The Call for a Bishop
On June 23, our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Rodman, announced his intention to retire and called for the election of the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of North Carolina.
I remember the first time I met Bishop Rodman in 2016. I had arrived a few days early for a Province IV meeting at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville to spend some time with my father, who was attending a gathering of bishops. During a lunch break, we ventured into town for a meal and found ourselves in a deli with Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple, and the newly elected, but not yet consecrated, Fr. Rodman. They invited us to eat with them.
As a young priest, I was delighted simply to sit at the table with them. I experienced Bishop Hodges-Copple’s infectious joy and, in the soon-to-be bishop, a calm, approachable priest with a true pastor’s heart. As we talked over lunch, it never crossed my mind that I would have the privilege of calling him my Bishop.
Over the years, I have become deeply grateful for his ministry; for his wisdom in difficult conversations, his pastoral presence during my family’s loss this year, and even his golf game, which, like the Holy Spirit, has a way of showing up when you least expect it. Most of all, I am grateful for the trust he has placed in me to serve one of his churches. While his episcopacy is not yet complete, I feel a sense of sadness that this chapter is drawing to a close.
In the months ahead, we will receive more information from the Standing Committee as it forms the Search Committee and the Transition Committee to guide us through this process. With the election scheduled in November 2027, and the consecration of our next bishop anticipated in the spring of 2028, the work begins almost immediately.
This is an exciting and important season in the life of our diocese. It is a time that calls every Episcopalian in the Diocese of North Carolina into prayer, conversation, and discernment.
Where do you see the Church heading?
What unique work is God calling our diocese to undertake?
What gifts and qualities do you hope to see in our next Bishop?
I invite you to keep Bishop Rodman, the Standing Committee, and the entire Diocese of North Carolina in your prayers as we begin this holy work together.
Peace,
Morris+
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, pouring out your Holy Spirit upon the discernment process in choosing the next bishop, filling all hearts and minds that this Diocese receives a faithful pastor, who will continue the care for your people as well as further the ongoing work of equipping us as witnesses to Christ, wherever we may be, and carrying on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world to You; Grant that all candidates who are called forth for discernment to this sacred office may be filled with the truth of your doctrine, clothed in holiness of life, and devoted to your glory and the flourishing of your holy Church; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer: For the Election of a Bishop