As part of our work during this transition time leading to the search and call of our next bishop, the Standing Committee invites your participation in a diocesan-wide survey. This will help us understand the health of our diocese and assess our immediate and long-term needs.
We have heard from some people who believe we must proceed as quickly as possible into the search for our next bishop. Others have told us they believe our diocese has serious challenges which must be addressed before we can begin the search. Still others have said that we can proceed forward deliberately as long as we attend to our challenges and needs.
This survey will give us some data to guide our work. Once the survey is complete, we will host listening sessions to gather the kind of stories that cannot be collected in a survey. We have contracted with Holy Cow! Consulting in preparing the survey, and they will also lead the listening sessions. They are experienced consultants who have guided over 50 Episcopal dioceses through bishop transitions.
The survey will be open until Wednesday, February 10. Once the survey closes, listening sessions will be held in the late winter and early spring. With this information, we will be able to craft a timeline for the work that must be done to successfully call and elect our next bishop.
If there are people in your congregation who would like to take the survey but who do not have internet access, you may print out a PDF copy of the survey in English or Spanish. Please mail competed paper surveys to the diocesan office (412 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202) to arrive by February 3.
Please share the links widely within our diocese. Kindly share in newsletters, social media, bulletins, or any other channel of communication. It is important that we have wide participation across the whole diocese geographically, but also with our full diversity of race, age, economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and so on.
We know that many people are eager to know the roadmap which will show us the path to calling and electing our next bishop. Believe us, no one is more eager to hand over the reins of leadership than your Standing Committee! However, we want to make sure we have the right process given who we are and where we are going. This survey and the subsequent listening sessions will be essential in helping us craft a process that is neither too hasty nor too slow.
We will share results from the survey not long after it is complete, and we will provide a summary of our findings from the listening sessions. Our goal is to have a search process that is transparent and clear for all.
