Logo for: The Search for the 14th Bishop of Virginia

Meet and Greet Events with Nominees

Livestream Recordings / Meet and Greet Questions

The Transition Committee hosted five Meet and Greet the Nominees at locations around the Diocese. Four of these events were livestreamed. At each location, nominees were asked different questions. Below is the list of questions asked at each event and a link to the livestream for the specific event. Note: We were not able to livestream the event as St. Margaret's School.  .

All Saint’s Richmond       Recording Note: static screen appears until time stamp 23:50. You may wish to forward to that spot. 

  1. Based on what you know today, what will your immediate top three priorities be for the Diocese if you are elected as bishop?
  2. Our diocese has worked diligently on racial reconciliation, and we still have tremendous work to do. Please share your own experiences with working towards racial reconciliation and how you listen to the voices of those that have been ignored for years.
  3. Our diocese is comprised of many different parishes – large, mid-sized, and small as well as urban, suburban and rural. As bishop, how will you engage with all of our parishes so that all of these voices are heard?
  4. What spiritual figure has been most influential in your formation as a pastor?
  5. What has your experience been with working with deacons and how do you envision deploying them now and into the future

St. John’s, McLean      Recording 

  1. How would you bring better connection and relationships between the Diocese, its staff, and the congregations within the Diocese?
  2. In your ministry as bishop, how would you engage and support the order of laity in their ministry? Please give examples of current work supporting lay ministry.
  3. Knowing the current needs of our diocese, what is your top skill to meet these needs? Please provide an example or examples of outcomes based on the use of this skill in ministry.
  4. What is your best suggestion for bringing younger people, families with children, and youth into the Church? And, how would you engage them in the work of God?
  5. Please share with us your own theology and engagement in the ministry of racial reconciliation.

 Christ Church, Winchester      Recording 

  1. If elected as our bishop, what unique skills will you bring with you to this ministry?
  2. Our nation is increasingly divided. Describe how you will bring the reconciling power of Jesus’s love to your ministry as bishop and how you will lead this Diocese to engage with the world.
  3. Many are concerned that churches face dwindling membership and resources. What opportunities do you see for the Episcopal Church to grow?
  4. What is your favorite liturgical season, and how does that liturgical season help inform your own theology of God?
  5. Based on what you know, name two or three strengths of our diocese and how you will leverage those strengths. (Follow up question). Now, please name two or three challenges and how you will address those challenges.

St. Paul’s Memorial Church, Charlottesville   Recording  

  1. In your understanding, what is the ministry of a bishop?
  2. How does your theological and biblical understanding of justice inform your own response to social justice issues today?
  3. What is your experience with developing new visions and implementing them?
  4. Please share your theology of creation care, and how you will call our diocese to respond, with words and with action.
  5. How will your support our clergy and lay ministers in self care, and how will you model self care in your own ministry?

Trinity, Fredericksburg     Recording 

  1. What about our tradition brings you joy? And what about our tradition must change?
  2. Jesus told his disciples to go into the world, to proclaim the gospel, and to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Please share your theology of evangelism and how you practice evangelism.
  3. As our bishop, how would you bring inclusivity to the Church and to create space for all voices to be heard?
  4. As church membership ages, how will you engage and uplift the ministry of the youth and young adults? And how will you integrate them into the leadership of our diocese?
  5. The pandemic brought many changes to congregations, with online attendance now an option. What impacts from the pandemic do you observe on congregational community?  Thinking ahead five or 10 years, how do you think our time in pandemic will change churches?