Bishop Smith's Blog

Bishop & Dean

2011-04-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

To: Members of the Diocese of North Dakota

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The Diocesan Council met last weekend and I am happy to report that they decided to concur with the Cathedral Chapter about my proposal to serve as Dean for the Cathedral as well as Bishop for the Diocese as a one year experiment. I am grateful for the overwhelming support for this proposal as reflected in the votes of the two bodies and their willingness to take risks and try new things as we seek to live within our means for the sake of the Church’s mission and not merely its maintenance.

The conversations and deliberations of the past three months have yielded, in my opinion, a better version of my original proposal. The approved experiment is as follows:

• For one year, the bishop will serve on a 38% time basis for the Diocese as the
episcopal minister and a 62% time basis as the dean of the Cathedral.

Serving with me as part of a pastoral staff will be:

• A full-time Administrator for the Diocese;
• A full-time Secretary, serving the Cathedral primarily and the Diocese as a Receptionist;
• A 1/4-time minister or two 1/8-time ministers for Pastoral Care at the Cathedral;
• 1.875 (FTE) ministers serving the Diocese as the Bishop’s Diocesan Ministry Team (the three current Canon Missioners and the Bishop’s Executive Assistant).

In addition, I have appointed an Evaluation Task Force comprised of Canon Zanne Ness as Chair with John Baird, Sandi Meyers, Rob Odney, Margie Bailly, Brett Shewey, Bart Davis and Carmine Goodhouse as members. The charge given the Evaluation Task Force is:

• To report to the Diocesan Council and Cathedral Chapter in November 2011 with a plan for evaluation for approval by both bodies;
• To conduct the evaluation December 2011 through February 2012;
• To report in March 2012 with recommendations based on their findings to both bodies.

It is my sense that there are valid concerns about whether under this plan the Bishop will have enough time for the Diocese; and whether the Dean will have enough time for the Cathedral; and whether I will have enough time for the Diocese, the Cathedral, my family and myself. I don’t think we will know the answers to these questions until we try it out. I look forward to all of the things we will learn during the coming year.

May this approaching Holy Week draw you more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Sermon preached at Gethsemane Cathedral, Fargo yesterday

2011-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about you, but I have known better weeks than this past one. Dean Sellers’ resignation and subsequent announcement that he is seeking ordination in the Roman Catholic Church have caused quite a stir. Responses have been varied and all over the map: from anger to serenity; from a sense of betrayal to a sense of relief; from shock to acceptance.

I hope everyone understands that the road between Canterbury and Rome is a two-way street and oftentimes quite busy. I personally know more Roman Catholic priests who have become Episcopal priests than I know those who have gone the other way. I wish the timing of the announcement had been handled differently, but I hope eventually everyone can join me in continuing to care for Steve and Dixie, praying for their continued service of the Lord and their growth in discipleship.

Once when one of my daughters was getting ready to head off to college, she confided in me, warned me really, that she might check out other churches while there. It seems the Book of Common Prayer wasn’t “doing it” for her. (Secretly, I was relieved that she wanted to be a Christian of any kind.) I told her that I believe it is important to be part of Christian group where Jesus Christ can be most real to a person; where one’s faith can become alive. And I believe that. I also told her she was always welcome to return to the Episcopal Church if she wanted.

It is important to be in a community where a Christian can become more than a nice person, more than a good person, more than a church member. As good as all those things are, the Church is here primarily to make disciples – followers who are under the discipline of Jesus Christ. Ultimately that is what our beautiful church buildings and our traditional Book of Common Prayer and our inspiring musical traditions and our historic church order are designed for – to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe I have been able to become a better disciple in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition. I hope you can say that as well.

In these confusing and troubling times, it is essential that we not forget the basics; that we not forget who and whose we are; that we not forget the foundations upon which we serve God. We are reminded of them in the scriptures heard today: We are called by the prophet Micah “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

In the Gospel we are reminded by Jesus that our focus is to be on the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and those who hunger for and thirst for righteousness. We remember that one day roles will be reversed and that when God the Liberator comes, those who know need now will have plenty on that day. Blessed, happy indeed will they be!

We recall that we, Jesus’ disciples, are to be merciful; we are to be peacemakers; we are to be reconcilers; but we are also warned that we will become victims of gossip and know hardship, estrangement and loneliness when we attempt to do these things.

You might not have realized it, but that is why we worship here at Gethsemane Cathedral. This is the kind of fruit that should be growing in our lives.

In this time of uncertainty and cynicism, I share with you words attributed to Mother Theresa of Calcutta. I believe they reflect the spirit of today’s bible lessons and are important pieces of wisdom for us at this Cathedral community as we look forward to our re-birth and new future:

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

A New/Old Model of Episcopate for North Dakota?

2011-01-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

To: Members of the Gethsemane Cathedral Chapter and the North Dakota Diocesan Council

From: Bishop Michael Smith

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We in the Diocese are beginning to become familiar with the term “Fresh Expressions” of Church. It is a movement that seeks to meet the increasing secularism in our culture and institutional decline in the mainline denominations with new and creative ways of engaging in the ancient ministry of the Church. Almost all agree that the old ways of doing things are not working anymore, and that a renewed manner of functioning and organizing for mission is necessary if our expression of Christianity is to live much beyond the next generation.

No doubt you are aware of the recent announcement of the resignation of the Dean of Gethsemane Cathedral, effective March 15. We are grateful for the ministry of Father Steve Sellers and his wife, Dixie, and offer prayers for blessing on the next chapter of their lives. This approaching vacancy at the Cathedral provides a rare opportunity for us to seriously consider what may be a “fresh expression” for the Cathedral and the Diocese in moving to a Bishop/Rector, or in this case a Bishop/Dean, model of ministry.

Such a move would actually be a return to the original practice of The Episcopal Church where all bishops served as rectors of congregations. There was even a discussion about such a possibility for North Dakota during the search which led to my election in 2004. This conversation, however, was cut short because it was understood by some that the national canons would not allow such an arrangement. Given the recent election and consents for the bishop-elect of the Diocese of Western Kansas, a diocese numerically similar to ours in size, the Bishop/Rector model has been given the blessing of The Episcopal Church.

What I am proposing is consideration of the following:

• The bishop serves on a 1/3-time basis for the Diocese as the episcopal minister and a 2/3-time basis as rector/dean of the Cathedral.

Serving with the bishop as part of a pastoral staff would be:

• a full-time Administrator, serving both the Diocese and the Cathedral;
• a full-time Secretary, serving both the Diocese and the Cathedral;
• a 1/4-time Minister or two 1/8-time Ministers for Pastoral Care serving the Cathedral;
• 1.875 (FTE) Ministers serving the Diocese as the Bishop’s Diocesan Ministry Team (the three current Canon Missioners and the Bishop’s Executive Assistant).

If there is a will to move in this direction there is a way. The current budgets of both the Cathedral and the Diocese would allow for such adaptation. Therefore, to further this discernment, I will be presenting to the Chapter revised cathedral budget recommendations at its February meeting and revised diocesan budget recommendations to the Diocesan Council at its March meeting. Obviously, both bodies must agree if such a model is to become a reality.

Your prayerful consideration is requested. Realizing that there will be many questions, I invite you and others beyond the Chapter and Diocesan Council to post comments and/or questions here in hopes of engaging in an online discussion. (If you have difficulty posting, contact me at bpnodak@aol.com and I’ll post for you.)

May God bless you, my sisters and brothers, as we seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance for our life together. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

2010 Bishop's Address to Diocesan Convention

2010-11-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

Bishop’s Address
To the Fortieth Annual Convention
of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota
October 30, 2010

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

We have heard Jesus say: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). Indeed one of our needs in this Diocese is to recruit fellow laborers to work with us in the plentiful harvest fields of North Dakota. Jesus says in another place: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matt. 18:20). You see it doesn’t take very many laborers to make a difference. For the quality of the worker, not the quantity, is the issue.

Asset-Based Community Development

A number of us have been involved in training sponsored by the national church known as Asset-Based Community Development or ABCD. One of my takeaways from these trainings has been its focus on “opinion vs. motivation to act.” All of us have many opinions about a number of things, but not all these opinions are equal. Some of them are passions that actually motivate individuals to act rather than merely talk about an issue. ABCD asks the question: Is that only an opinion or is it a passion on which you are willing to act? Two or three people with passion, ABCD teaches, are enough to make a difference. In biblical language two or three disciples or two or three laborers are enough to make a difference in the worlds in which we find ourselves.

I have seen this principle in action recently. Brock and LuAnn Baker are a young married couple with a new baby at the Cathedral. They have a passion for the needs of the people of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe Nation where Brock has roots. One Sunday, at announcement time, they shared with the congregation their idea for a Thanksgiving project at St. Sylvan’s Church in Dunseith. Some in the congregation were obviously inspired by their passion. Within a few weeks they had raised $1,500 and gathered 10 adult volunteers to work with them on this project. Two or three disciples with a passion can make a difference.

Fresh Expressions

I hope you were able to participate in the Fresh Expressions workshops yesterday led by Professor Philip Harrold. He reminded us of five values of a mission-shaped church: A missionary church is focused on the Trinity, incarnational, transformational, disciple-making and relational. Although the culture in England is further down the road of secularism and institutional church decline, the Fresh Expressions of church movement there has been encouraging us to make changes now while we can. It only takes two or three disciples with a passion to make a difference.

Young Adults

Last weekend at Richardton, Julie Helgaas of Grace Church in Jamestown and the Cathedral in Fargo, shared with those lay leaders and clergy gathered, some of her learnings from the recent Episcopal Network for Stewardship conference. Julie has a passion for what she learned about those under the age of 35 and their views of and relationships with money. She reported that researchers are discovering that young adults, with some good reasons, are very suspicious of institutions, including the church, and are not likely to “pledge” payments of money as we have been accustomed in the past. They are, however, interested in ‘making the world a better place’ and will invest their money in projects they see as such. These young adults don’t carry much cash, it seems, and prefer to contribute using their credit cards. Accordingly, Julie is working to make such payment options available at the Cathedral and for the Diocese.

Young adults are among those who largely identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” They are demonstrating a hunger for spirituality and for many of the traditions of the church we aging baby boomers have taken for granted and even reacted against. I think it essential for us to focus on the recruitment of disciples under the age of thirty-five as part of our “fresh expressions” of church. And if we are going to recruit them, we must be ready to teach and train them in the spiritual and corporal disciplines of the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Doctoral Studies

A priority I have seen is a need for continuing education for our clergy and lay leaders and formation for those in our local ordination processes. With those needs in mind, several years ago I began to encourage our canon missioners to work on their Doctor of Ministry degrees. The idea is for them to serve as a kind of “seminary faculty” or providers of theological education for the Diocese.

