The Very Rev. Rob Price Elected Bishop Coadjutor

The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas has elected the Very Rev. Rob Price as its Bishop Coadjutor.  Price is currently the Dean of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas. He will be consecrated and installed as the Bishop Coadjutor during a ceremony in September, pending consents of bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees of the Episcopal Church dioceses. Price will serve under the Rt. Rev. George R. Sumner, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. Upon the retirement of Bishop Sumner, Price will become the eighth bishop of the diocese.

In his statement to the delegation Price said, "Thank you for this trust. I commit all of my capacities, energies, and suffering love to the wonderful work to which you have called me," Price said. "But let me say clearly that I need God's help and yours. I need your prayers, and I need your help. Will you help me?" The crowd shouted yes, and Price ended with "upwards and onwards. Thank you and God bless you."

The bishop coadjutor-elect was chosen by clergy and lay delegates representing congregations of the diocese on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at a Special Convention, held in-person at Saint Michael and All Angels. Price was elected on the second round of balloting with 82 clergy votes out of 134 present, and 77 laity votes with 151 present. A majority of both clergy and lay votes in the same round, defined as 50 percent plus one vote, was needed for election.

“We give thanks for Bishop Coadjutor-Elect Price and for the grace and faithfulness shown by all the nominees and their families, said the Rev. Perry Mullins, president of the Standing Committee. “Today is a joyful day for the Diocese of Dallas and we are excited for the road ahead!”

The other nominees included the Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton, Assistant Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, and the Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church in Longview.

Bishop Sumner expressed his gratitude to all three candidates for participating in the process. “I know that Dean Price will bring many gifts to the episcopal office and, will prove well suited to the time into which we as a Church now move,” Sumner said.  “Keep praying for him and his family.”

Learn more about Price in videos from the search process:

Timeline:

April 17 - 2024, Bishop Sumner called for the election of a coadjutor

April/May – Selection of the members of the Search Committee

August--September – 2024 Survey meetings throughout the diocese

October -- Presented the Diocesan Profile and Called for Nominations

November – Search Committee conducts interviews with nominees, backgrounds checks, narrowing of the field of candidates

March -- Retreat for further interviews and discernment 

March -- Slate Announced

May --Election 

The clergy and lay leaders who guided us through this process: 

Standing Committee

The Rev. Perry Mullins, St. Peter’s, McKinney, President

Jolayne Lacour, St. David of Wales, Denton

The Rev. Terry Reisner, Epiphany, Richardson

Tom Graves, Incarnation, Dallas

The Rev. Paul Nesta, St. David of Wales, Denton

Tim Mack, St. Matthew’s Cathedral

 

Search Committee

The Rev. Clayton Elder, St. Philip’s, Frisco, President

The Rev. Sam Adams, St. Augustine’s, Dallas

Tony Briggle, St. Michael and All Angels, Dallas

Cathleen Dolt,  St. James, Dallas

The Rev. Mark Hall, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas

The Rev. David Houk, St. John’s, Dallas

The Rev. Ian Hyde, Good Shepherd, Terrell

Adele Ichilian, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas

Jolayne LaCour,  St. David of Wales, Denton

Matt Lewis, Church of the Incarnation, Dallas

Stevi McCoy, Transfiguration, Dallas

The Rev. Noe Mendez,  Santa Natividad, McKinney

The Rev. Cynthia Moore, St. Mark’s, Mt. Pleasant

The Rev. Perry Mullins, St. Peter’s, McKinney

The Rev. Samira Page, Gateway of Grace, Dallas

Hal Richards, Good Shepherd, Terrell

Wendy Skorburg, Good Shepherd, Cedar Hill

The Rev. Kate Smith, St. Paul’s, Prosper

Lee Spence, St. Dunston’s, Mineola

Lance Taylor, St. Philip’s, Frisco

The Rev. Andrew Van Kirk,  St. Andrew’s, McKinney

Almighty and everlasting Father, who hast given us the Holy Spirit to abide with us for ever; Bless, we beseech thee, with his grace and presence, the bishops and the other clergy and laity assembled in thy Name, that thy Church, being preserved in true faith and godly discipline, may fulfill all the mind of him who loved it and gave himself for it, thy Son Jesus Christ our Savior: who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Bishop Coadjutor Election Livestream 

 

Candidate Resumes, Essays and Videos

 

The Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll

 

The Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton  

The Very Rev. Rob Price 

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Electing Convention Book PDF

Download or print the PDF for the Electing Convention here. Those who are registered for convention will receive a printed Convention Book at convention. 

