The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, for whom Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe has required further training in Title IV procedures, has found a likely new position as Provisional Bishop of Wyoming.
The diocese’s Standing Committee has chosen Ousley as the sole nominee for the position, and a special diocesan convention will vote on that proposal. Such nominees are routinely approved by diocesan conventions.
Ousley first served as Bishop of Eastern Michigan beginning in 2006. He began leading the Episcopal Church’s Office of Pastoral Development in 2017, during the tenure of Presiding Bishop Michal Curry. In November, after the church received Title IV charges against Bishop Singh, Curry appointed the Rev. Barbara Kempf as intake officer for Title IV charges against bishops.
In response to the Singh family’s Title IV case, Bishop Rowe has directed Curry and Ousley to write letters of apology to each member of the family, and has said he will oversee Ousley’s further training in Title IV matters. The Singh family has called these decisions “deeply inadequate.”
The position in Wyoming exists because the diocese’s 10th bishop, Paul-Gordon Chandler, agreed to a sentence of deposition after he was accused of inappropriate behavior with a member of the diocesan staff. Chandler said his resignation was not an admission of guilt.
“My decision to voluntarily leave ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church is not in any way an admittance of the specific allegations and charges brought against me,” he wrote in March 2024. “This decision, as difficult as it is, allows me to stay true to myself, as well as to be faithful to my calling: ‘Seeking to enable others to enter a deeper dimension spiritually and experience the beauty of God in fresh ways.’ We have certainly experienced God’s presence throughout this challenging time in profoundly moving ways.”
Former Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori began serving as Wyoming’s assisting bishop in July.
Provisional bishops have often served in dioceses that lost their bishops to the Anglican Church in North America or because of other circumstances. Some dioceses, such as South Carolina, have relied on successive provisional bishops before electing a new bishop.
The Standing Committee’s resolution says it has “identified, performed due diligence on, contacted, and selected a qualified candidate with unique experience, including his service as The Episcopal Church Bishop of the office of pastoral development.”
If approved by the special convention, Bishop Ousley would begin his work in Wyoming on March 2.
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. John’s Parish Church on Johns Island, South Carolina.