Every teacher knows that he or she is best when the teacher has energy and passion for the subject being taught. I think we have experienced that at the monasteries in Richardton, only last week, learning from John Floberg, Julie Helgaas, Zanne Ness and myself; and the one before that from Steve Sellers and Kevin Goodrich; and a good number of others before that during the deacon formation program. I, myself, have begun a Doctor of Ministry program this fall and can report that I have done valuable reading and study I would have never found the time to do unless I had a professor challenging me with deadlines. I am also learning how to facilitate and deliver online theological education via the internet. This is the wave of the future and we must not be left behind.

My hope had been that more lay ministers would join us for these educational and formational opportunities in Richardton, but this has not been the case. Therefore, I call your attention to p. 16 of the Pre-convention issue of The Sheaf and the schedule for the 2010-2011 North Dakota School for Ministry. If lay leaders will not come to Richardton, we will come to you. Among this school year’s offerings are workshops and courses in Jamestown, Grand Forks, Minot, Bismarck and Fargo. Our people deserve the best theological education available. Education is a good investment for the Diocese.

Restoration of Episcopal Priesthood

One of the things we learn from good theological education is that the church is a community that participates in and continues the reconciling work of Christ. In fact, the Book of Common Prayer teaches that the mission of the Church is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (BCP 855).

Today it will be our privilege to participate in an act of restoring the Rev. Cherian Mathew as a priest of The Episcopal Church. We have worked through the canonical processes and are ready to celebrate his restoration as he makes the Oath of Conformity with you as witnesses.

Cherian will be assigned once again as a part of the ministry team in Dickinson where St. Paul’s Independent Episcopal Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church have merged as one congregation. In this time of ecclesiastical chaos where splitting and litigation seems the order of the day, this story coming out of Dickinson is indeed good news and should be celebrated and shared.

Anglican Communion Covenant

Finally, a few words about the Anglican Communion Covenant and the resolution before us today: Resolution 3, “affirming the principles of the Anglican Communion Covenant” marks the culmination of a six year process begun in 2004 when the Windsor Report was released.

I have friends and colleagues who believe that the Anglican Communion Covenant is essentially about the exclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons from the Church. There are those who assert that women would never have been ordained had a Covenant been in place during the 1970’s. Others state that the idea of a Covenant is somehow “Un-Anglican.” It will come as no surprise that I disagree with all three of these assertions.

In my view, the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant is about keeping disparate voices and conflicting theological views at the same table long enough to think and pray through issues that threaten to divide us permanently. Those on both extremes, the Left and the Right, are already moving in their own directions, splitting from one another, confident that their causes are just and the will of God. Those who support the Covenant tend to be the moderate Liberals and moderate Conservatives who don’t claim to know all the answers, but are convinced we need opposing views to discern the whole truth. This “diverse center” of the church is comprised of those who are willing to wait on one another as together we discern the mind of Christ.

To my friends who say this is about excluding gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons I say I have never heard anyone in the Diocese of North Dakota argue that anyone should not be welcome in our churches. To the contrary, everyone must be welcomed with open arms. The essential theological question about which there has been almost no discussion is not “inclusion,” but rather “Christian marriage.” We need divergent views and voices at the same table in order to help one another understand this matter more clearly. This is what the Anglican Covenant seeks to commend.

To my colleagues who assert that women would not be ordained today had there been a Covenant in the 1970’s, I refer you to the Windsor Report where the controversies around this matter are cited as an example of the healthy functioning of the Anglican Instruments of Communion. In the end, without splitting apart, the provinces of the Communion agreed that this was an area where we could “agree to disagree” and a period of reception of this new practice began.

To those who say the idea of a Covenant is “Un-Anglican,” I say that every living organism must adapt or perish. To say “we’ve never done it that way before” is to ignore the signs of the times. No, we are being invited through this proposed Covenant to become part of a new and invigorated Anglicanism and called to participate in global mission with the third largest group of the world’s Christians.

An important part of a bishop’s ministry is to “guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church” and with my fellow bishops to “share in the leadership of the Church throughout the world” (BCP 517.) I have worked diligently the past six years on local, national and international fronts, laboring to keep Conservatives in the Episcopal Church and working to keep Liberals in the Anglican Communion. Today I ask you to stand with me in this endeavor by urging the General Convention to adopt the Anglican Communion Covenant for The Episcopal Church.

House of Bishops Presentation

2010-09-20T15:15:00.001-07:00

I one time heard a comedian speaking about Canada, but his words apply equally to North Dakota: North Dakota is kind of like your attic. You forget it’s up there, but every once in a while you stick your head in, look around and say, “Hey, there’s some really cool stuff up here.”

The Great Commission of Matthew 28 is crucial for our context. However, rather than North Dakota going to the nations to make disciples, the nations have come to us.

We begin with the First Nations of the land. There we have six congregations on four reservations serving the Arikara, Dakota/Lakota and Ojibwe peoples.

Then, in the late 1800’s immigrant populations from Russia, Germany and Scandanavia, especially from Norway, descended upon us and are still with us today.

We built churches in anticipation of their arrival, especially for the Lutherans who we expected would become Episcopalians, but to our dismay brought their pastors with them. (As a result we have contributed a number of quaint stone churches for service as county museums throughout the state.)

And in almost every small town in North Dakota are one Roman Catholic church and several brands of Lutherans. (I have toyed with the idea of a church growth campaign with the motto: “When Lutherans marry Roman Catholics they are really Episcopalians,” but ecumenical sensitivity inhibits me.)

More recently, tribes from the Sudan have joined us. One of our largest churches is a Sudanese congregation which has three services on Sunday: one in English, one in Dinka, and one in Arabic.

Demographically, North Dakota is a very white state with over 90% of the population comprised of European Americans. In contrast, however, the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota is much more racially diverse, as evidenced by the fact the over one-quarter of our clergy are people of color, including Native, African and Sudanese Americans. This provides us with inroads into those communities that other denominations simply do not have. (We also enjoy an almost even 50/50 split between male and female clergy.)

We are being called, I believe, to grow in our own sense of discipleship as we reach out to these nations-in-our-midst with the invitation to join us as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ following the Anglican Way.

The 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles recounts the beginning of the severe persecution of the church, resulting in the scattering of the disciples throughout Judea and Samaria. I’m sure that’s not what the apostles had in mind when Jesus told them earlier that they would be his “witnesses in Judea, Samaria and even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1). But there you have it. The Christian Gospel was spread through traumatic circumstances.

On my better days, I am able to view the financial crisis we are all facing and the very difficult decisions we are forced to make in a similar fashion. Just maybe God is using these circumstances to push us to a place we might not have been able to go on our own strength of will and motivation.

We are very much aware of the cultural shift occurring in our time as reminded, for example, by Phyllis Tickle in her book, The Great Emergence. We have been inspired by the Fresh Expressions movement in England and are beginning to realize that people will not automatically come to us, but that we will have to go to them.

This reality requires more from our people than we’ve ever asked before. This requires that our people be willing to be transformed from mere church members to actual disciples of Jesus Christ.

I think God is willing to do the transforming, but are we willing to be changed becomes the question. In the Gospel of Luke (chapter 10), Jesus himself notes that while “the harvest is plenty, laborers are few.”

Finally, in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus tells his followers that they will “receive power” when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. In the words of our Pentecostal brothers and sisters, we in North Dakota need a “Holy Ghost anointing.”

In my opinion, only by the Holy Spirit’s power and our willingness to be used by that same Spirit, will we be able to join in God’s mission of reconciliation -- a mission that causes us to serve the poor, to work for peace and justice, and to introduce wandering people to a life-giving, life-saving relationship with God in Jesus Christ, not only in North Dakota but to the very ends of the earth.

Faith Alive

2010-06-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:

The Canon for Evangelism of the Diocese of Dallas, Carrie Boren, has recommended a Faith Alive weekend for congregations in North Dakota. Visit their website and notify Canon Kevin Goodrich OP at canongoodrich@aol.com if you are interested in hosting one of these weekends at your church.

+Michael

Guatemala Medical Mission

2010-06-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Diocesan Medical and Dental Mission Team left today, June 27, for Guatemala. Your prayers are requested for this 35-member team of physicians, nurse practitioners, med students, pharmacists, nurses, dieticians, dental assistants, helpers, linguists and clergy as they serve the people of San Marcos Parish in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala. They are scheduled to return to Fargo on Wednesday, July 7.

+Michael

Collect for the Diocesan Medical Mission Team in Guatemala:

O GOD of all the nations of the earth: Watch over the medical mission team from the Diocese of North Dakota who are following your call to care and serve those in need in Guatemala. Protect them in their travels, guide them in their efforts to heal and help them to see the face of Christ in all whom they encounter. Increase an awareness of your love and grace in all the people this mission serves and bless, we pray, the mission team’s family members who remain at home. We ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Stewardship Conference Invitation

2010-06-21T08:45:00.001-07:00

June 21, 2010

Dear Friends:

I’m looking for a person to attend the annual Episcopal Stewardship Conference July 29-31, 2010 in Indianapolis. These conferences come highly recommended by Donna Pettit who says participants gain much practical knowledge about financial stewardship for congregations.

The Diocese will pay the way for a participant. The fruit of the trip will obviously be enjoyed by his/her congregation. In addition, in return I’ll ask this person to share stewardship ideas with clergy and lay leaders at two gatherings, our Clergy and Ministers conferences, in Richardton. Anyone interested?

+Michael

Niobrara Convocation 2010

2010-06-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Eleven North Dakotans attended the 138th Niobrara Convocation on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation in South Dakota: Johanna Goodhouse, Carmine Goodhouse, Scarlett Goodhouse, Innocent Mauai, Dakotah Mauai, Angela Goodhouse-Mauai, Rosa Wilson, Wilma Patterson, John Floberg, Brandon Mauai and Michael Smith

Sheaf Letter April - June 2010

2010-06-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2010

Dear Friends:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Evangelism is one of the most important tasks of the Church given to us by Jesus himself when he said, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). In the Baptismal Covenant we promise to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ” (BCP 305). The Episcopal Church, according to its General Convention, understands evangelism to be “the presentation of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in such ways that people may be led to believe in him as Savior and follow him as Lord within the fellowship of the church” (GC 1973). Therefore, evangelism is the personal privilege and responsibility of every Episcopalian.

Evangelism & Church Planting Grants

In March of 2010, the Diocesan Council approved the use of certain funds for the purpose of encouraging Evangelism and Church Planting. While we do not have the resources needed to plant churches in the traditional sense of constructing buildings or hiring staff, alternative models of church planting are possible for every congregation.