  

RULES OF ORDER

FOR THE ELECTION OF THE BISHOP COADJUTOR OF DALLAS

 

1. These Rules of Order for the election of the Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, adopted pursuant to Article 8 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, and shall apply during the Convention for the Election of a Bishop Coadjutor (“Electing Convention”) scheduled to take place May 3, 2025.

 

2. These Rules accede to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and of the Diocese of Dallas (collectively, “the Canons”). Except where inconsistent with the Canons or these Rules, Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, the latest edition, shall govern the business proceedings of the Convention. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Convention may, by unanimous consent, take any action not inconsistent with the Canons.

 

3. The Electing Convention shall be presided over by the Rt. Rev. George Sumner, Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, Ecclesiastical Authority, and President of the Electing Convention, or his designee.  

 

4. The Convention shall only consider nominees of the Search Committee and any additional nominees resulting from the Nomination by Petition Process conducted by the Standing Committee prior to the Convention. Such nominees shall have been subject to appropriate background checks supervised by the Search Committee or Standing Committee, and a summary of the results of those background checks shall be reported to Convention.  There shall be no further nominees for Bishop Coadjutor and no nominations from the floor of the Electing Convention.

           

5. Those entitled to vote are duly certified Lay Delegates and Canonically Resident Clergy

in good standing.

 

6. The nominees shall not be present at the Electing Convention. Prior to the commencement of the election process, there shall be identified to the President of Convention a person who shall be the authorized representative of each nominee.  Such person shall have authority to continue or withdraw the name of the candidate from further consideration of the Convention at any time.  Failure to identify such an authorized representative to the President of Convention, or the substantial absence of such representative thereafter, shall, at the discretion of the President, constitute a withdrawal of the nominee from the process.

 

7. Voting will take place using an electronic voting platform. The President of the Electing Convention will provide a process by which a nominee entitled to vote may cast a vote while not present at the Electing Convention.

 

8. Speeches and floor debates and demonstrations shall not be allowed, except as permitted at the discretion of the President of the Convention. If a member of the electing convention wishes to speak on any question or deliver any matter to the Convention, the member shall rise to the microphone and area provided and wait to be recognized by the President or his designee.

 

9. Written materials submitted by each Nominee shall be available to members of the Convention in both electronic and (if requested) paper form, and no nominating speeches shall be permitted at Convention.

 

10. Following the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, there shall be a First Ballot for the election of Bishop Coadjutor, and successive ballots thereafter as necessary, until the Bishop Coadjutor is elected. The time permitted between ballots, as well as the order of silence, prayer, music, or other activity between ballots, shall be determined by the President of the Electing Convention.  If no nominee achieves the required majority in both Orders by 5:30 PM Central Standard Time, or if the President concludes that the stalemate shall likely not be resolved without significant time for further discernment, reflection, and prayer, the President may place Convention in recess and thereafter announce a date, time and location to reconvene.

 

11. A Nominee may withdraw from consideration at any time during the Convention by means of oral communication, email, or other electronic means with their designated representative to Convention, with a signed letter of withdrawal to follow, prior to the next ballot. If the President of Convention is satisfied as to the legitimacy of the withdrawal, the President may postpone or dispense with the requirement of the withdrawal letter. No nominee shall be removed from a successive ballot for failure to achieve a certain number of votes on a previous ballot.

 

12. Members of Convention shall not have any communication with members of the press while the Electing Convention is in session. The President of Convention and the President of the Standing Committee shall be the official spokespersons for Diocesan communications with the press concerning this Episcopal election. The floor of the Convention is restricted to those entitled to vote, officers of the Diocese, convention staff and volunteers, a nominee’s authorized representative, and others necessary to the orderly operation of the Convention, as the President of the Convention sees fit in his discretion. A space for observing the Convention through remote means will be provided.

 

13. During the Electing Convention, no participant shall communicate in any way (e.g. by phone, email, text, social media, or by any other communication application or device) to anyone other than members of Convention about the business of the Electing Convention, except as authorized by the President of Convention.

 

14. In each ballot, the eligible Clergy and Lay Delegates shall vote electronically and separately by Orders. The vote required for an election shall be determined in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution of the Diocese (a copy of which is appended to these Rules).

