Calling for the Election of My Successor: A Letter from Bishop Skirving
November 16, 2024
To the People of the Diocese of East Carolina:
Dear Friends in Christ,
At this morning’s Special Budget Convention, held online, I announced that I have asked our Diocese’s Standing Committee to begin the process that will lead to the election of my successor. It is my hope that the 9th Bishop of the Diocese could be elected and ordained by sometime in mid-2026.
By mid-2026 I will have served in ordained ministry for forty years, including almost twelve as your bishop. In my heart and soul, I believe that the people of this diocese deserve to have someone new as their bishop, someone with more energy than I am currently able to bring to this role. I will be ready to retire by then, and to give priority to the needs of my family, and to some hobbies and interests that have too often been set to the side. Who knows? God might even call me to live into my baptismal and ordination vows in some new and interesting ways.
The Standing Committee, led by the Rev. Michael Singer, will work with The Episcopal Church’s Office of Pastoral Development to engage a search consultant to support them in developing a robust search process, holding an election, and supporting the bishop-elect’s transition into this new role. Along the way, the Standing Committee will endeavor to communicate regularly and effectively with the people of East Carolina. Please hold the members of the Standing Committee in your prayers as they take on this important leadership responsibility on our behalf.
Between now and the ordination of my successor, I will continue to work as hard as I can to provide faithful and healthy episcopal leadership for the congregations, ministries, and people of the Diocese of East Carolina. With the support of the Executive Council and the Standing Committee, I will work with Diocesan House staff and others to set priorities for the transition period ahead that will best contribute to helping this diocese welcome its next bishop.
During my time as your bishop, I have learned more deeply than ever that God provides for the Church everything we need to be able to live fully into our call to be the Body of Christ in our own time and in our own place. In a world that too often speaks in terms of darkness and despair, may our work in the months ahead bear faithful witness to God's love for us and for all people, even as we face the challenges and opportunities of transition.
May God bless us richly in this next season of our life together.
Yours in Christ,
Tags: Letters from the Bishop
