How Do We Choose A Bishop?
How are bishops selected?
There is nothing more frustrating than standing in the voting booth and reviewing the slate of names for judge. It’s an important role, but the average voter has no interaction with judges and knows nothing about list of candidates. They rarely campaign.
Choosing a bishop is just as challenging.
Every six years about 500 Lutherans in the Delaware Valley gather to elect a bishop. The process is repeated in 64 other ELCA synods.
About a third of the delegates are clergy. The majority are lay people. Clergy know other clergy that they went to seminary with or with whom they might have served on a committee or in a regional cluster. Laity tend to know few pastors other than their own. Very few delegates know much about the people who will be nominated. Our interdependence is built on isolation.
How does this eclectic group make a wise decision that will affect everyone’s ministry for the next six years?
A few people will throw some names into the ring. Some might be part of an organized nomination effort. Some will be favorite sons and daughters, usually of more influential congregations. A quick short (very short) bio will be circulated. The bio will list where they’ve served but not much more. From that point it’s a crap shoot. Lay people faced with a slate of unknown names are likely to turn to their pastor for advice. That amplifies the voice (and responsibility) of the clergy.
Often, the successful candidate will have name recognition. They may have served on the bishop’s staff and circulated among congregations for six years or more. They may have never served a congregation but worked with a church agency and had the responsibility for visiting with congregations. Their names are known to a wide audience.
In either case, the actual shepherding experience is limited. They are accustomed to seeking and celebrating short-term successes.
Parish ministry is for the long haul. So is the work of a bishop.
If you’ve been a dedicated pastor, serving one congregation for any length of time, you are not likely to ever rise in the ranks of church leadership.
But interim pastors . . . they get around. Over the course of five years, an interim pastor might meet with six or more congregations. They are gaining recognition without ever committing to anything but short-term advisory status—an extension of the synod staff with the paycheck coming from the parishes.
They are not likely to have worked through a long-term ministry challenge. They have never had to balance congregational dynamics for more than a few months. A six-year term is likely to be the longest commitment that might be added to their résumé.
But they will have what it takes to become bishop. Name recognition.
Pastors who commit to serving one congregation and do an excellent job of shepherding and leading—they haven’t got a chance.