The Landscapes of Electing a Bishop

The Landscapes of Electing a Bishop

To elect a bishop is a matter governed outwardly by the mechanism of the Rocky Mountain Synod’s constitution.  But inwardly it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Four "Landscapes" are recommended for the sake of bringing integrity to the process.

The Landscape of Prayer

To establish the proper ground of our election process, that the Holy Spirit may be our center; for the candidates who have been named that they may be faithful in attending to their own awareness of call, and for patience and care as we each consider where God is leading our synod.

The Landscape of Listening

To give due regard to what the candidates say in giving account of themselves. To calm the voices around us and be attentive to what wisdom is within us.  To listen to one another’s insights across the whole community.

The Landscape of Discernment

To be open to different perspectives about the candidates;  to properly balance the needs of the whole synod with what we feel most drawn to personally; to weigh justly the merits of each candidate.   

The Landscape of Mutual Conversation

To be accountable to one another for what we know and believe about the synod, the candidates, and God’s leading in the process; to allow our discernments about these things to be justly tested; to be persistent in forming the election as an endeavor of the whole community.

--Pastor Beth Purdum

St. Luke Lutheran Church, Albuquerque, NM