One of the great blessings and privileges of serving as the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota is being able to spend time with a number of individuals who are using their gifts for ministry in leadership roles.
To begin, ECMN has an incredible cadre of very competent clergy. I have been fortunate to serve at all levels of the Church and comparatively speaking, ECMN has a very high percentage of highly functioning clergy.
Second, I spend a lot of time with people who are serving in leadership positions in our local faith communities, and the depth and breadth of those leaders never ceases to impress me.
Third, as the the Bishop, I am engaged with all of our Elected Bodies: Standing Committee, Trustees, Council, and Commission on Ministry (COM). These groups and their subcommittees are all populated with wise, experienced leaders.
Finally, when looking at our faith communities in a broader sense, which would include schools and organizations such as Breck, Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Sheltering Arms, Episcopal House of Prayer, and Episcopal Homes, I have found some of the most competent leaders I have ever worked with.
ECMN is strong and healthy at all levels, and it has everything to do with gifts for ministry being exercised in leadership. This weekend we will gather at our ECMN Convention in St. Cloud. It will be a great gathering including folks from all across the state, and a great opportunity to celebrate, thanks to such phenomenal leadership, how God’s mission is being engaged!