Episcopal Election Nominations Committee Archive

You can contact the EENC on ContactEENC@anglicands.org.au.

The Episcopal Election Nominations Committee has developed these prayers and prayer points as a resource for churches, individuals, agencies and schools to guide you as you pray for the election of our next Diocesan Bishop.

View the document here.

Read the excerpt from the Ordinal here.

Answers to some questions you may have regarding electing a new Diocesan Bishop can be found here.

1 Corinthians 11:23–25

“The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ ”

Word and Sacrament Together

One hallmark of being Anglican is that we believe in both Word and Sacrament. As the People of God, we gather to hear the promises of His Word and to receive tangible confirmation of them in the Sacraments.

The wonderful power of this struck me presiding last Sunday as emotion overcame me praying the Prayer of Thanksgiving. Fearful that something was wrong, the sanctuary party gathered around me, trying to remind me of the words, but I stood there speechless, arrested by the awesome love of God.

Moments earlier, I had preached on Paul’s wonderful prayer on love in Ephesians 3:14-16 that the Ephesians, along with all the saints, might comprehend the enormity of Christ’s love, and as I prayed, thanking the Father for the sacrifice of His Son, I began to understand the spiritual reality of that love.

From the outset, the Episcopal Election Nominations Committee has strived to honour the culture and tradition of this Diocese. We recognise that we are a people of both Word and Sacrament. Accordingly, we won’t be just asking candidates about their preaching but also how they administer the Sacraments.  As we interview prospective nominees, please pray for us that we would not only be guided by God’s Word but also by His grace.

Yours in Christ

The Venerable David Ruthven
Chair

31 October 2018

Dear Friends,

After a lot of behind the scenes work, we‘re thrilled to distribute to members of Synod a fine list of Nominees. The Committee, throughout its work, hasn’t forgotten that we are a diverse church. Accordingly, we have sought to bring a generosity of spirit and grace to all our decisions and interactions. Likewise, we’ve tried to avoid being too narrow in our work while still being faithful to our core beliefs and values.

I am grateful, notwithstanding the diversity of our views, that a generosity of spirit has remained and for the sake of unity we have all strived to find areas of agreement. As Paul’s words in Ephesians urge us:

… walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

As we move into the electoral phase, it’s my hope this spirit of generosity will also be displayed by Synod members.

Likewise, we’re aware that this process isn’t about the Committee but rather about who God is calling to be our bishop. Our role therefore has only ever been to present the Nominees to the Synod and for us to recede into the background. With this in mind, we have tried to allow the Nominees and their references to speak for themselves. The confidential material presented to Synod is therefore without filter or censor. It’s the Committee’s hope therefore that Synod members will focus their attention on the nominees, rather than the work of the Committee.

As we approach the end of our work it is our prayer that, as imitators of God and his beloved children, we will walk together in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself us for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

May all we say and do be for the glory of God.

Faithfully,
The Venerable David Ruthven
EENC Chair

October 2018

Update from Canon Robert Arthur

The Episcopal Election Nominations Committee is preparing for the Electoral Synod to be held from 8 to 10 November. It has recently met with the Prospective Nominees and is now preparing an information package on each Nominee for confidential distribution to Synod members prior to the meeting. The package will include the Episcopal Selection Criteria, which were prepared by the Committee after consultations around the Diocese and an online survey.

At the September Synod, in preparation for the decision they will make in November, Synod members broke into groups to discuss the Selection Criteria and to assess the weight they would give to each of the 24 Criteria on a scale of 1 to 10. Three criteria were given weights of 9.0 or more. These were:

• to encourage and enable the ministry of women and men in lay and ordained ministry within the life of the church, including to the three orders of ordained ministry;
• to develop teams of leaders, delegating effectively, and being collaborative, supportive and strategic; and
• to be a person of prayer, whose spirituality arises from engagement with God’s Word and who relies on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for their salvation, daily life, and future.

Please continue in prayer during the next month for God’s guidance and wisdom in the choice to be made.

A bible study and other resources prepared by the EENC are available below.

by Canon Robert Arthur

The Episcopal Election Nominations Committee has given much time and prayerful discernment to nominating candidates to the Electoral Synod. From the resulting nominations, the desired outcome is that one person will be elected at the November Electoral Synod, as Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

The Diocesan Profile and the Selection Criteria were completed at the end of June, as a resource for prospective Nominees and the Committee in discerning the candidates that best fit the needs of our Diocese. These documents are available on the Diocesan website.

Synod members were invited to submit the names of prospective candidates for the role of Bishop from the beginning of July. At the closing date the Committee had received five names. On discussion with each candidate, four have agreed to be considered. As directed by the Governance of the Diocese Ordinance, the Committee approached another nine prospective candidates, of which one has agreed to be considered. The Committee will conduct initial interviews with these prospective nominees in the coming weeks.

The Committee will meet for prayer, listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and confirmation in late September, to determine the final list of prospective nominees that will be nominated to the Electoral Synod. Each prospective nominee who meets the selection criteria to the reasonable satisfaction of the Committee will be put forward. The Committee will then present the names to the Electoral Synod with a package on each nominee. Synod members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the Episcopal Election Nomination Committee regarding the respective nominees.

The Committee has already met 14 times (11 face to face, and 3 zoom conference calls). The generosity, diligence and commitment of each of the members has made the task fulfilling and engaging. The Committee has also been blessed in seeing the way the Holy Spirit moves through the particular gifting of its members, as we offer ourselves to discernment. The Lord has blessed our Diocese with fine people who are offering themselves for consideration as our Bishop. We are grateful for their commitment to the process of mutual discernment with us as we move towards electing our new Bishop.