In England, for example, where the institutional church is even further down the road of decline than in the U.S., a “Fresh Expressions of Church” movement has begun to spring forth. Of this movement Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes:

Fresh Expressions originated in the Church of England as a term for new and creative forms of Christian community. The term more often heard in North America is emergent or emerging church. …Fresh Expressions and emergent church are the latest iteration in an ancient and essential tradition, ways of telling the old, old story for the people of today. …The generations born since the Second World War have increasingly been reared without any real knowledge of the great figures and foundational narratives of the Bible. Communicators of the faith today can no longer rely on general cultural knowledge of Christianity, and must instead introduce the faith in ways that do not expect any familiarity (from the Foreword of “Ancient Faith, Future Mission,” 2010).

The following are some examples of possible “Fresh Expressions” of church:

• A congregation starts an alternative worship experience to reach a group of people not currently being reached. The classic example of this model is the congregation that starts a contemporary worship service to reach younger families.

• A congregation or group of congregations selects a small rural town that currently has no church or no mainline denomination church, and a new fresh expression of church is planted. For example, this group might meet in the local café on a weeknight once a month versus Sunday mornings.

• A congregation or group of congregations could invite a diocesan team to conduct a mission in their city or town. This would involve special events, activities for the community, and of course a special service where individuals would be invited to hear an evangelistic message.

• A congregation could start an Alpha, Christianity Explored, or other Introduction to Christianity courses for individuals in their community.

• A congregation could undertake a door to door visitation program and receive a grant to cover expenses for tracts, literature, and other materials to be handed out.

• A congregation might begin a new program or activity out in the community that connects dechurched and unchurched persons with their congregation. This could be a program for children (after school program) or for adults (open mic night).

• A congregation could host an agnostic anonymous course and use funds from a grant to send a mass mailing invitation to their community.

• A congregation could begin a new social ministry to a segment of their local community with the intention of developing a fresh expression of church. Examples, would be starting a soup kitchen and developing a new form of church out of that or starting a music time at a nursing home or prison and then developing a new form of church out of that.

• A congregation could begin a servant evangelism ministry (which involves doing intentional acts of kindness out in your local community in the name of Christ) and the grant funds could be used to purchase the materials necessary for this ministry. One example of a servant evangelism outreach is going around and giving free pop or cold water away with invitation cards to church on each can.

There are just some examples. Use your imagination, be creative, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in thinking about potential evangelistic or church planting projects.

The “Evangelism and Church Planting Grant Application” is available online at the diocesan website under “documents.” July 1 is the deadline for this year’s grant applications.

Anglican Communion Covenant

The Archbishop of Canterbury has issed a Pastoral Letter to the Anglican Communion . In response, the Presiding Bishop has written a Pastoral Letter to The Episcopal Church . Both are worth the read. In an article entitled “Rowan Williams and Katharine Jefferts Schori: Anglican Smack-Down,” Diana Butler Bass, church historian and popular author, writes on her blog: “The argument isn't really about gay and lesbian people nor is it about, as some people claim, the Bible or orthodoxy. Rather, the argument reprises the oldest conflict within Anglicanism--What kind of Anglicans are we to be?”

In other words, is the Episcopal Church an independent national/regional church or is it part of an interdependent communion of churches? Do we discern the mind of Christ on controversial matters alone or as part of a global fellowship? Do we listen for God’s truth in the Scriptures in isolation from others or as part of the world’s third largest body of Christians? The answer to these questions by the Episcopal Church will be provided in the adoption or rejection of the Anglican Communion Covenant by the General Convention.

Our own Diocesan Convention will be asked to “affirm the principles” of the Anglican Communion Covenant this October. My own position on this matter is well known. In this issue of The Sheaf are included two other opinions, one pro and one con, about the proposed resolution.

May this summer season be one of refreshment and rejuvenation for you. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Sheaf Letter January-March 2010

2010-06-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

February 24, 2010

Dear Friends:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

It was reported to the most recent meeting of the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church that North Dakota showed the largest percentage increase in average Sunday attendance (ASA) of all 100 domestic dioceses in the United States. Our ASA grew by a rate of 6.1%, while the dioceses of the United States overall declined by a rate of 3.1%, according to the 2008 Parochial Reports.

Kurt Hadaway, the church’s program officer for congregational research, stated that congregations are able to grow when they have among other things, “a clear mission and purpose; follow up with visitors; strong leadership; and are involved in outreach and evangelism” http://episcopalchurch.org/79901_119609_ENG_HTM.htm.

How’s your congregation doing?

Seven of our congregations have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate in an online survey of members of their churches called the Church Assessment Tool or CAT. Five of the seven have gone a step further by requesting a “Vital Signs Report” giving leaders a read-out on the health of their congregation. Among other things, the Report compares a congregation with other congregations of similar size in the areas of hospitality, morale, conflict, governance, spiritual vitality, education, readiness for ministry and worship.

A pattern which seems to be emerging in these reports for the Diocese as a whole is that while we are generally doing very well in most of the areas, we seem to be lagging behind in the area of “Spiritual Vitality.” This is of concern to me and needs some attention.

Russ Crabtree, consultant with CAT, reminds us that: “The Spiritual Vitality Index measures the degree to which members believe that their faith is central to their lives rather than peripheral or episodic.” Spiritual Vitality also “relates strongly to the percent of household income that members give to the church. This would seem to confirm what Jesus said: ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’”

The Diocese as Mission Agency

I’ve been doing some study on the topic of “Missional Church.” Two books I’m currently reading are: Introducing the Missional Church: What it is, Why it matters, How to become one” by Alan Roxburgh and Scott Boren, and The Missional Church & Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity by Craig Van Gelder. If you’re interested, I invite you to visit http://www.roxburghmissionalnet.com/ and search for the article “Reinventing the Judicatory in an Unthinkable World.” One of the concepts gleaned from all this is that of the Diocese as a “Mission Agency.”

Several months ago, thanks to St. Luke’s, Fort Yates longstanding mission partnership with Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, Pennsylvania, I was afforded the opportunity to meet the Chairman of the Board of the South America Missionary Society (http://www.samsusa.org/), Rich Englander. In the course of our conversation and my questions about how a diocese might recruit, train and deploy domestic missionaries in the way the South America Missionary Society has done the same for foreign missionaries, I was invited to the next Board meeting of SAMS to learn and observe. As a result I will be attending the New Wineskins Global Missions Conference to be held in North Carolina in April. I look forward to sharing my experiences and what I learn there.

Anglican Communion Covenant

The final version of the Anglican Communion Covenant has been released to the provinces of the Anglican Communion by the Anglican Consultative Council for consideration of adoption by the various churches. The Final Text, as well as an outline of its evolution and other background materials, can be found at http://www.anglicancommunion.org/commission/covenant/index.cfm .

There is an old maxim that “a camel is a horse designed by committee.” In my opinion, the Final Text reads as such and in some places is unnecessarily confusing. Likely, this is because it has gone through four drafts and the writers have tried to accommodate numerous concerns and perspectives in an attempt to keep as many Anglicans on board as possible. But, sadly, not all Anglicans wish to stay on board.

Some Conservatives believe it has far too few “teeth” to be effective; some Liberals resist even the admission of a moral obligation to consult with other members of the Communion on matters that affect the whole. In my opinion, even with all the deficiencies its detractors will be quick to point out, the Anglican Communion Covenant provides the opportunity for the third largest group of Christians in the world to remain united for the purpose of global mission and witness in this new millennium.

Simply put, for me it all boils down to whether we understand and act as if The Episcopal Church is an independent, national church or whether we understand and act as if The Episcopal Church is part of an interdependent, global communion of churches. I, personally, have always assumed the latter, but have learned that even in this Diocese there are those who hold strongly to the former view.

The most recent General Convention of The Episcopal Church invited dioceses and congregations “to consider the Anglican Covenant proposed draft as a document to inform their understanding of and commitment to our common life in the Anglican Communion” (Resolution D020). In addition, I stated at our last diocesan convention that I would commend the final text of the Anglican Communion Covenant to the Diocese for study and endorsement at Diocesan Convention 2010. Therefore, I have submitted a resolution calling upon us to affirm the principles of the proposed Covenant and urging General Convention to adopt it for The Episcopal Church. That text and background are found elsewhere in this edition of The Sheaf.

I believe that I have acted responsibly and faithfully in keeping our clergy informed and knowledgeable about the various issues and drafts of the Anglican Covenant as they have come forward since 2004 through our twice yearly Clergy Conferences. I now direct the rectors and priests-in-charge to do this work in the congregations they serve, especially with lay delegates to diocesan convention.

This resolution is being released eight months before it is to be acted upon. This affords plenty of time for study, discussion and prayer on this matter. Please do not wait until October to get started.

In recognition of the diversity of opinion on this matter in the Diocese, I will invite leaders to submit essays, both for and against the resolution. These will be published in upcoming issues of The Sheaf.

May you be blessed, my sisters and brothers, during this holy season of Lent. You are in my prayers daily. Please pray for me. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Anaheim Statement

2009-08-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Anaheim Statement, General Convention, 2009

At this convention, the House of Bishops has heard repeated calls for honesty and clarity. As the conversation has proceeded within the House of Bishops, repeated attempts to modify wording which would have been preferable to the minority in the vote were respectfully heard and discussed, but in the end most of these amendments were found unacceptable to the majority in the House. Many in the majority believed the amendments would make the stated position of this House less honest about where they believe we are as The Episcopal Church.

It is apparent that a substantial majority of this Convention believes that The Episcopal Church should move forward on matters of human sexuality. We recognize this reality and understand the clarity with which the majority has expressed itself. We are grateful for those who have reached out to the minority, affirming our place in the Church.

We seek to provide the same honesty and clarity. We invite all bishops who share the following commitments to join us in this statement as we seek to find a place in the Church we continue to serve.

• We reaffirm our constituent membership in the Anglican Communion, our communion with the See of Canterbury, and our commitment to preserving these relationships.

• We reaffirm our commitment to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them (BCP 526, 538).

• We reaffirm our commitment to the three moratoria requested of us by the Instruments of Communion.

• We reaffirm our commitment to the Anglican Communion Covenant process currently underway, with the hope of working toward its implementation across the Communion once a Covenant is completed.

• We reaffirm our commitment to “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship” which is foundational to our baptismal covenant, and to be one with the apostles in “interpreting the Gospel” which is essential to our work as bishops of the Church of God.

