC, also granting termination of said faculties,and signing the annual budget once it is approved by the HOL and affirmed by the HOP.
2. Nominations. Please confirm with your nominee their interest in becoming our Presiding Bishop before sending their name to the Nominating Committee. Nominations should be sent via email r y October 15, 2017. We appreciate your help in this process. Thank you ahead of time for your attention to this important matter.
Yours In Christ,
Kate Lehman-HOP Therese Gabriel-HOL Deb Faulkner-HOL
Mike Bober-HOP Tom Wilding-HOL Paula Hayford-HOL
Larry Hart-HOP