 

15. When the Secretary has reviewed the balloting and determined its validity, the Secretary shall report to the President the total number of votes cast in each Order, the number necessary to constitute an election in that Order, and the number of votes cast for each Nominee. The Secretary shall verify the presence or absence of the required majority in each order and shall pass all the information to the President.  The results will be shared with each Nominee’s representative.  

 

16. The President shall announce the report of the Secretary to the Convention after confirming that Nominees have received the results. When a Nominee has received the appropriate number of votes in both the clerical and lay orders based upon the number necessary to constitute an election, and the Nominee has received such information from their representative, the President shall announce the report of the tellers to the Convention and then, jointly with the President of the Standing Committee, shall declare the Nominee elected.

 

17. Immediately following the election, while the Electing Convention remains in session, the President of the Convention shall arrange to have the signatures of a constitutional majority of the Convention affixed to the testimonial required by Canon III.11.3(a) of the Episcopal Church, attesting to the due and lawful election of the Bishop Coadjutor.  The testimonial shall be in substantially the form appended hereto.

 

18. These Rules of Order shall be effective when adopted by a majority vote of the Executive Council. Once adopted, they may not thereafter be suspended or amended except upon motion duly made and seconded, and approved by two-thirds vote of the Electing Convention.

 

These rules were duly adopted by formal action of the Executive Council on April __, 2025.

 

 

 

                                                                        ________________________________________

                                                                        Secretary, Executive Council

                                                                        Episcopal Diocese of Dallas

TESTIMONIAL OF THE ELECTION OF THE BISHOP COADJUTOR OF DALLAS

We, whose names are hereunder written, fully sensible of how important it is that the Sacred Order and Office of a Bishop should not be unworthily conferred, and firmly persuaded that it is our duty to bear testimony on this solemn occasion without partiality, do, in the presence of Almighty God, testify that we know of no impediment on account of which the Reverend _____________ ought not to be ordained to that Holy Office. We do, moreover, jointly and severally declare that we believe the Reverend ___________ to have been duly and lawfully elected and to be of such sufficiency in learning, of such soundness in the Faith, and of such Godly character as to be able to exercise the Office of a Bishop to the honor of God and the edifying of the Church, and to be a wholesome example to the flock of Christ.

Date ______________Signed _________________________________________________

 

 

Excerpt from the Constitution of the Diocese:

 

ARTICLE 16

ELECTION OF A BISHOP, BISHOP CONADJUTOR

OR SUFFRAGAN BISHOP

The election of a Bishop, a Bishop Coadjutor, or a Suffragan Bishop for this Diocese shall take place at the regular meeting of the Convention, or at a special meeting of the Convention called for that purpose.  In the election, the vote shall be by ballot and by orders, and concurrent majority of the two orders shall be necessary to a choice if two-thirds of all of the Clergy entitled to vote, who have their principal residence within the Diocese and whose attendance at the Convention has not been excused by the Bishop or the acting Ecclesiastical Authority due to infirmity or other good cause and Lay Delegates from two thirds of the Parishes and Missions entitled to representation are present at the Convention; otherwise, two-thirds of the votes of each order shall be necessary to a choice.  In any event, the election may not occur unless a quorum has been determined to exist. 

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March 17, 2025

Notice of Special Convention for the Election of a Bishop Coadjutor of Dallas

 

To:       All Clergy

            All Wardens of Parishes and Missions

            All Convention Delegates

            Standing Committee Members

            Executive Council Members

Brothers and Sisters,

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, I informed the diocese of my decision to convene for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor. Since that time, the Standing and Search Committees have done yeoman’s work: surveys and focus groups, job descriptions and LOAs, background checks, and interviews. We now look forward to the candidates’ walkabout.

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, notice is hereby given of a Special Convention to take place on

 

            Saturday, May 3, 2025

            8 a.m. – Convention Convenes

            St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church

            8011 Douglas Avenue

            Dallas, TX 75225

Delegates will soon receive detailed information. Let us invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our deliberations.