The Rt. Rev’d James Adams, Western Kansas
The Rt. Rev’d Lloyd Allen, Honduras
The Rt. Rev’d David Alvarez, Puerto Rico
The Rt. Rev’d John Bauerschmidt, Tennessee
The Rt. Rev’d Peter Beckwith, Springfield
The Rt. Rev’d Frank Brookhart, Montana
The Rt. Rev’d Andrew Doyle, Texas
The Rt. Rev’d Philip Duncan, Central Gulf Coast
The Rt. Rev’d Dan Edwards, Nevada
The Rt. Rev’d William Frey, Rio Grande
The Rt. Rev’d Dena Harrison, Texas
The Rt. Rev’d Dorsey Henderson, Upper South Carolina
The Rt. Rev’d Julio Holguin, Dominican Republic
The Rt. Rev’d John Howe, Central Florida
The Rt. Rev’d Russell Jacobus, Fond du Lac
The Rt. Rev’d Charles Jenkins, Louisiana
The Rt. Rev’d Don Johnson, West Tennessee
The Rt. Rev’d Paul Lambert, Dallas
The Rt. Rev’d Mark Lawrence, South Carolina
The Rt. Rev’d Gary Lillibridge, West Texas
The Rt. Rev’d Edward Little, Northern Indiana
The Rt. Rev’d William Love, Albany
The Rt. Rev’d Bruce MacPherson, Western Louisiana
The Rt. Rev’d Alfredo Morante, Litoral Ecuador
The Rt. Rev’d Henry Parsley, Alabama
The Rt. Rev’d David Reed, West Texas
The Rt. Rev’d Sylvestre Romero, El Camino Real
The Rt. Rev’d Jeffrey Rowthorn, Europe
The Rt. Rev’d William Skilton, Dominican Republic
The Rt. Rev’d John Sloan, Alabama
The Rt. Rev’d Dabney Smith, Southwest Florida
The Rt. Rev’d Michael Smith, North Dakota
The Rt. Rev’d James Stanton, Dallas
The Rt. Rev’d Pierre Whalon, Europe
The Rt. Rev’d, Don Wimberly, Texas

Transitioning Towards Two-Track Anglicanism:

2009-08-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

The Bishop of North Dakota’s Reflections on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention

The General Convention of The Episcopal Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury are moving in different directions. How’s that for the understatement of the year?

Case in point: General Convention 2009 Resolution D025 which can be found at http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=986&type=Final states that some “same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships” include individuals who have been called by God in the past and may be called by God in the future “to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church.”

In contrast, Archbishop Rowan Williams, in his recently released reflections on General Convention 2009, “Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future” which can be found at http://anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2009/7/28/ACNS4641 states:

[A] blessing for a same-sex union cannot have the authority of the Church Catholic, or even of the Communion as a whole. And if this is the case, a person living in such a union is in the same case as a heterosexual person living in a sexual relationship outside the marriage bond; whatever the human respect and pastoral sensitivity such persons must be given, their chosen lifestyle is not one that the Church's teaching sanctions, and thus it is hard to see how they can act in the necessarily representative role that the ordained ministry, especially the episcopate, requires (§ 8).

This all sounds familiar. In fact the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2009 reflection reminds me a great deal of his 2006 reflection: The Challenge and Hope of Being an Anglican Today. In the 2006 essay many of the same themes are sounded, including the possibility of a two-track ecclesial arrangement of “constituent” and “associated” churches in Anglicanism.

Indeed the Anglican Communion Covenant process appears to be headed towards an outcome where some churches will be “constituent” members of an interdependent communion of churches and others will become “associate” members of an independent federation of churches. In this way, in the Archbishop’s words, “both 'tracks' should be able to pursue what they believe God is calling them to be as Church, with greater integrity and consistency” (§ 24).

Where does this leave those of us who have been resolute in our commitment to remain both as dioceses, clergy and people of The Episcopal Chuch, and covenanted members of the global Anglican Communion as well? This includes, but is not limited to, those identified as “Communion Partners.”

The Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church are clear. In the Preamble, we claim for ourselves constituent membership in the “Anglican Communion, a Fellowship within the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, of those duly constituted Dioceses, Provinces, and regional Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury…” (emphasis added). What happens if we are no longer in communion with the See of Canterbury? By our own definition we would cease to be part of the Anglican Communion.

It has become clear to me in discussions with Episcopalians inside and outside the Diocese that not everyone has the same appreciation or understanding of the importance of remaining “in communion with the See of Canterbury.” (A woman at coffee hour one Sunday remarked: “We always thought Anglicans were nice people, but we never thought of ourselves as Anglicans.”) I, on the other hand, have always used the terms “Episcopal” and “Anglican” synonymously. In fact, I was able to join The Episcopal Church precisely because it is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, thereby demonstrating its catholicity as a church of the redeemed “from every family, language, people, and nation…” (Revelation 5:9), and not existing in isolation as a small protestant denomination in the United States. This precious fellowship with the Archbishop of Canterbury and, through him and the bishops in fellowship with him, with millions of saints around the globe is essential to my understanding of what it means to be part of the Church catholic. It is this gift of “communion” that the Anglican Communion Covenant seeks to preserve and foster.

My recent experiences at Anaheim, however, do not leave me hopeful that General Convention 2012 will be a Covenant-friendly gathering. Depending on the wording of the final draft of the Anglican Communion Covenant which is scheduled to be released later this year, it might be the case that the House of Bishops would adopt the Anglican Covenant. However, I predict the concurrence of the House of Deputies to be highly unlikely given the high value the American spirit places on independence in global matters, whether civil or ecclesiastical. Therefore, the Covenant would not be adopted for the entire national church.

But Resolution D025 also acknowledges that “members of The Episcopal Church as of the Anglican Communion, based on careful study of the Holy Scriptures, and in light of tradition and reason, are not of one mind, and Christians of good conscience disagree about some of these matters” (emphasis added). Let’s work with this. I wonder if there is a way forward that honors the consciences of all, one that would allow some in The Episcopal Church to travel on the track of a covenanted, interdependent Communion and others the opportunity to seek to serve God on a more federated, independent track.

For example, the use of the word “church” is imprecise in the Ridley Cambridge draft of the Anglican Communion Covenant which can be found at http://anglicancommunion.org/commission/covenant/ridley_cambridge/intro_text.cfm. (Please remember that Sections 1-3 have already been approved by the Anglican Consultative Council for adoption by churches. Only Section 4 has been held back for further work.) When the Covenant states “Each Church affirms” or “Each Church commits itself,” the meaning of “church” is unclear. Is the Covenant referring to “church” as a province or a diocese or a congregation? What is to prevent a diocese or congregation from adopting the Covenant and thereby remaining a constituent member of Anglicanism in communion with the See of Canterbury? It might look something like this:

A diocesan convention could adopt the Covenant. That diocese’s bishop would then be recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury as “in communion” with him.

A congregation in a non-Covenant diocese could adopt the Covenant and request of the diocesan bishop an “Episcopal Visitor” from among those bishops recognized by the Archbishop as being “in communion” with the See of Canterbury.

An individual in a non-Covenant congregation in a non-Covenant diocese could simply have his or her “letter” moved to or baptism recorded in a Covenanted-congregation.

Or, perhaps the Communion Partners initiative could become a “Mission Society” or a “Christian Community” as described in Canon III.14.2(a) as “a society of Christians (in Communion with the See of Canterbury)…”

Admittedly, in order for such scenarios to succeed would require the good will and even encouragement from the “federated” majority towards the “covenanted” minority in The Episcopal Church. However, failure to pursue such opportunities will most certainly result in more individuals, congregations and dioceses leaving The Episcopal Church. There are a number of Episcopalians, myself included, for whom the desire and intent to “Remain Anglican” is foundational to our understanding of what it means to be “Episcopalian.”

The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith
Episcopal Bishop of North Dakota
August 2, 2009

Sheaf Letter July - August 2009

2009-08-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2009

Dear Friends:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

The 76th General Convention has come and gone. The four clerical and four lay deputies, Liz Overbo who was part of the official Youth Presence, and I have much to unpack, both literally and figuratively, on our return to North Dakota from Anaheim, California.

The Presiding Bishop began this year’s General Convention with challenging words about crisis: “The word crisis has its origins in the Greek krinein, meaning to judge, separate, or distinguish. A crisis is time for decision-making, and a response cannot be avoided….General Convention is always a time of critical decision-making….Underlying all of [the] debates will be the reality that we do not have the same kind of financial resources to address them that we had three years ago…” As it turned out, the budget, along with the continuing controversies about how to appropriately minister to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender persons were the top stories of the eleven day event.

The budget for the national church was reduced by 14%. The Convention made, in my opinion, noble decisions to cut structure (about 30 of 180 staff positions were eliminated at the Episcopal Church Center) and to fund service to the poor, both at home and abroad (0.7 percent of income is still dedicated to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and a corresponding percentage for domestic-poverty initiatives). The Presiding Bishop expects that mission work will continue or begin to take place at diocesan or congregational levels, rather than nationally.

The grant to the Diocese of North Dakota for ministry with Native Americans was held at the same level as last triennium. For this we are most grateful. We will be facing our own crisis in the Diocese of North Dakota, however, as we build a budget for 2010 that must also include cuts due to reduced financial resources.

Turning now to the other attention getters, Resolution D025 can be found at http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=986&type=Final. It concerns partnered lesbians and gays in committed relationships and ordained ministry. It passed soundly in both houses. I voted no; our clergy deputies voted no (1-3); our lay deputies voted no (1-3).

Resolution C056 can be found at http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=898&type=Final. It concerns blessing of same sex unions and gay marriage. It also passed convincingly in both houses. I voted no; our clergy deputies voted no (1-3); our lay deputies voted yes (3-1).

There is disagreement about whether or not these two resolutions are negative responses to two of the three moratoria requested by the Instruments of Communion (a moratorium on bishops in committed same sex relationships and a moratorium on the authorization of public rites for blessing of same sex unions). I invite you to read them and make your own call. In my judgment, however, they were clearly repudiations of the requested moratoria. Therefore, I signed a minority report with now 34 other bishops called the “Anaheim Statement.” It can be found at http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/17/dissenting-bishops-issue-anaheim-statement.

Thank you for your prayers. We will clearly need more of them as we discern our paths in the future. One thing commonly understood at this past General Convention is that “business as usual” is far from the order of the day in our dioceses, in the national church or in the global communion. After my Anaheim experience, I have entered a time of seeking God’s will and direction for myself personally and for the Diocese of North Dakota. What is God calling us to do given the reality of our local circumstances? Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Sheaf Letter March - April 2009

2009-08-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2009

Dear Friends:

Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Flood Recovery

What a springtime it has been for many of us in the Diocese of North Dakota! Sandbagging, building dikes, moving furniture, evacuating, pumping water from basements, feeding hungry volunteers, offering shelter and hospitality, road closures and detours, cancellations … and now it is time to clean up.

We have been in contact with Episcopal Relief & Development. The Rev. Pat Genereux, coordinator of the Office of Disaster Recovery of the Diocese of Iowa, is planning a visit the first week of May to conduct a tour and to help organize our recovery efforts. I have asked Canon John Floberg to work with Father Genereux in organizing and publicizing a diocesan meeting to be held at Grace Church, Jamestown on Thursday, May 7 at 3:00 p.m. Jamestown seems to be the geographic center of those areas affected by the floods. More details will be forthcoming.

