The Reverend T. Grant Ambrose, president of the Diocese of Virginia’s Standing Committee, announces a decision to cancel the search for a bishop provisional:
After numerous conversations with leaders in our Diocese and the Presiding Bishop’s Office, and with prayerful consideration of what is in the best interests of our Diocese at this time, the Standing Committee unanimously voted on December 6, 2018, to end the process for the selection of a Bishop Provisional.
The Standing Committee enthusiastically supports Bishop Susan E. Goff continuing to serve as the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese of Virginia until such time as our next Bishop Diocesan is elected and consecrated. We have every confidence that Bishop Goff will effectively and creatively lead us during this time.
At every stage of the process, the Standing Committee has made decisions and conducted its work grounded in prayer and examining all known options. Throughout this process, realities have changed. We have felt the Holy Spirit moving with us and sustaining us throughout.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
