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Three new bishops are expected to be elected at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference (NEJ) when it meets July 16-20, 2012 in Charleston, W.Va. The three bishops elected will replace three bishops who are retiring: Ernest Lyght of West Virginia, Peter Weaver from New England and Jane Middleton of the Susquehanna Annual Conference.

The Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference is home to nine episcopal areas (made up of 10 annual conferences) located along the east coast from Maine south to West Virginia. It is one of five U.S. jurisdictions, which along with seven Central Conferences, make up the global United Methodist Church.

Any Elder who meets the requirements of the Discipline is eligible for nomination as a candidate for the episcopacy.  Candidates may be endorsed by annual conferences and other groups within the jurisdiction and the larger denomination. The 36 members of the General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegation, elected by the Baltimore-Washington Conference, are leading this region's endorsement process.

The Nomination Process

As determined by the annual conference, the nomination process will begin with a month of prayer and discernment, designed to help ensure the process is spiritual and deliberative. A series of prayers and meditations will be published in the e-connection and on the conference website to assist in the discernment process.

Beginning Nov. 1, nominations of those who meet the qualifications and are called to the episcopacy may be submitted to the delegation's secretary, Darlynn McCrae ( ), or any member of the delegation. Nominations may come from individual members of local congregations within the conference, groups of individuals, or organizations and caucuses. A person may also recommend him or herself as a candidate. A list of the delegation members and their e-mails is available here.

Those who are being nominated will be required to submit a written 500-word statement describing his or her call to the episcopacy to McCrae before Dec. 31.

After all nominations are received, the delegation will determine the details of the discernment process that will be followed as they endorse a candidate to recommend to the annual conference members.

At the May 30-June 1, 2012 session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference in Baltimore, conference members will vote to endorse a Baltimore-Washington Conference episcopal candidate or candidates.

The details of the process of electing a nominee at annual conference are detailed in the DEEP Report, which can be found online.

Disciplinary Requirements

Bishops are elected from among the ordained Elders of The United Methodist Church and set apart for a ministry of servant leadership, general oversight and supervision. According to the Book of Discipline, “bishops are authorized to guard the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine and discipline of the Church.” An overview of the role of bishops is found in para. 403 on page 296 of the 2008 Book of Discipline.

A list of a bishop's spiritual and temporal responsibilities are outlined in para. 414 on page 309 of the Discipline. A list of their duties is found in para. 415 on pages 309 and 310.

Essential Qualities and Characteristics

To assist United Methodists in their discernment of who God might be calling to lead the denomination, the NEJ Episcopacy Committee has offered a number of qualities and characteristics they believe are essential for bishops in the 21st century.

Members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference General and Jurisdictional Conference delegation endorsed the recommendations of the NEJ Episcopal Committee, and also discussed specific traits and insights to consider.

The following are the recommendations of the NEJ and, in italics, the additional traits and insights developed by the delegation. Members of the Baltimore-Washington Conference are encouraged to consider these qualities and characteristics during their time or prayer and discernment.

Spiritual Grounding

The bishop must demonstrate a vital and growing relationship with Jesus Christ and a passion for others to experience the same. This must be the very core of the bishop's life and ministry. This core will be evident in the bishop's personal wholeness and authenticity. The bishop will demonstrate a passion for bringing together the evangelical and social gospels proclaiming and modeling the unconditional love of God for all.

The bishop will be authentic in all interactions and evangelical in his or her passion to grow churches. The ability to listen and learn, as well as being able to admit he or she does not have all the answers, is key to this ministry.

Vision

The bishop will be a risk taker and a prophetic voice, able to ignite others with a passion for God's vision and goals. The bishop will identify a clear sense of purpose for the church, claiming the heritage of The United Methodist Church, yet committed to helping the church claim new and compelling ways for ministry, fueled by the Spirit of God.

The bishop will lift up a prophetic witness, having the courage to stand up for and act on personal convictions. A spirit of innovation is essential.

Leadership

The bishop will be able to effectively manage stressful situations, actively supporting the accountability of all involved. Past ministry experience will show evidence of developing, empowering and deploying people for ministry; and demonstrate seasoned experience in shared leadership with laity and clergy within an understanding of the local and global church. The bishop will convey a non-anxious presence to affirm and guide the ministries of the church.

Collaboration will be an integral part of the bishop's transformational leadership. The bishop will need to be courageous as he or she rethinks and reengineers the purpose, structure and organization of the church, leading a culture change that will reverse decades of decline. A personal commitment to revitalization will be reflected in a proven track record of growing churches and making disciples.

Inclusiveness

The bishop will be committed to an inclusive church, recognizing the gifts and graces of all people. The bishop's experience will demonstrate his or her commitment to an inclusive church by recognizing and incorporating the gifts and graces of all people, regardless of lay or clergy status, ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality, and physical or mental challenges.

The bishop will possess the ability to effectively move in and out of a variety of communities, he or she will expand the church's conversations about what it means to be inclusive in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic world, and will fearlessly confront and remove all barriers that limit the work of God.