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Letter From the Pastor

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Acts 14:23 (The Apostles) appointed elders for each church. With prayer and fasting, they committed these elders to the Lord, in whom they had placed their trust.

 



Commonly Asked Questions

 

It is “Commonly Asked Questions,” week. Commonly Asked Questions is where I answer questions about St. Augustine, The Episcopal Church, and Christianity.

 

If you have any question about why we do certain things, please let me know.

 

Pastor Anny+

 

What is the Presiding Bishop?

On June 26th the Episcopal Church elected a new Presiding Bishop. The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe will be the 28th presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He will begin his nine-year term on November 1st, 2024. He was chosen from five nominees with 89 votes out of 158 votes cast. The vote only took one pass, and he was voted in the first vote.

 

The Presiding Bishop is the highest office in the Episcopal Church. The job of Presiding Bishop is to be the Chief Pastor and Primate of the Episcopal Church. As Chief Pastor the Presiding Bishop is responsible for developing church-wide policy and strategy. Often the Presiding Bishop is the face and voice of the Episcopal Church in the media and the wider world. Think about how Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached at Prince Harry of England and Megan Markel’s wedding. The Presiding Bishop has the responsibility to put the Episcopal Church on the map.

 

What is the difference between a Bishop and the Presiding Bishop?

 

Bishops are fundamental to the Episcopal Church. A bishop is the primary apostle, chief priest, and pastor of a diocese. S/he also guards the faith, preserves unity, and necessary disciplines to build up the Church. A bishop represents Christ and the Church to the world and works towards reconciliation within the world. They also serve as “pastors to the pastors.” Bishops lead the church to fulfill God’s mission, train and ordain pastors to live that mission, and presides at annual conventions. The Bishop is the lead priest of the Diocese. When we are speaking of the Presiding Bishop that same job is extended to the whole Episcopal Church. The Presiding Bishop does that same job as a Bishop but instead of overseeing one area of the map the Presiding Bishop oversees every place the Episcopal Church is located. They provide overall oversight in the Episcopal Church. The Presiding Bishop is the president of the House of Bishop’s. The Presiding Bishop also ordains new bishops. 

 

What do you call the Presiding Bishop?

 

The proper title of a Presiding Bishop is “The Most Reverend.”

 

What do we know about the new Presiding Bishop?

 

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe is 49 years old. He was ordained as a bishop to the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007. Then he also became provisional bishop of Western New York in 2019.

 

He is from Sharon, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in Organizational Learning and Leadership from Gannon University.

 

Rowe was the youngest Episcopal priest in the U.S. when he was ordained at 24 years old. Then he became the youngest bishop when he was 32 years old. Now he will be the youngest person ordained as Presiding Bishop at 49 years old.



He is known for work in organizational leadership in the church.

He is married to Carly Rowe, a Christian educator, and they have a daughter named Lauren.

He begins his office on November 1st as Presiding Bishop.  

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