When You Know the Candidates for Bishop of a Synod

On Friday night, my step-mom-in-law sent me this message:  "Don't you and Carl know Terri stagner-don't know her last name. She's running for bishop of the Southeastern synod."

Why yes, yes indeed we know Terri.  We go way back, and my spouse's friendship with her goes even further back, back to when they were both teens meeting at Synod gatherings, that same Synod where she is now on the list of the top 3 candidates for Bishop.

I have spent the whole week-end feeling strange and trying to figure out why I feel strange.  I knew about Terri before I met her; when I got to Newberry College, she was out for a year in a program that allowed college students to go to a church to be an intern of sorts--much the same way the internship program in seminaries sets up those opportunities. 

For a year, I heard about how wonderful she was, which made getting to know the real person difficult for me.  And yet, by the time she graduated, we were very close friends.  She went to seminary, I went to grad school, and we drifted apart, the way people did in those pre-social media days.

We had a reunion dinner last year, but I don't know her enough to assess her skills for the Bishop position.  I don't know many people in that way--primarily because I'm not sure what skills would be optimum.  I think the ELCA needs new ways of being church, and I'm not sure that the current administrative structure is the optimal one for that.  But it might be.

When it comes to many societal institutions--church, higher ed, family, k-12 ed, government--I'm just not sure of what we need to do.  It's easy to be paralyzed, but modern times don't allow that.

And here's where the story gets even stranger.  This morning, I realized that I know one of the other three candidates, Kevin Strickland.  He, too, went to Newberry College, but he attended after I was there.  I know him from meeting him at the Create in Me retreat, back when he was a parish pastor, before he skyrocketed to his current position as Assistant to the Bishop (that's the national Bishop).  He's an amazing Bible study leader, an incredible musician, and extraordinary creator of worship.

I saw the 3 candidates' photos on the SE Synod Facebook page.  The 3rd candidate appears to be a non-white female.

Let us take a minute to pray:  Oh God who makes all things new, please be with the people of the Southeastern Synod as they elect their new bishop.  You have a larger vision than any one of us can imagine.  Please lead your people--today and every day.

It's not my best prayer, but it's heartfelt--and now, to get ready for church, where we will pray some more.