Peace,

The Rt. Rev. Dr. George R. Sumner, Bishop of Dallas

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WalkAbout Information (Registration Is Open to All Friday March 14)

Tuesday lunch, April 1, 10:30 to 2 - Incarnation (clergy only) 

Tuesday evening, April 1, 5:30 to 9  - St. Peter’s, McKinney

Wednesday evening, April 2, 5:30 to 9 - St. Philip's, Sulphur Springs

Thursday evening, April 3, 5:30 to 9 - St. Paul, Waxahachie

Friday evening, April 4, 5:30 to 9 - Transfiguration, Dallas

Register here

Videos of the Bishop Coadjutor CAndidates

The Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll

The Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton

 

The Very Rev. Rob Price

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Petition Process Clarification

To the Diocese of Dallas,

On Monday, the Standing Committee discovered that an important document outlining the petition process for adding nominees to the Bishop Coadjutor slate was unintentionally omitted from last week’s communication. We sincerely regret any confusion it may have caused. To ensure fairness and allow adequate time for participation, we have extended the petition process, originally set to close at noon yesterday, to this Sunday, March 16, at 5:00 PM Dallas time.

Attached to this message, you will find two documents: the first details the governance of the petition process, and the second is the previously distributed nomination form - both with the due dates extended. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to correct this oversight.

Please continue to keep our diocese and the nominees in your prayers as we move toward the election on Saturday, May 3.

Faithfully,

The Standing Committee
Of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas

Petition Process Information

Petition Nomination Form 

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Message from the Search Committee

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Text from the Video above

Greetings in Christ, 
My name is Fr. Clayton Elder and it’s an honor and blessing to serve as the Chair of the Diocese of Dallas Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee.

As many of you know, this Search Committee was formed last May to discern and deliver a slate of candidates to be considered for our Bishop Coadjutor – a person who will initially work alongside Bishop Sumner and eventually become the next Bishop of Dallas. 

In June, we began our work by listening. Through a survey and nine in-person sessions, the committee invited people from parishes across the diocese to share their thoughts about our current needs and the qualities they desired for our next bishop. Thank you to all who participated in the survey and listening sessions. We faithfully compiled your important feedback and created a diocesan profile. This profile not only served to educate those who felt called to nominate themselves or others into the process, but also guided the committee’s discernment and deliberation. We encouraged clergy and lay people alike to be active in the nomination process so that our committee could have a rich, diverse pool of candidates to consider.

In November, we began our rigorous interview process and last week, held a three-day retreat with our final nominees. This precious time gave both our committee members and the candidates special time to know one another more deeply, worship and pray together, and allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate God’s will for his people.

After three days of prayerful, Spirit-led discernment and contemplation, the committee is thrilled to present a final slate of candidates – any one of whom meets the needs expressed by the people of this Diocese and is qualified to be the next Bishop of Dallas. It is my joy to share that the Rev Dr. William Carroll, the Rt. Rev Fraser Lawton, and the Very Rev Robert Price will be on the final ballot for Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Dallas. 

You can read more about these candidates on our website, edod.org. You will also have an opportunity to get to know them better at a series of in-person events April 1^st – 4^th. More information about these “walkabouts” can also be found on our website. The convention delegates will then gather for the final election on May 3 at St. Michael All Angels. The Search Committee invites you to join us in praying for the clergy and lay delegates who will be voting in this important election. 

I am so grateful for all of the nominees who faithfully and prayerfully walked with us through this extensive process. 

I am also grateful for my fellow committee members. Search committee work is hard work, and their generosity of spirit, time, and energy was and continues to be a blessing. Also, special thanks to the prayer warriors who faithfully lift up our search committee in prayer every day. We feel your prayers and are blessed by your work.

I would like to leave you with a prayer that was specifically written for a search process and one that our committee faithfully prays.

Heavenly Father,

to Whom all the Saints in heaven and earth adore and bend the knee:

Look graciously on your Church and pour out your Holy Spirit upon our Bishop, the Search Committee, and the Delegates who will choose a bishop for this diocese, to feed and tend the flock of Christ and exercise without reproach the high priesthood of this calling.

Grant that they, and we may have all wisdom and discernment; a spirit of revelation and the knowledge of your will, and the confidence in your guidance in the decision to be made; through him who is the shepherd and bishop of our souls, even Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord.

Amen. 

