Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota IX Bishop searchAfter many long months of prayer and conversation, the Bishop Search
Committee for the Diocese of Minnesota is pleased to offer three
outstanding candidates for consideration as the IX Bishop of Minnesota.
We as a search committee feel confident about our process which was thorough and intentional, and in which we listened intently for the Holy Spirit. The discernment process we followed is fully outlined here. We acted in full accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Minnesota.
We fully stand behind each of these candidates as possessing
extraordinary gifts for episcopal ministry. We also see each of them
being a good fit for our diocese, bringing a variety of delightful and
profound gifts to share at this stage in our life together.
The three candidates are:
The Rev. Mariann Budde Rector, St John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Rev. Bonnie Perry Rector, All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois
The Rev. Brian Prior Rector, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane Valley, Washington.
By clicking on their names you can access their autobiographies,
resumes, a photo, and answers to the written essay questions. They
answered many other questions in interviews on the telephone, in face-
to-face weekend visits in their own context, and face-to-face
interviews here in Minnesota with the whole committee. We have chosen
to not try to reconstruct what we heard each of them say, but know
that we were very pleased with their answers. We also listened to two sermons, spoke with many references, and reviewed their responses to an online leadership assessment tool. A thorough background check as been completed on each candidate.
In addition to the candidates discerned through the search process, we also have two candidates that come to us through the equally valid Open Nominations process. The Standing Committee announced their names Sept 29.
The Rev. Doug Sparks Rector St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Rochester, Minnesota
The Rev. Doyle Turner Trinity Episcopal Church, Park Rapids, Minnesota
By clicking on their names you can access their autobiographies, resumes, a photo, and answers to the written essay questions. A thorough background check as been completed on each candidate.
There will be a time for the diocese to meet all five candidates in a
process referred to as "The Walk-about". The week these visits will
occur is October 19-24. The electing convention will be held
October 30-31. The ordination of our new bishop will be February
13 at St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis.
In these many months it has become quite clear to us that the Holy
Spirit has been actively involved in the lives of each of the forty-eight
individuals who opened themselves to this mutual discernment. We are
very grateful for their witness to God's abiding love. We as a
committee were quite blown away by the sheer energy and faithfulness
and talent God has stirred up in them for the proclamation of the
Gospel. We feel very hopeful about the whole church, and remain
confident that God will continue to use the gifts of all those whom we had the pleasure to encounter in this process.
Join us in offering thanksgivings to God for all God's blessings.
Please pray for those who were not discerned as one of our bishop
candidates, and for those who love and care for them. Please pray also
for the Rev. Budde, the Rev. Perry, and the Rev. Prior, and those who love and care for them. Finally, please pray for all of us in Minnesota as we
discern who might be called to be the IX Bishop of Minnesota,
trusting in the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide. May God's grace
surround and keep us all.
- The Search Committee for the IX Bishop of Minnesota