Anglican Covenant

The third draft of an Anglican Communion Covenant has been released. It can be found at http://www.aco.org/commission/covenant/docs/ridley_cambridge_draft_090402.pdf. . I encourage all our diocesan convention delegates to read it. This draft will be submitted to the Anglican Consultative Council in May. They may revise it themselves or send it back to the Design Group for revision or commend it to the churches of the Anglican Communion for adoption. Stay tuned.

Diocesan Council

At the Diocesan Council meeting last month I shared the proposal I mentioned in the last issue of the Sheaf of the possibility of a future ¼ time bishop ¾ time rector or canon missioner. The general consensus was that a ¾ time rector would give one congregation too much of the bishop’s attention. There was, however, an openness to explore further the possibility of a bishop/canon missioner position.

After a discussion of the seriousness of the economic downturn and its immediate effect on the 2010 diocesan budget, I asked the Council’s advice on the number of deputies to be sent to General Convention in the future. The Council decided to direct the Finance Committee to budget for 2 lay deputies, 2 clergy deputies and 1 bishop for the General Convention to be held in 2012.

Communion Partners Fellowship

As you may know, I am associated with a group of bishops and rectors in the Episcopal Church known as the “Communion Partners.” We are an outgrowth of the Presiding Bishop’s episcopal visitor initiative and endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Lambeth Conference. We stand in a unique place in the Episcopal Church and Anglicanism. We stand resolutely in the middle place of reconciliation, refusing to leave either the Episcopal Church or the worldwide Anglican Communion. As a consequence, we take hits both from the right and the left, depending on whose toes we’re stepping at a particular moment.

Last week a document was released entitled Bishops’ Statement on the Polity of the Episcopal Church. It can be accessed at http://www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com/?p=391. I am listed as one of the signatories and I encourage you to read it for yourself rather than relying on what bloggers are writing about it.

No, we have not declared our independence from the General Convention. All of us reaffirmed our vows to “conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church” in the context of the statement. We are, however, asserting an historical and constitutional right for dioceses which might choose to do so to remain a constituent part of the Anglican Communion if the General Convention rejects an Anglican Covenant. This is consonant with our goal to remain both a part of the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Easter Blessings

The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which well-pleasing in his sight. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Sheaf Letter January - February 2009

2009-08-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

February 25, 2009

Dear Friends:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

The economy is on everyone’s mind these days. It takes effort not to become discouraged and even panicked with all the talk of the greatest economic difficulties since the Great Depression. Some perspective is helpful, I think. Even with this current downturn, we in this country are still materially the richest people on the face of the earth and we’re nowhere near the dire straits of our ancestors who survived the Dust Bowl era. Our forebears made it through tougher times and, by God’s grace, we shall as well.

I believe it is important for Christians to remind ourselves of one of the prayers of the Old Testament, familiar to many as one of the offertory sentences of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer: “All things come of thee, O LORD, and of thine own have we given thee” (1 Chronicle 29:14). Although our resources may be reduced, we are still called to give from that with which we’ve been entrusted for the Kingdom of God and to trust God to provide for our needs.

I am mindful of the words of Charles Fulton who visited our diocesan convention in 2005. He reminded us that there was joy and peace in learning to “live within our means” for the sake of mission. This economic downturn will also affect the “means” of the diocese, especially in the budget year 2010. Therefore, before we begin our annual budgeting process, I want us to engage in a conversation about how we might continue our re-organization for mission in light of current circumstances.

We are not alone in this quandary. Dioceses across the country are beginning to realize that something needs to change, that business as usual cannot continue. Some, such as Eau Claire and Fond du Lac in Wisconsin, are looking at merging to form one diocese. Others, such as Eastern Oregon, are calling part-time “provisional” bishops. The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast is exploring the possibility of dissolving and returning to its “parent” dioceses of Alabama and Florida. In “Total Ministry” style, Northern Michigan recently discerned and elected a bishop from among its own priests to serve as the coordinator of an Episcopal Ministry Support Team. My forays into Louisiana as a quarter-time assisting bishop have been another kind of response.

We set a goal a few years back to reduce the draw on our investment income from 8.5% to 5%, the recommended industry average. Our current budget draws 7.5%. To achieve the goal of 5% would result in a cut in budget income of $82,700. This seems impossible -- unless something drastic or creative were to take place.

Therefore, I want us to begin to discuss the possibility of a bishop who works ¼ time for the diocese and ¾ time as a rector or canon missioner. The savings would be great enough to allow us to reach our goal of reducing investment draw to 5%. I know that we are used to an annual visit from the bishop, but the canons only require the bishop to visit each congregation once every three years. Confirmations could be celebrated on a regional basis.

How to get from here to there I’m not sure, but it is important for us to be on the same page as opportunities present themselves. I intend to begin this discussion formally at the March Diocesan Council meeting. Please share your thoughts on this proposal or alternative ideas with members of the Council.

New Diocesan/Cathedral Office Staff

The new Diocesan/Cathedral Office Staff announced in November is now fully in place. In addition to my Executive Assistant, Fr. Jamie Parsley, and our Finance Officer, Leisha Woltjer, we welcome Brandi Deutch as the new Cathedral Office Manager. Although, for budgeting purposes, the line is clearly drawn between the cathedral Office Manager and the diocesan Finance Manager, it is our intent in practice that these two work together with the Executive Assistant and volunteers as a team to meet the administrative needs of both organizations in an effective manner.

The Dean and I are most grateful to John Baird, Sandy Holbrook, Brett Shewy, Dave Anderson and Beth Lipp who served as our “Task Force on Office Reorganization.” We are hopeful that they will continue to serve as our joint Personnel Committee.

Fourth Deputy Fund Update

At the last Diocesan Convention a decision was made to send either one or both of our fourth deputies to General Convention, “provided funds are procured beyond the diocesan budget.” To enable this I established a “Fourth Deputy Fund” at the diocesan office. Since then, only four individuals and one congregation, St. Thomas of Fort Totten, have made financial and in-kind donations. In addition, expenses for the Anaheim Convention are proving to be higher than expected, resulting in $4,150 shortfall towards the goal of sending both Donna Pettit and Deacon Terry Star. Proceeds from fundraisers and checks may be made payable to the Diocese of North Dakota noting either “Lay Fourth Deputy” or “Clergy Fourth Deputy.” Undesignated contributions will be divided equally.

May the holy season of Lent be a time of refreshment and renewal, leading to a blessed Easter. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Sheaf Letter November-December 2008

2008-12-05T15:24:00.001-08:00

November 29, 2008

Dear Friends:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

End of an era

The new year of 2009 will mark the end of an era for the diocesan office. At the recent Diocesan Convention we said goodbye to Business Manager Bonnie Bernardy and thanked her for 17 years of service. Since then a very difficult decision has been made to eliminate the position of “Secretary to the Bishop” and we now say goodbye to Robin Kjos and thank her for 30 years of service to the Diocese of North Dakota.

Some background: One of the recommendations of the 2006 Task Force on Reorganization for Mission was to “reduce diocesan office staff to 1.0 FTE paid staff member and either contract out services not provided by the paid staff person and/or use volunteers.” The retirement of the Business Manager made this the opportune time to implement this recommendation and the 2009 budget adopted at Convention reflects a reduction in diocesan staffing.

Since last summer, Dean Steve Sellers and I have been exploring ways in which the diocesan and cathedral office staffs might work together more efficiently and effectively. This fall we called upon Diocesan Treasurer John Baird, Diocesan Convention Secretary Sandy Holbrook, Cathedral Treasurer Brett Shewey, Cathedral Senior Warden Dave Anderson and Deacon Beth Lipp to join us as a “Task Force on Office Reorganization.”

After reviewing current position descriptions, consulting personnel professionals and auditors outside our system, this group began drafting new position descriptions including necessary qualifications and appropriate pay scales. During this process it became painfully clear that if the diocesan budget could only support one full-time paid position, it had to be a financial officer. That determination meant the elimination of the position of “Secretary to the Bishop.”

This decision was not made lightly but with the deep sadness of realizing what this change means not only for the Diocese, but for Robin personally. We have made every effort to provide a just severance package for Robin. Please keep Robin and her family in your prayers.

New Staffing Appointments

Although the steps of transition to a new office staff will be taken incrementally, by the end of February 2009, we can expect to see Leisha Woltjer, the current Cathedral Coordinator, as the diocesan Finance Manager. Jamie Parsley, currently the “Bishop’s Assistant for Communications” will be given added responsibilities and become my part-time “Executive Assistant.” Correspondence and questions which in the past were directed to Robin should now go to Jamie Parsley at the email address of NDEpiscopal@aol.com.

The Cathedral will begin a search for an Office Manager. Although, for budgeting purposes, the line is clearly drawn between the cathedral Office Manager and the diocesan Finance Manager, it is our intent in practice that these two work together with the Executive Assistant and volunteers as a team to meet the administrative needs of both organizations in an effective manner. For example, phone calls to both offices will be answered by one person in the future.

We also intend to make some changes in the amount of paper mailings made from the diocesan office. This is a matter of stewardship in terms of cost-savings and environmental-friendliness. You can help us in this transition by letting us know how best to serve you or what you are missing from us. For example, for years “Lay Reader” sermons have been mailed to a number of recipients. Are these being used? I have asked Jamie Parsley and Kevin Goodrich OP to find online resources for those who regularly use these sermons. Please let us know what is most helpful.

Fourth Deputy Fund

At the most recent Diocesan Convention a decision was made to refine a decision made by a previous convention. We have now decided to send either one or both of our fourth deputies to General Convention, “provided funds are procured beyond the diocesan budget.” To enable this I have established a “Fourth Deputy Fund” at the diocesan office. To date donations and pledges have been secured in the amount of $1,600, leaving us $3,200 short of being able to send both of our fourth deputies.

An additional $1,600 remains to be raised for Terry Star to be sent as the fourth clergy deputy; $1,600 remains to be raised for Donna Pettit to be sent as the fourth lay deputy. Proceeds from fundraisers and checks may be made payable to the Diocese of North Dakota noting either “Lay Fourth Deputy” or “Clergy Fourth Deputy.” Undesignated contributions will be divided equally.

Anglican Covenant

I am grateful for the Diocesan Convention’s support of the ongoing “Windsor Process” which includes the development of an Anglican Covenant. I experienced our debate as respectful and sincere in attempts to find common ground and a way forward together in the crisis besetting our church and the Anglican Communion.

One of the concerns raised during our discussion was about supporting an Anglican Covenant that was not yet in its final form. The final draft is expected to be released this spring. When the Anglican Consultative Council presents it to the churches of the Anglican Communion (possibly as early as May) we will continue our diocesan study and conversation.