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Bishop Coadjutor Candidates:

The Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll

The Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll serves as Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Longview, Texas. Baptized in the Episcopal Church as an adult, Fr. Bill has sought to grow disciples and strengthen congregations to share the Good News of Jesus and fulfill our Baptismal Covenant. He is Dean of the Northeast Region of the Diocese of Texas, a trustee of the Episcopal Health Foundation, and a member of the Texas Standing Committee. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. He has previously served as a Rector in the Dioceses of Oklahoma and Southern Ohio, as a Canon to the Ordinary, and on the seminary faculty at Sewanee. He has been married to the Rev. Tracey Carroll for 31 years. Their adult son, Danny, has significant developmental disabilities and lives with them. Their daughter, Rachel McLoughlin, lives with her husband, Alex, in Edmond, Oklahoma.

The Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton

T

The Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton is the rector of the Church of St. Dunstan in Mineola, TX., and Bishop Assistant in the Diocese of Dallas. In this latter role, his main ministry is with the congregations of the Affiliated Parishes of North East Texas (APNET), which is a cooperative venture of congregations walking and working with one another. Before coming to East Texas, Bishop Lawton served in the Diocese of Athabasca in the Anglican Church of Canada. After being ordained there as both deacon and priest, he was selected as its Bishop Diocesan in the fall of 2009. In 2018, he and his wife, Veronica, spent several months on a sabbatical in the Diocese of Dallas. While here, he was asked to consider taking on his current position here, and after a time of discernment, perceived God was indeed calling them to Dallas. Bishop Lawton has been married to Veronica for 36 years, and they have four grown children and three grandchildren.

The Very Rev. Rob Price

The Very Rev. Rob Price was born and raised in San Diego as a Methodist "preacher's kid." After receiving a B.A. and M.A. in American History from Stanford University, he became a teacher in a private school in St. Louis, where he met his wife, Kate. Though an atheist, he was welcomed into the Episcopal Church at Christ Church Cathedral, St. Louis. He then entered a Ph.D. program in History at Yale University before he met the Risen Jesus and heard a call to ministry. After completing his M.Div. at Yale, he served on the staff of churches in St. Louis and Dallas and as the Rector of St. Dunstan’s, Houston, for 13 years. In January 2019 he accepted the invitation from the Bishop and Vestry to begin a new chapter as Dean at St. Matthew’s Cathedral and served as Canon for Congregations, as well, from 2020-2022. Along the way, he and Kate have had three boys who are now young adults: Matt, Thomas, and Chris.

 

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WalkAbout Information (Times to be Determined)

Tuesday lunch, April 1 - Incarnation (clergy only) 

Tuesday evening, April 1 - St. Peter’s, McKinney

Petition Nomination Process

Download Petition Nomination form here. 

Defining a Quorum for Election

 

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Process Concerning Delegates 

Clergy, Administrators and Wardens,
 
We are excitedly preparing for Christmas in the coming weeks - and in the background, most of our churches are likewise preparing for annual parish meetings.
 
There have been questions about the process for electing lay delegates to the special convention on Saturday, May 3. Our Chancellor, Cory Floyd has written a memo on the relevant canons to clarify this matter. Congregations at their annual meeting elect their lay delegates, who will this year serve at both the electing convention on May 2, and the annual convention on November 8.
 
As we approach the announcement of the nominees this spring, our attention will turn to the convention itself, and there will likely be more questions about how it all works. Because we don’t elect a bishop very often, the Chancellor is also preparing some brief notes, which you will receive in the new year, to explain the particularities of the special convention in more detail.
 
In the meantime, continue to pray this Advent for God’s blessings on the nominees. Pray for Holy Spirit’s direction for the search committee. And pray always for the mission and ministry of God in our diocese.
 
In Christ,
 
The Rev. Perry Mullins
President of the Standing Committee

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Survey and Listening Sessions Summary

The Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee thanks the many lay and clergy members of our Diocese for participating in the survey and listening sessions earlier this year.  The executive summary of the listening sessions and survey summarizes the information that was shared in both settings. You may read it here.

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Bishop Coadjutor Application Period is now closed. 

Click here for the Diocesan Profile.

Blessings, 
Your Bishop Search Committee

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Letter From the Search Committee 9.23.24

Dear Friends in Christ,

What a blessing to see and hear from so many of you at the listening sessions. Over two thousand members of the Diocese participated in the survey and listening sessions! Thank you! We have listened, and our Profile Committee is working on the final draft of the Bishop’s Selection Profile. It will be ready Oct. 1^st for viewing.

Nominations will be received from Oct. 1^st to Oct. 31^st. We encourage you to prayerfully consider the nominees. 

