The Diocese of Nevada, which announced a three-member slate Aug. 27 in the search for its 11th bishop, has postponed the election until 2019.
The slate included a priest of the diocese, the Rev. Kirk A. Woodliff, rector of St. Paul’s Church in Sparks. The other nominees were the Rev. Canon Lance Ousley of the Diocese of Olympia and the Rev. Tara K. Soughers of the Church of Our Savior in Somerset, Massachusetts.
The Rev. Bonnie Polley, president of the diocese’s Standing Committee, explained the decision in a letter to members of the diocese:
Our bishop search process this year was challenging in several respects. One is that there were an unprecedented number of bishop searches in process, resulting in a limited applicant pool. Another is that decisions had to be made under time constraints that did not allow the Standing Committee to engage in the depth of deliberation really needed.
Since announcing the slate of candidates, more information has been brought to our attention that calls our decisions into question. We have, after much soul searching, unanimously concluded that it is in the best interest of the Diocese to postpone the election of our 11th Bishop until next year following another search under more propitious circumstances.
We are grateful to the Search Committee for their faithful work and regret any frustration they may feel that we are not proceeding to an election now. The decision to delay is in no way a reflection on the Search Committee, but rather is what we deem to be for the good of the Diocese. Likewise, we are grateful to the candidates on the 2018 slate. Our decision does not preclude them from applying again and participating in the 2019 search process.
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.
