The Rt. Rev. James M. Adams Jr. says he has a ready answer when people ask why he would return to parish ministry after only seven years as a bishop.
 
“If you’ve ever been a bishop, you would know,” he said.
 
“In 20 some-odd years as a parish priest, I never missed a day of God’s joy,” he said. “Being a bishop today is not what it once was. It’s more of being an administrator.”
 
Still, Bishop Adams, who has served the Diocese of Western Kansas since 2002, also speaks with clear affection for the Episcopalians he will leave behind in March 2010, when he moves to Lecanto, Fla.
 
“I have a lot of respect for these people. They have endured and survived every situation that has come their way,” he said. “They have survived, despite everything that has happened in the church, everything that has happened in the economy and everything that has happened in the world. That says a lot about them and their love of their Lord.”
 
Indeed, Bishop Adams saw himself as a possible obstacle to the small and geographically scattered diocese transforming itself into something more viable. He would be senior bishop if Western Kansas were to merge with any contiguous diocese, but he doubts that he would receive approval to function as bishop of such an expanded territory. Bishop Adams believes his departure gives the diocese a chance to work through its own future, and an alternative arrangement such as sharing a bishop with another diocese.
 
“If I had any anxiety, I would stay,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for the clergy here. The hard part is maintaining collegiality over so many miles.”
 
Many clergy in Western Kansas are bi-vocational priests, which makes the logistics of clergy gatherings difficult. Of the 30 congregations in the diocese, several are very small and are served by clergy shared with other small congregations.
 
Bishop Adams also is leaving, however, because he missed the more personal relationships of parish ministry. He is enthusiastic about his new ministry as vicar of Shepherd of the Hills Church, a 16-year mission of the Diocese of Central Florida.
 
Having spent most of his ordained ministry in Wisconsin and Kansas, he is not fond of heat, but said he was unbothered by temperatures in the 90s during a recent visit to Lecanto. He says his losing more than 80 pounds recently likely made the heat more bearable.
 
“The people were very engaging,” the bishop said. He was happy to find a congregation ready to begin new ministries, and to seek spiritual growth and discernment.
 
Bishop Adams’ personality also played a role in his relocation. “I guess you could call me an extrovert,” he said, laughing. “I walk into a room of a thousand people and say, ‘Hi, how are ya?’ I really enjoy people.”
 
Douglas LeBlanc
 
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