You may also use the prayer below by Fr. Matthew Oliver, PhD in your daily prayers and/or add it to your parish bulletin.

In Christ,

The Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee

Heavenly Father,

to Whom all the Saints in heaven and earth

adore and bend the knee:

Look graciously on your Church

and pour out your Holy Spirit upon our Bishop,

the Search Committee, and the Delegates

who will choose a bishop for this diocese,

to feed and tend the flock of Christ

and exercise without reproach

the high priesthood of this calling.

Grant that they, and we may have all wisdom and discernment;

a spirit of revelation and the knowledge of your will,

and the confidence in your guidance

in the decision to be made;

through him who is the shepherd and bishop of our souls,

even Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord.

Amen. 

Letter From the Search Committee 8.8.24

Hello Friends,

“There is wisdom in the multitude of counselors.” Proverbs 11:14.

The Bible provides wonderful guideposts for us as we seek God’s will for our diocese. That is why the Bishop Search Committee has scheduled several Listening Sessions to hear from you. These will be important discussions as we gather to prayerfully consider the issues and share what each of us sees as the needs of the diocese. Attendees will break into groups to discuss a small set of questions and will share their thoughts with the group.  The Search Committee will use feedback from the listening sessions to further inform our search.  We also look forward to sharing a snapshot of the survey results with you at each listening session.

May I please encourage you make every effort to attend one of the in-person sessions? These sessions are divided by order, lay and clergy, for focused discussions.

Meanwhile, your Bishop Search Committee is working on providing bilingual translation for at least two lay sessions. There will also be a ZOOM ONLY session. Details on these are coming soon.

Thank you for continuing to join us in praying for our next Bishop.   

In Christ,

The Bishop Search Committee

Here is the schedule:

8/27 Priests, Church of the Incarnation, 10am - 12pm

8/27 Priests, Church of the Incarnation, 2pm - 4pm

8/29 Deacons, St. Matthew's Cathedral, 10am - 12pm

8/29 Diocesan Staff, St. Matthew's Cathedral, 2pm - 4pm

9/3 Lay People, St. Philip's Sulphur Springs 6pm - 8pm

9/5 Lay People, St. Ann's Desoto 6pm - 8pm

9/7 Lay People, St. Philip's Frisco, 10am - 12pm

9/7 Lay People, St. James Dallas, 2pm - 4pm

9/10 ZOOM ONLY Session for those who are unable to attend in-person sessions, 6pm – 8pm

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Update From Search Committee

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On behalf of the Bishop Search Committee, I am writing to give you an update as I am sure you are eager to know more about the process and progress. 

First, the election of our Bishop Coadjutor, God willing, will take place on May 3^rd, 2025. The Coadjutor Profile will be published in late September and nominations will be received from Oct. 1 to Oct. 21.

What is a Bishop Coadjutor? It is an assistant bishop with the right of succession upon the resignation (in the case of our diocese, retirement) of the diocesan bishop. Before a bishop coadjutor is elected, the diocesan bishop must consent to such an election and state the duties which will be assigned to the bishop coadjutor when duly ordained and consecrated.[1]

Our responsibility as the Search Committee is to prayerfully provide a Diocesan Profile for the Bishop Coadjutor, soliciting, interviewing, and proposing a slate of candidates to the Standing Committee. This is followed by presenting the slate to the Diocese through a series of “walk abouts” and planning and implementing the consecration. 

The discernment process, for all of us, involves the guidance of the Holy Spirit for us to understand the truth of the Scripture and the wisdom of the tradition as they regard the issue at hand, and within the bounds of reason, seek the specific will of God for our diocese. Throughout this process, members of the Search Committee are committed to pray for each other and for the process. We also rely on your prayers.

Friends, we all love our diocese and strive to be as faithful as possible to this ministry. We will soon have some fun information for your congregations such as trivia and material for the children.

We rejoice in the ministries of our diocese, give thanks to God for our Bishop, our clergy and our laity, and serve with anticipation for what the Lord has in store for our future Gospel ministry together.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Dr. Samira Page

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[1] Bishop Coadjutor – The Episcopal Church

Letter from the Rev. Clayton Elder, Chairman of the Search Committee for the Bishop Coadjutor Election

Beloved People of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas,

It is my blessing and honor to greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ as the President of the Standing committee for the Diocese of Dallas, and as the Chair of the Search Committee for the Bishop Coadjutor.

