One of six nominees to become the ninth Bishop of Wyoming has identified tensions related to the diocese’s program of mutual ministry.
 
The Rev. John Sheridan Smylie, rector of St. Mark’s, Casper, described a sense that rector-led congregations receive less diocesan support than those that stress mutual ministry.
 
“I believe the current structure spreads our Ministry developers very thin and may leave them vulnerable to burnout,” Fr. Smylie wrote in a profile document [PDF] distributed by the diocese.
 
“Rector-led congregations, while being important to the strength of the diocese and to the diocesan budget, have not received as much attention as Mutual Ministry congregations over the past decade,” Fr. Smiley added. “Since coming to Wyoming, I have sought to serve as a bridge between Rector-led congregations and mutual ministry congregations.”
 
Other nominees in the diocese, which is scheduled to elect a new bishop on March 20, include:
 
The Rev. Canon Margaret Babcock, the diocese’s canon for ministry and congregational development.
 
The Rev. Rebecca S. Brown, rector, St. Mark’s, Foxborough, Mass.
 
The Rev. Sandra Casey–Martus, rector, All Saints’, Corpus Christi, Texas.
 
The Very Rev. Canon F. Michael Perko, Ph.D., canon to the ordinary/ecclesiastical authority, Diocese of the Rio Grande, and dean of the Rio Grande School for Ministry.
 
The Rev. Canon Clark Michael Sherman, D.P.S., rector, St. James', Bozeman, Mont.; vicar, Gethsemane Episcopal Mission, Manhattan, Mont.; and campus chaplain, Montana State University, Bozeman.
 
The profile documents ask nominees to discuss the challenges of ministry in Wyoming; balancing mutual ministry and rector-led congregations; their experience in Christian outreach; and their experience in “growing congregations.”
 
No questions address the Episcopal Church’s discussions about sexuality, or its place in the broader Anglican Communion.
 
The nominees’ answers show a variety of theology and pastoral styles among the nominees.
 
Answering the question about ministry in Wyoming, Ms. Babcock emphasized a concept of rendezvous.
 
“This image of people gathering from all corners of the wilderness to trade goods and share their stories is one which I would emulate in the Church,” she wrote. “Rendezvous is where transients may connect to longtime residents like Native Americans and ranchers. There is where the young may find the histories and skills of the old worth learning, while sharing their own perceptions of the world.”
 
Ms. Brown, answering the question about Christian outreach, discussed a variety of ministries in both the Diocese of Pittsburgh and in Massachusetts.
 
“For Christian outreach is more than just charity, and we are to be more than just caretakers of those less fortunate,” she wrote. “By serving others, we are invited to become sisters and brothers with those we serve and to grow in compassion for all of God’s creation.”
 
Answering the question about mutual ministry, Ms. Casey–Martus stressed what is sometimes called a theology of abundance.
 
“The spiritual principle of supply is modeled by Jesus,” she wrote. “He has given us a model to follow and keeps his promise. This is good news. The principle rests on the premise that God alone meets our need (not greed) in the moment, and although the appearances and forms of supply may differ depending on circumstances, their Source remains eternally and inexhaustibly the same.”
 
Dr. Perko, a member of The Living Church Foundation, highlighted a sense of purpose as he answered the question about congregational growth.
 
“Institutions, including Churches, that have a clear sense of who they are, and who they want to be, and what their mission is do well: those that are more amorphous do not,” he wrote. “In our diocese, one of the most successful congregations would be labeled ‘progressive,’ while another with comparable growth could be characterized ‘traditional.’ In both instances, the congregations have a sense of purpose, are rooted in Jesus, and are well-led by collaboratively ministering laity and clergy.”
 
Fr. Sherman, answering the question about Christian outreach, described evangelism and social action as a two-sided coin.
 
“These two are not mutually exclusive,” he wrote. “I have a rich history in the former through mutual ministry in the churches I have served. These ministries are quite varied — jail ministry, ministry to the homeless and hungry, a thrift store for lower income families, Habitat for Humanity, a clearing house for community needs, to name a few. … Evangelism is a facet in many of my ministries. I served as campus chaplain at Colorado State University early in my vocational career and now serve as chaplain at Montana State University. Campus ministry is a powerful evangelistic tool.”
 
Douglas LeBlanc
 
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