Some have questioned why the Diocese of North Dakota should be concerned at all about the Anglican Covenant. Why not simply allow the “national church” to deal with this issue? My response is that the proposed Anglican Covenant is the most important development in Anglicanism since the English Reformation. Since the “basic unit” of our church is the diocese and since our polity is essentially democratic, it’s my contention that to ignore it would be irresponsible of us as a diocese and negligence on my part as a leader.

Advent and Christmas

The Church calls us during these darkest days of the year to recall our Lord’s first advent as the Servant of mercy and salvation two millennia ago and to prepare for his future advent as the Judge of humankind. By the grace of the Incarnation, in this meantime, we call upon him to come into our hearts, forgiving us and providing us the grace and will to walk with him daily. When he comes again, may he find us ready with our lamps burning brightly, fueled by our acts of goodness, compassion and justice. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

Fargo Forum interview with Bishop Smith

2008-12-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Reporter Shane Mercer of the Fargo Forum submitted to Bishop Michael Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota the following questions regarding yesterday’s (Dec. 3) announcement of the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. Below are Mercer’s questions and Smith’s responses:

Forum: Why is this group seeking to establish a new province?

Bishop Smith: The groups coming together to form a new province have been frustrated and grieved by what they see as a drifting away from the historic faith by the Episcopal Church and others in the Anglican Communion. The straw that broke the camel’s back for many of them came in 2003 when Gene Robinson, a non-celibate gay man was consecrated as bishop of New Hampshire. After attempts at reforming the institution, they have given up hope that the Episcopal Church will ever reverse its current course and see establishing another Anglican province in the U.S. as their only course of action.

Forum: Is it possible that Episcopal groups from our region will join this movement?

Bishop Smith: I would be very surprised if any groups in our region were to join this movement. Although we in the Diocese of North Dakota have strong differences of opinion about same gender blessings and other controversial matters, we are united in our resolve to remain a part of the Episcopal Church as well as remaining a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Anglicanism (of which the Episcopal Church is one of thirty-eight autonomous churches around the world) has traditionally been proud of its ability to remain together as a worshiping community despite differences in theological understandings. We’ve seen it as a gift that evangelicals and catholics and liberal protestants can all find a home in our big tent. That’s one reason this is all so painful.

Forum: How do you view this move by these individuals? Is it something they have a right to do? Is it the wrong decision for them to make?

Bishop Smith: I would never presume to judge my brothers and sisters in Christ who are making this decision. I know, love and respect a good number of them. I have every confidence that they are making a conscience-driven decision based on their commitment to Christ and to the Church.

Forum: What impact will this move have on the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.?

Bishop Smith: Only time will tell what impact this move will have on the Episcopal Church. A good number of us who desire to preserve the unity and traditional faith of the church are looking for a successful outcome in terms of the proposed Anglican Covenant. The churches of the Anglican Communion are in a tremendous period of discernment about how God is calling us to be in relationship with one another. The decisions made in the coming years are probably the most significant for Anglicanism since the English Reformation in the sixteenth century.

Bishop's Address

2008-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

To the Thirty-eighth Annual Convention
of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota
October 4, 2008

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you, my brothers and sisters.

Today as we gather for the Thirty-eighth Annual Convention of the Diocese of North Dakota, we are celebrating the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The commentary in Lesser Feasts and Fasts reminds us: “Of all the saints, Francis is the most popular and admired, but probably the least imitated.” And that is indeed unfortunate when one thinks about what kind of world this might be if more Christians were more successful in our imitation of Francis in his imitation of Christ.
The radical discipleship of Francis, his total identification with the poverty and suffering of Christ, and his willingness to completely abandon himself to God’s reign leave us looking like poor imitations of the real thing.

There is a well known statement about evangelism attributed to Francis: “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary use words.” Francis matched his words with action; he not only “talked the talk,” he “walked the walk.” His life is a testimony to the fact that when God’s grace and invitation in Jesus Christ is received, accepted and acted upon by human beings, wondrous -- sometimes miraculous -- things occur. Francis, like all great saints of the past, and like all the lesser saints of the present, was called to discern the will of God for his life. That is our call today.

Spiritual discernment leads us to ask questions such as: What is God leading us to be and to do in his Name in our own day, especially in a time of great turmoil and strife, in a time of war and economic uncertainty, in a time of church disunity and disintegration? We, like Francis, need to be attentive to God’s call to “rebuild the church” so that we may be a blessing to a hurting and troubled world. As we turn to the business of today’s convention, let me begin by offering a prayer of discernment attributed to St. Francis:

Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our minds. Give us a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity, so that we may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen.

Covenants

There are two resolutions dealing with “covenants” at this Convention, the Genesis Covenant and the Anglican Covenant. A “covenant,” as you know, is a “sacred agreement” that binds parties who adhere to them to certain actions before God.

The idea of the Genesis Covenant comes from the vision of a fellow Episcopal and Native American bishop, Steven Charleston, who currently serves as the assistant bishop of California. Bishop Charleston has called for every religious community in America to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50%. Although I am not a scientist, I do understand part of a Christian disciple’s mission as conserving “the good earth which God has given us” (BCP 384). The Creator entrusted the stewardship of creation to us through our ancestor, Adam, when he directed him to “till the garden of Eden and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

You will also recall that “Ensuring Environmental Sustainability” is one of three Millennium Development Goals chosen for diocesan focus. (The other two being “Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger” and “Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.”) Since St. Francis was declared the patron saint of ecology by the pope in 1979, I’m certain Francis will be watching our proceedings with interest.

The other covenant before us, the Anglican Covenant, emerged from the Windsor process and may well be the most important development for the churches of Anglicanism since the Reformation in England in the sixteenth century. After the recent Lambeth Conference, I am even more committed to working to preserve the Anglican Communion as God’s gift to a broken, hurting world and determined to fulfill my responsibility as a bishop to “guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church” (BCP 517).

After Lambeth, I think it fair to say that there is now a consensus at least among the diverse center of the Communion, an agreement among the moderate liberals and moderate conservatives among the churches of Anglicanism, that an Anglican Covenant is a good and necessary development in order for us to be accountable to one another and for us to more effectively and accurately discern the mind of Christ together.

It would appear that globally the only voices currently raised against an Anglican Covenant are those that can only see the current controversies in black-and-white/I’m-right-and-you’re-wrong categories and refuse to listen to what the other side is saying. It is difficult to reason with the perspectives of the far Right and the far Left in these matters. One is willing to break away; the other is willing to walk apart, so certain are they of the rightness of their causes. An Anglican Covenant will provide a forum and a vessel in which we can deal with divisive issues in a manner that honors God and enhances mission, rather than resorting to courts, depositions and litigation, and in the process squandering resources which should be used for ministry.

Despite the fact that the Anglican Covenant is still a few months from its final draft to be released in May, we do have enough information before us to make a good decision. To put it simply, either the Instruments of Communion of Anglicanism have moral authority that deserves our respect and attention or they do not. Either we are primarily an independent, national church beholden to none or we are an interdependent church belonging to a global family of churches united through the historic See of Canterbury. This essentially is what the Anglican Covenant is about. I ask you to stand with me in guarding the faith, unity and discipline of the church by passing this resolution in order that our voice may be heard at General Convention.

Now turning to other matters about which I want to share with you:

Youth Ministry

I am pleased to report the progress the Youth Committee has made in re-starting a diocesan Youth Ministry. We have found a home of sorts at Red Willow Bible Camp in Binford where youth retreats are held. I was present at both events last year and can testify to their success. This year’s fall event is only a few weeks away. Adults can support these efforts by personally inviting and accompanying youth of their congregations to these events.

Three years ago I tried in vain to recruit youth to accompany me to the national Episcopal Youth Event. This time around four high school students and two adults representing the diversity of the Diocese of North Dakota attended this past summer’s EYE in San Antonio.

These developments, along with the continued excellence of the Young Life program of Standing Rock and new youth ministry starts at Fort Totten and Dunseith, are hopeful signs that youth ministry is growing in the Diocese.

Campus Ministry

Last year I embarrassed Grace Church in Jamestown by bragging about their support for and participation in their new campus ministry outreach. This year I report to you that, just last month, I confirmed two college students and received one young adult, all of whom came to the Episcopal Church through the campus ministry of Grace Church and especially through its new contemporary worship service and meal on Sunday evenings.

The method they have been using for this campus ministry is “peer ministry.” I am eager to see this method replicated throughout the Diocese. Therefore, I am requesting that the diocesan Campus Ministry Committee meet with the Episcopal Foundation for Ministry in Higher Education to explore ways they might partner together to support campus ministry in other congregations.

Episcopal Relief & Development

The work of Episcopal Relief & Development is something about which we should be very proud. In the most recent issue of the Sheaf appeared an article reporting on the 4-star rating given ERD by Charity Navigator, the national leader in charity evaluation. Only a quarter of the charities evaluated receive this highest rating. It gives us confidence that we get the “biggest bang for our buck” in terms of the dollars we donate actually getting to the people we intend to help.

Last year the diocesan Millennium Development Goals Committee worked through ERD in bringing to us the anti-malaria Nets for Life program. I look forward to the project the MDG Committee will commend to us this year. Today’s offering will be taken for ERD, designating it for use in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ike.

Mission and Budget Matters

The Treasurer has presented a diocesan budget for your approval. There you see that I will continue to bring in income to the Diocese through our “rent-a-bishop” program. Our arrangement with the Diocese of Louisiana is secured through May 2009, when we’ll evaluate once more. It is good to remind myself and this convention that this arrangement is not simply about bringing in more money to help our budget. It is for the purpose of enabling mission. If we start cutting mission funds from our budget, I will want to revisit this decision. For now, however, so far so good.

One of the goals stemming from the 2005 Reorganization for Mission Task Force Report was to lower Our Fair Share assessments from what was perceived as an excessively high rate of 22%. Three years later we have lowered it to 20% as proposed for next year’s budget. However, it’s difficult to see how we can propose further reductions without increased giving on the congregational level. Since the biblical tithe or giving 10% of one’s income is the official standard of giving according to canons of The Episcopal Church, I look forward to a day when each congregation gives 10% to the diocese and the diocese gives 10% to the national church. If we can encourage tithing or at least proportional giving by the people in our pews, everyone benefits. I’m reminded of the preacher who proclaimed that he had good news and bad news. The good news is that there is more than enough money to fund the church’s budget and to assist in building the Kingdom of God; the bad news is that the money is still in our pockets. This is primarily a spiritual matter.

Also following a recommendation of the Reorganization for Mission Task Force is a reduction in the number of diocesan office staff. After 17 years of service, we say goodbye to Bonnie Bernardy who will be retiring at the end of this year. After Bonnie leaves, we will only be funding one full-time position for the diocesan office. In order to better prepare for this transition, the Dean and I have appointed a Task Force to make recommendations for the better utilization of diocesan and cathedral resources in terms of office reorganization. We are looking for ways to become better stewards by cutting costs and cooperating for more efficient use of our office staff.