A reflective piece by the Chair can be read on the toggle below.

A day of prayer for the Episcopal Election is being held on 23 August at St Mark’s from 9.30am to 3pm and all are warmly invited to attend for some, or all, of the time. Details here.

The Venerable David Ruthven
Chair

June 2018

Dear friends in Christ,

The Episcopal Election Nominations Committee (EENC) has now completed the consultation phase and the Diocesan Profile and Episcopal Selection Criteria.

During the consultation phase we conducted eight workshops across the Diocese, in Canberra South, Cooma, Bega, Batemans Bay, Canberra North, Goulburn, Young and Wagga Wagga. 294 parish members participated and at each workshop members of the Committee were present. In addition, an online survey was available to all parishioners from 20 April to 14 May to which 444 people responded. The Rev’d Sandy Jones who is acting as a consultant to the Committee, facilitated the workshops and the survey and provided a summary of the outcomes.

We most gratefully acknowledge the time and thoughtfulness which all participants devoted to this consultation process. The outcomes, together with interviews with Diocesan leaders, Diocesan agencies and retired and serving bishops have been used to prepare the Diocesan Profile and the Selection Criteria. We have earnestly and prayerfully evaluated the many and wide-ranging opinions and messages, carefully taking note of whether particular views were expressed by a small minority or by a range of respondents. We believe that the result fairly represents the input given and will prove helpful to all parties involved in this process.

The Diocesan Profile and Selection Criteria have been circulated to members of Synod. On 2 July 2018 we will be inviting Members of Synod to propose the names of persons for consideration as Prospective Nominees.

We are thankful for your prayerful support for the Committee in its work and encourage you to continue to pray for the Committee, the Synod and Prospective Nominees as we work together towards a successful Electoral Synod in November.

I close with one of the prayers prepared by the EENC:

Heavenly Father, We thank you for your steadfast care of your people.
Guide us by your Holy Spirit as we seek our next Bishop,
One who should be, as your Word teaches us, above reproach, hospitable, self-controlled, prayerful, and eager to seek your will.
We pray for one who holds firm to your Word and to the doctrines of your church.

We thank you for each ministry unit of this Diocese
Thank you for the people of our church and in our local communities.
Let us be prepared to partner with our new Bishop in proclaiming the gospel in word and deed.
Help us also to love each other and, together, seek lives and communities transformed by Jesus’ love.
In whose name we pray, Amen.

Yours in Christ

The Venerable David Ruthven
Chair

April 2018

Dear Friends in Christ,

As a key part of our work in preparing for the election of our next Diocesan Bishop, the Episcopal Election Nominations Committee (EENC) are running a number of regional consultation workshops as well as an online survey to consult with people around the Diocese.

The purpose of this consultation will be:

• To offer an interactive consultation forum
• To inform and contribute to the shaping of the Diocesan Profile and Episcopal Selection Criteria
• To inform the Episcopal Election Nominations Committee of views held across the Diocese.

Workshops will be held at the following locations:

All people involved throughout the Diocese are encouraged to come to a workshop and/or complete the online survey.
Workshops have been scheduled across a variety of days of the week and times of day so as to suit as many people as possible. During the workshops we will together be considering where we have been over the past decade, where we are now, where we would like to be in the future, and what kind of Bishop we hope and pray for in this season of our church.

So that all views can be considered during the workshop, please reflect and prepare in advance.

A copy of the workshop instructions and pre-work activity are available here.
We’ve designed an interactive process to enable all views to be considered.  To help us to do this well, we request you respond to the questions on page 2 before you arrive.
(Hard copies of this document should also be available within your Parish/Ministry unit, Agency or School)

 Would you please also promote the workshops in your notices/newsletters and through your other communication channels.  You can access the various promotional resources on the following links:

• Flyer for (newsletters/bulletins/notice boards)
• Slides for powerpoint presentations (4.3 or 16.9)
• Form of Words for Announcements

The online survey is available from Friday 20th April until 9.00am on Monday 14th May. You can access the online survey by clicking on the pink link button at the top of the page.

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Yours in Christ,
The Venerable David Ruthven
Chair
Episcopal Election Nominations Committee (EENC)

Dear Friends in Christ,

The members of the Episcopal Election Nominations Committee (EENC) were elected by Synod on 3 March 2018.

Since this time, regular meetings of the EENC are being convened and the EENC is actively working to discharge its functions as described in Schedule 1 of the Governance of the Diocese Ordinance.

Workshops across the Diocese are being organised to help prepare a Diocesan Profile. Synod members, as part of this process, are encouraged to reflect on the qualities and experience needed for a new Diocesan Bishop. The profile will help members to decide between likely nominees, and it will ensure that suitable information on the Diocese is provided to them.

Full details of the workshops will be communicated in due course and all people involved throughout the Diocese are encouraged to participate.

The committee will also be preparing a list of selection criteria for prospective nominees, building on information gathered from the workshops and other mandated sources. After the Diocesan Profile and the Selection Criteria have been completed they will be circulated to all Synod members. Once members have had the opportunity to become familiar with this material we will then invite Synod members to propose suitable candidates.

Mindful of our own inadequacies, and that none of this is possible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the EENC would be grateful for your continual prayers that together with God’s guidance we might find a shepherd that loves Jesus and his sheep. The following prayer from our Prayer Book might be helpful:

At the time of choosing a bishop:

Eternal God, shepherd and guide,
in your mercy give your Church in this diocese
a shepherd after your own heart
who will walk in your ways,
and with loving care watch over your people.
Give us a leader of vision and a teacher of your truth.
So may your Church be built up
and your name glorified;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen  

(APBA)

The Venerable David Ruthven
Chair