Following Bishop Sumner’s call for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor, the Standing Committee, who is charged with designing and holding the election of a bishop, and following the canons of the Diocese of Dallas, elected me as the chair of the Search Committee, and entered, with the Executive Council, the nominations, discernment, and election process for the committee.

Before discerning began, and upon the recommendations from The Episcopal Church, the Standing Committee interviewed and chose The Very Rev. Ronald Clingenpeel as our Election Consultant, a general practice for all Bishop elections in the Episcopal Church.  Fr. Clingenpeel brings over twenty years of experience to this role and is well acquainted with Texas as he served Dallas in our last Bishop’s election, and most recently served in the Diocese of West Texas for their own Bishop Coadjutor process.

With the Chair and Consultant in place, the Executive Council and Standing Committee followed a democratic process of generating nominees, taking time for discernment, and electing by majority vote their canonically allotted positions (Executive Council – 6 clergy and 6 lay, Standing Committee – 4 clergy and 4 lay).  By God’s grace, the organically nominated, democratically elected, and Holy Spirit-inspired committee (listed below) represents each convocation in both clergy and lay membership. 

Please welcome and lift up in daily prayer the following Holy Spirit-gifted followers of Jesus Christ who will devote their time and talents to a process of hard work, prayer, and holy listening to you, each other, and our Lord for the purposes of presenting a slate of candidates to the Diocese of Dallas for the Bishop Coadjutor election on May 3^rd, 2025. 

Clergy

Mtr. Samira Page – Gateway of Grace, Dallas – Central Convocation

Fr. David Houk – St. John’s, Dallas – Eastern Convocation

Dcn. Mark Hall – St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas – Eastern Convocation

Mtr. Cynthia Moore – St. Mark’s, Mt. Pleasant – Northeastern Convocation

Mtr. Kate Smith – St. Paul’s, Prosper – Northern Convocation

Fr. Noe Mendez – Santa Natividad, McKinney – Northern Convocation

Fr. Andrew Van Kirk – St. Andrew’s, McKinney – Northern Convocation

Fr. Perry Mullins – St. Peter’s, McKinney – Northern Convocation

Fr. Ian Hyde – Good Shepherd, Terrell – Southern Convocation

Fr. Sam Adams – St. Augustine’s, Dallas – Western Convocation 

Lay

Mr. Matt Lewis – Church of the Incarnation, Dallas – Central Convocation

Mrs. Stevi McCoy – Transfiguration, Dallas – Central Convocation

Mr. Tony Briggle – St. Michael and All Angels, Dallas – Central Convocation

Mrs. Adele Ichilian – St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas – Eastern Convocation

Mrs. Cathleen Dolt – St. James, Dallas – Eastern Convocation

Mrs. Lee Spence – St. Dunston’s, Mineola – Northeastern Convocation

Mr. Lance Taylor – St. Philip’s, Frisco – Northern Convocation

Mrs. Jolayne LaCour – St. David of Wales, Denton – Northern Convocation

Mr. Hal Richards – Good Shepherd, Terrell – Southern Convocation

Mrs. Wendy Skorburg – Good Shepherd, Cedar Hill – Western Convocation

With the Committee selected, and our opening retreat and meeting set for the weekend of May 31^st – June 1^st, 2024, our next steps will be to discern a framework and timeline for the process, set subcommittees, and begin the listening process with you, Bishop Sumner, and our Lord for the purposes of creating a profile for our next Bishop Coadjutor. 

Until then, I invite you to join me in praying the following prayer for our Bishop, our Search Committee, and our Diocese as we discern together who the Lord is calling to be our Bishop Coadjutor. 

In Christ,

Clayton+

Chair of the Search Committee

Heavenly Father, to Whom all the Saints in heaven and earth adore and bend the knee: Look graciously on your Church and pour out your Holy Spirit upon our Bishop, the Search Committee, and the Delegates who will choose a bishop for this diocese, to feed and tend the flock of Christ and exercise without reproach the high priesthood of this calling. Grant that they, and we may have all wisdom and discernment; a spirit of revelation and the knowledge of your will, and the confidence in your guidance in the decision to be made; through him who is the shepherd and bishop of our souls, even Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord. Amen.

-       Compiled by The Rev. Matthew S.C. Olver, Ph.D.