Although I hesitate to bring up the issue of a capital campaign, especially in light of the economic scares of the past weeks, I am going to trust that things will eventually stabilize and get back on the right track. To that end we have invited consultants from the Episcopal Foundation in New York to visit with us next month about conducting capital campaigns on both congregational and diocesan levels. Although the schedule is not finalized, it looks as though we will have a meeting with those interested at Bismarck on Wednesday, Nov.12, at Fargo on Thursday, Nov. 13 and for the Diocesan Council at Devils Lake on Friday, Nov. 14.

Conclusion

In closing, let me say that it is a blessing and honor to serve as your bishop. My prayer for us is that we continue to walk together as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ and, in the words of the Prophet Micah, “doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). To Him be all honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

2008-08-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

Surprised by the Spirit:
Reasons for my hope regarding the future of the Anglican Communion in the wake of Lambeth Conference 2008

The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith
Bishop of North Dakota
August 12, 2008

Days before departing to England for the Lambeth Conference I was blessed by hearing a most inspirational sermon by Bishop Bill Frey, the retired bishop of Colorado, on the occasion of the ordination to the episcopate of the Bishop Suffragan of Dallas, Paul Lambert. Bishop Frey encouraged us to be prepared for surprises at the upcoming Lambeth Conference. I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to me through his sermon to be not anxious, to participate fully with a positive attitude, to speak the truth in love, to be prayerful, and most importantly, to get out of the way in order to let God be God. It turns out for me that Bishop Frey’s words were prophetic. I share some of my surprises below.

The Archbishop of Canterbury had been clear beforehand that no resolutions would be forthcoming and that no definitive statements would be made. My opinion was that at this time of crisis in the life of the Anglican Communion, such a stance seemed unwise if not irresponsible. I was also suspicious of the so called “Indaba” process as a means of simply stalling any meaningful response while the extreme Right and extreme Left of the Communion continued in their respective courses of action. (One of my continued frustrations in both The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is that the “diverse center” of moderate liberals and moderate conservatives never seems to be able to find its voice.)

I was wrong. It turns out that “purposeful conversation” is a very good thing indeed. The concept of Indaba provided a structure in which the pressure of needing to defend one’s position was lessened and in which every voice had an opportunity to be heard. This is in contrast to our usual experience in politically-charged parliamentary processes where the loudest, most aggressive and opinionated voices dominate. Not having to vote, allowed consensus or general agreement, even wisdom, to emerge more naturally.

In my opinion, the most important document to emerge from this Lambeth Conference was not the bishops’ “Lambeth Indaba: Capturing Conversations and Reflections from the Lambeth Conference 2008,”[1] but rather the “Concluding Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference 2008”[2] by the Archbishop of Canterbury. No one questions the theological or intellectual acumen of Archbishop Rowan D. Williams -- or for that matter the depth of his spirituality. (He was at his very best at this Conference, particularly as he led us in a 3-day retreat in Canterbury Cathedral.)

However, many on both sides have been frustrated by his seeming reluctance to take strong positions or actions as the current crises have arisen. Rowan Williams seems to be the quintessential Anglican as his writings often follow the well known formula “on the one hand X, on the other hand Y.” Rowan Williams on the final day of the Conference, in contrast, was a surprisingly different kind of leader than the one to which we’ve become accustomed. It’s my sense that he was freed and empowered to give some specific direction based on the confidence he received from the general agreement indicated on certain matters from the Indaba reflections:

“We have quite a strong degree of support for a Pastoral Forum to support minorities, a strong consensus on the need to examine how the Instruments of Communion will best work, and a recognition…that a Covenant is needed… Before the ACC meeting next year…I intend to convene a Primates’ Meeting as early as possible in 2009. I shall look within the next two months for a clear and detailed specification for the task and composition of a Pastoral Forum, and I shall ensure that the perspectives of various groups looking at the Covenant and the Windsor process, as well as the Design Group for this Conference help to shape the implementation of the agenda outlined in the Reflections document, and are fed into the special meeting in November of the Joint Standing Committee of the Primates and the ACC. We may not have put an end to all our problems – but the pieces are on the board. And in the months ahead it will be important to invite those absent from Lambeth to be involved in these next stages. Much in the GAFCON documents is consonant with much of what we have sought to say and do, and we need to look for the best ways of building bridges here.”[3]

This, in my opinion, is a leader moving forward in the confidence that the vast majority of his fellow bishops are clearly behind him. Other surprises:

The Covenant Design Group held five self-select sessions. The Windsor Continuation Group held three hearings. Attendance and interest were extremely high. Three Indaba sessions, more than any other topic, were devoted to the Windsor Process and the Anglican Covenant. There can be no doubt that the Windsor Process and the Anglican Covenant are still very much in play. (Actually, this should have come as no surprise as acceptance of invitations to the Lambeth Conference “carried with it a willingness to work with the Windsor Report and the Covenant as tools by which the future of the Communion could be shaped.”[4])

The Windsor Continuation Group recommended, in the period leading up to the establishment of a Covenant, the honoring of the three moratoria requested by the Windsor Report: ordinations of persons living in a same gender union to the episcopate; the blessing of same-sex unions; and cross-border incursions by bishops. “There is widespread support for moratoria across the communion…,” the bishops discerned, adding, “If the Windsor process is to be honoured, all three moratoria must be applied consistently.”[5]

The Windsor Continuation Group also recommended, in the period leading up to the establishment of a Covenant, “the swift formation of a ‘Pastoral Forum’ at Communion level to engage theologically and practically with situations of controversy as they arise or divisive actions that may be taken around the Communion.” After consideration, the Indaba groups indicated “clear majority support for a Pastoral Forum…and a desire to see it in place speedily.”[6] As a result, the Archbishop stated: “[I]t seems to be widely agreed in this Conference that internal pastoral and liturgical care, strengthened by arrangements like the suggested Communion Partners initiative in the USA and the proposed Pastoral Forum we have been discussing, are the way we should go if we want to avoid further ecclesial confusion.”[7] (The Communion Partners initiative is one of which I am a part. It is a plan developed by some of the episcopal visitors appointed by the Presiding Bishop and with her knowledge. We are committed to work within the Constitution and Canons of TEC, while firmly committed to remaining in communion with the See of Canterbury. Our hope is to prevent the further bleeding of conserving congregations and dioceses from TEC while the Covenant process plays out.)

On the day we discussed human sexuality, the Archbishop of Canterbury explained that the reason we were not revisiting the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I.10[8] was that it remained the commonly held teaching of the vast majority of the Anglican Communion.

Some will argue that there is nothing new here, that these are the same Windsor recommendations that have been ignored and failed to mend the “tear in the fabric” of the Anglican Communion. I disagree. What has changed is that the vast majority of the world’s Anglican bishops have indicated their willingness, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, to stand behind them. The way of healing and reconciliation is clear now. The blame and burden for making permanent the divisions we are now experiencing is squarely on the shoulders of those who choose to ignore the requested moratoria. The Archbishop admits “there will be those for whom ‘covenanted restraint’ is conscientiously hard, even impossible.”[9] One hears echoes here of his distinction between “constituent” and “associate” membership in the Anglican Communion in the 2006 essay “The Challenge and Hope of Being Anglican Today.”[10]

Admittedly, there are unanswered questions here. Will the Covenant have “teeth”? What will be the basic level of adoption of the Covenant, the province or the diocese? Will there be time for General Convention 2009 to act on it or will it need to wait for General Convention 2012? What of covenant congregations in non-covenant dioceses or covenant dioceses in non-covenant provinces or vice versa? Will those bishops crossing diocesan boundaries be willing to delegate oversight to a Pastoral Forum? Will General Convention be able to show restraint by not rescinding Resolution B033[11] or authorizing rites of blessing for same-sex unions? Obviously no one knows with certainty, but as these questions are answered it’s my sense that a renewed Anglicanism in communion with the See of Canterbury will emerge for mission in the twenty-first century. I do know that where there is a gracious will, there can be found a way forward that respects the consciences of all. I trust the Holy Spirit to surprise us once again with answers to these questions.

In conclusion, let me share some powerful memories from the Lambeth Conference. I will never forget the retreat in Canterbury Cathedral, our common mother church, where 600+ bishops spread throughout the cathedral seeking the mind of Christ in the many shrines, chapels and tombs of the Canterbury saints and martyrs, as spiritual descendents of St. Augustine and his band of twelve Benedictine monks. I will never forget the seven brothers from Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, England, Kenya and Australia with whom I shared faith in the context of daily bible study. I will never forget the powerful worship with brothers and sisters from every race, tribe and tongue. I will never forget the religious brotherhood and sisterhood of Melanesia who carried the names of their seven martyred brothers to the Chapel of Modern Saints and Martyrs while singing the Litany of Saints. I will never forget marching in the streets of London in support of the Millennium Development Goals. I have moved from an intellectual “head” knowledge and appreciation for the Anglican Communion to a “heart” knowledge and love for the Anglican Communion. I will never be the same. I think many, many of my brother and sister bishops, regardless of theological perspective, would say the same thing.

It just might be the case that God has surprised us once again by using our current divisions to strengthen us and form us into a body of Christians and a Church we might not have been otherwise. Maybe, contrary to our self-understanding, we actually have only been a federation of independent churches after all, but that God is molding and forming us into a real communion of interdependent churches to his honor and glory. Gratefully, I think we are beginning to understand that this enterprise is not about us. It has always only been about the broken, hurting world which the Father loves and desires to save, heal and restore through the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. I give thanks to God for calling us to share in his mission as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church we know as the Anglican Communion. May the One who has begun this good work among us bring it to completion![12]

[1] http://www.lambethconference.org/vault/Reflections_Document_(final).pdf

[2] http://www.lambethconference.org/vault/Presidential_Address_III.pdf

[3] Concluding Presidential Address, p. 5

[4] Indaba Reflections, p. 3

[5] Indaba Reflections, p. 38

[6] Indaba Reflections, p. 38

[7] Concluding Presidential Address, p. 3

[8] This [1998] Conference:… 2. in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man
and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;
3. recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation.
Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and
God’s transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to
listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all
baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ;
4. while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally
and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence
within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex; 5. cannot advise the legitimising or blessing
of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions;…

[9] Concluding Presidential Address, p. 3

[10] http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/640?q=churches

[11] Resolved, That the 75th General Convention receive and embrace The Windsor Report’s invitation to engage in a
process of healing and reconciliation; and be it further Resolved, That this Convention therefore call upon
Standing Committees and bishops with jurisdiction to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of
any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to
further strains on communion.

[12]Philippians 1:6

2008-08-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

August 4, 2008

Dear Friends:

I write this note as I am preparing to return home from the Lambeth Conference. This experience has been one of the most exhaustingly wonderful experiences of my life. It will take days and weeks to fully emotionally unpack and intellectually process all I have seen and heard during these days. You can be sure you will be hearing more from me about them in the months ahead. Let me begin by sharing some initial observations.

There has been released a 43-page document entitled, “Lambeth Indaba: Capturing Conversations and Reflections from the Lambeth Conference 2008.” The Indaba groups of 40 bishops were designed for “purposeful conversation.” http://www.lambethconference.org/reflections/document.cfm
At the outset the Archbishop of Canterbury had made it known, unlike Lambeth Conferences in the past, which no resolutions would be debated or definitive decisions made. Rather, this was to be a time of sharing where each participant’s voice could be heard.

Each Indaba sent a “Listener” and “Reporter” to share insights from each of the sixteen groups. The Listeners then committed to writing what they heard. A word of caution: this is not an “official” document, but rather a report of our conversations. In my opinion, some parts are well written and thought out. Others, however, read more like minutes of a brainstorming session.

Our discussions and careful listening of one another focused on topics such as Mission, Anglican Identity, Evangelism, Justice, Environmental Stewardship, Scripture, Ecumenism and Dialogue with other World Faiths. We also discussed the difficult questions around the tensions over homosexuality and the actions that have “torn the fabric” of the Anglican Communion.

I might suggest a very helpful document to read is the 5-page third and “Concluding Presidential Address” of the Archbishop of Canterbury. http://www.lambethconference.org/vault/Presidential_Address_III.pdf. Among other things, he shares his observations and plans for the way forward in order to restore the unity of the Communion.

He notes the widespread support among the bishops for the three moratoria recommended by the Windsor Report: ordinations of persons in a same gender union to the episcopate; the blessing of same-sex unions; and cross-border incursions by bishops. He also upheld Lambeth 1998 Resolution I.10 as continuing to be the accepted teaching of the vast majority of the Anglican Communion, citing this fact as the reason we did not re-visit it this time around.

Finally, it is clear that the process towards the adoption of an Anglican Covenant is well underway. The Covenant Design Group held five hearings and our Indaba groups had three sessions on “The Windsor Process and an Anglican Covenant.” A third draft will be presented to the Anglican Consultative Council in May 2009. If they sign off, it will then go to the churches of the Communion for adoption or rejection. It is unclear at this point whether there will be enough time to get it in the pipeline of next summer’s General Convention agenda or not. At any rate, the Anglican Covenant resolution before us at our Diocesan Convention this October is timely and important. Many around the globe, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, believe it to be our last chance to heal the wound of disunity the Communion is experiencing.

It is an honor to serve as your bishop. Thank you for your prayers and the opportunity to participate in the Councils of the church at an international level. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

2008-07-31T17:07:00.000-07:00

Bishop Michael Smith would like to share the following links. The first is an article with the latest Lambeth news:

http://episcopalchurch.org/79901_99622_ENG_HTM.htm

The second is an article about a forum on human sexuality with Bishops Smith, Chilton Knudsen of Maine and Jon Bruno of Los Angeles (pictured above)

http://episcopalchurch.org/79901_99615_ENG_HTM.htm

The last link to a video of the forum between Bishops Smith, Knudsen and Bruno.

http://episcopalchurch.org/89878_97371_ENG_HTM.htm

2008-07-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2008

Dear Friends:

Greetings once again from the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, England. We are moving into the latter and most crucial days of this gathering. During these final days we will be discussing the topics of the Bible in Mission, Human Sexuality, and the Anglican Covenant. Please redouble your prayers for us these days.

This evening the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered his second Presidential Address to the Conference. He shared his desire for an Anglican Covenant and demonstrated a fair and accurate understanding of the two sides of the current debate over homosexuality, both the “traditionalist” and the “innovator.”

He closed by stating and asking: “I’ve made no secret of what I think that change should be — a Covenant that recognizes the need to grow towards each other (and also recognizes that not all may choose that way). I find it hard at present to see another way forward that would avoid further disintegration. But whatever your views on this, at least ask the question: ‘Having heard the other person, the other group, as fully and fairly as I can, what generous initiative can I take to break through into a new and transformed relation of communion in Christ?’”

The “Windsor Continuation Group,” appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to address outstanding questions arising from the Windsor Report, has made several presentations and held a number of hearings. They have recommended adherence to the calls of the three moratoria of the Windsor Report: public Rites of Blessing of same sex unions, the consecration to the episcopate of those living in partnered gay relationships and cross border interventions.
In addition, they have recommended the formation of a “’Pastoral Forum’ at Communion level to engage theologically and practically with situations of controversy as they arise or divisive actions that may be taken around the Communion.” The Windsor Continuation Group also endorsed the ministry of a group with which I have been working as part of my appointment by the Presiding Bishop as an “Episcopal Visitor”: “We are encouraged by the planned setting up of the Communion Partners initiative in the Episcopal Church as a means of sustaining those who feel at odds with developments taking place in their own Province but who wish to be loyal to, and to maintain, their fellowship within TEC and within the Anglican Communion.”

You, brothers and sisters, remain in my thoughts and prayers. I am,

Yours in Christ,
+Michael

2008-07-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

July 24, 2008

Dear Friends:

These first days of the Lambeth Conference have felt much like the first week of a new semester at college. We’ve moved into the dorms, are getting used to the cafeteria, found the correct buildings and room numbers, and rediscovered old friends and in the process of making new ones. I’m told that for two-thirds of the bishops this is their first Lambeth Conference. I think what we are actually doing these first days is building community, laying the groundwork for the important work to come.

I have been able to meet the Bishop of Guatemala and visit about our annual Medical Mission there. I’ve also met a number of bishops from Sudan, some who know Father Alex Kenyi. They are very happy to hear of the ministry at St. John’s in Moorhead and especially to hear of our ordination of two Sudanese deacons.

Today we took a break from our ordinary routine and traveled to London where we participated in a march in support of the Millennium Development Goals. I was mindful of the three of the eight MDG goals we have committed ourselves to in the Diocese of North Dakota:

Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty.
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Ensure environmental sustainability.

Marching past Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and crossing the River Thames to Lambeth Palace (the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury) we heard an impassioned speech by the Prime Minister in support of the MDG’s and enjoyed a sumptuous luncheon. Afterwards it was off to Buckingham Palace for tea with the Queen in her gardens. All in all an extraordinary day!

My experience in the daily bible studies where I am getting to know and sharing faith with bishops from Australia, England, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Kenya continues to be very positive. There is beginning to be heard some grumbling from participants, however, about the so called Indaba groups (made up forty bishops from five bible study groups) about the sense of being “managed” by the process.

The more difficult topics about human sexuality and the Anglican Covenant are being put off until the last days of the Conference. Many are not happy about this as it seems to be irresponsible not to deal with the most crucial issues facing us up front. We are asked, however, to “trust the process.”

We have heard in plenary sessions excellent presentations on evangelism by author and pastor Brian McLaren and Roman Catholic Cardinal Ivan Dias. I have been reminded once again of the “Five Marks of Anglican Mission.” They are:

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
To teach, baptize and nurture new believers.
To respond to human need by loving service.
To seek to transform unjust structures of society.
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

In my opinion these “Marks” are the Gospel in its most holistic sense, combining both its “social” and “personal” dimensions. There is much here for us to gather around. May God bless you all. I am,

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

2008-07-20T15:48:00.001-07:00

July 20, 2008

Dear Friends:

Today we celebrated an unforgettable, glorious Eucharist at Canterbury Cathedral. Several languages and music from many cultures were incorporated in this act of worship, from traditional polyphony by the Boys’ and Men’s choir to the drums and dancing of Melanesia. The preacher, Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Sri Lanka, reminded us that bishops bring their dioceses with them to the Lambeth Conference.

Not only were you in my thoughts and prayers today, but as an outward sign of this reality I wore the pipestone pectoral cross presented to me at my consecration as bishop and a tippet belonging to Bishop Emery and worn by his successors. On the tippet were two crests: one of the Diocese of North Dakota and the other the Compass Rose of the Anglican Communion. (Special thanks to Dean Steve Sellers who provided the new diocesan seals and to Deacon Terry Overbo who sewed them on.)

Our retreat now ended, we begin the work of the Lambeth Conference. Topics for reflection and discussion in the weeks ahead include Anglican Identity, Evangelism, Social Justice, Ecumenism, Environment, Non-Christian Faiths, Bible in Mission, Human Sexuality, Anglican Covenant and Windsor Process.

The bible study groups will continue studying the Gospel of John. As a sign of solidarity with us, the Archbishop of Canterbury has provided a set of seven bible studies which can be used by individuals or groups at home. They can be accessed from the Diocesan website: http://episcopal-nd.org/index.php?action=page_manager_view_single&page_id=3

New this week will be the daily “Indaba” groups of 40 bishops each. Indaba is a Zulu concept used when a village is in crisis. The community is called together to share their concerns, wisdom and ideas about decisions the community should make. From these groups daily reports on the various topics will be made to be incorporated in the reflection paper to be released at the Conference’s conclusion.

Please continue to keep me and this Conference in your prayers as you are in mine. I am

Yours in Christ,

+Michael

2008-07-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:

Greetings from the Lambeth Conference being held at Canterbury Cathedral and the University of Kent. While it is a joy to share worship and fellowship with so many sisters and brothers from around the world, there is also sadness in that one quarter of the world’s bishops have decided to absent themselves from this gathering due to their broken relationships with parts of the Episcopal Church. These bishops account for at least one half of the world’s Anglicans and they are sorely missed. We are praying and working for reconciliation in these matters.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has called us to gather around the Scriptures as Disciples of Christ, listening carefully to one another so that relationships may be built. He realizes that this alone will not solve the deep problems confronting our Communion, but also insists that without careful listening to one another around the Bible, strong relationships and reconciliation will be not be possible.

The daily bible study group of which I am a part met for the first time today. There were six of us from the provinces of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indian Ocean and the U.S. We are studying and reflecting on passages from the Gospel of John.

We spent the rest of the day in retreat at Canterbury Cathedral, the historic “mother church” of English Christianity. It was to Canterbury that Pope St. Gregory the Great sent St. Augustine and his band of Benedictine monks to evangelize the English people in 597 AD. From this humble missionary endeavor has grown the third largest body of Christians in the world known as the Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop presented two scriptural mediations. Most of the time, however, was spent in silent prayer as 600+ bishops spread throughout the Cathedral and its many chapels, holy spaces and grounds seeking the face of God and offering thanks for the ministry to which we have been called. It was an awe-inspiring and humbling experience for me personally. You are in my thoughts, heart and prayers in this place. Thank you for your prayers.

+Michael

Bishop Michael and Lisa at Lambeth

2008-07-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori speaking to Bishop Michael and the Rev. Lisa Smith of North Dakota. Richard Schori, the Presiding Bishop’s husband, is at her side, on the opening day of the 2008 Lambeth Conference