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Letter From the Standing Committee

Beloved in Christ,

On Wednesday, April 17, Bishop George Sumner called for the election of a bishop coadjutor for the Diocese of Dallas. Our bishop coadjutor will serve alongside Bishop Sumner until he retires, and then succeed him as our eighth diocesan bishop.

The electing convention will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025 – two weeks after Easter – at a time and location to be announced.

This week, the Standing Committee unanimously appointed Father Clayton Elder to serve as chairperson for the Search Committee. As the outgoing President of the Standing Committee, his continued work in this new role will ensure a seamless continuation of the election process.

In the coming weeks, the Standing Committee will choose and begin to work alongside a consultant from the Episcopal Church to ensure that our process and timeline follows all the right steps and best practices for seeking a new bishop.

Then, Fr. Elder will work closely with the Executive Council and Standing Committee to form the Search Committee, made up of twenty voting members – six clergy and six lay persons appointed by the Executive Council as well as four clergy and four lay persons appointed by the Standing Committee. The Chancellor serves as an additional ex-officio member. We will appoint a Transition Committee at a later date.

Over the next year, the Search Committee will listen, pray, build a profile, accept nominations, and discern a slate of 3-7 nominees that they will present to the diocese for election. Then, during Lent, we will enter into a period of intentional discernment together and meet the nominees.

The Standing Committee and Search Committee are committed to regular communication and transparency. We will send updates by email and post information on a forthcoming website that will be the hub for us to participate in the work of discernment over the next year.

We believe that this search process is an opportunity for us to come together – to hope and dream cooperatively about our future, to discern with honesty our own identity as a diocese, and to pray for God to send us a pastor who will continue to lead us into the future faithfully.

Participate in this shared discernment with open hearts, hope, and joy. And in the meantime, please keep our diocese, Bishop Sumner, and all our leaders in your prayers.

In Christ,

The Standing Committee

of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas

Father Clayton Elder

Lee Spence

Father Perry Mullins

Jolayne La Cour

Father Terry Reisner

Tom Graves

Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one: Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit, that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Bishop George Sumner's Letter to the Diocese

William Hobart Hare

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in our risen Christ. I am writing to inform you that I have asked the Standing Committee to begin the process of discernment leading to the election of a Bishop Coadjutor. He or she would assist me in episcopal oversight, to include both a share of episcopal visitation and administrative work usually assigned to a Canon to the Ordinary, until such time as I retire and the coadjutor becomes diocesan. I have spoken with Bishop Todd Ousley at the national church. There would be an election in 2025. After the consecration, Bishop Michael Smith, to whom I am immensely grateful, would return to being an assistant bishop.

Of course I have no role in the electoral process, other than praying! Father Clayton Elder, president of the Standing Committee, will be explaining to you what happens next, canonically and practically.

Part of our Christian lives is always to discern the right time. First, while we have our challenges, I believe we as a diocese are in a solid position. Second, a year ago, I led a Lenten series called ‘Being Old and Being Christian’, which I now need to apply to myself, as I think about the next phase of leadership. Third, we would benefit from the perspective and energy the new bishop would bring.

I know that a great deal of attention now moves rightly to the electoral process. But I will continue working assiduously on all the on-going diocesan projects we have begun together. These include Church planting, supporting our Cairo missionaries, an annual lecture on theology and AI, the new Spanish offerings for the Stanton Institute, filling vacancies, and helping smaller congregations collaborate. The work of standing bodies such as the Commission on Ministry continues apace. Stephanie and I continue to enjoy visitations.

Expressing my gratitude to you all is for another day further down the road. Most importantly, we all press on day by day toward the goal of the prize of the upward call in Jesus Christ.

Peace

+GRS

Bishop George Sumner's Letter to the Diocese En Espanol 

William Hobart Hare

Quieridos Hermanos y Hermanas,

Saludos en nuestro Señor resusitado.  Yo escribo para anunciar que he pedido el Comite permanente para commencer el proceso de discernir pora elección de un obispo coadjutor.  El o ella va asistirme en el trabajo de vigilancia.episcopal . incluye compartir en la visitacion y la administracion de un canon ordinario, hasta yo me jubilee y el coajutor sea obispo. He hablado con Obispo Todd Ousley. De la iglesia nacional. Hara una elección en 2025.  Despues de la consecracion, Obispo Michael Smith, a quien estoy agradecido, va a regresar como un obispo asistente.

Por sopuesto no voy a participar en este porceso proximo, excepto orar!  Padre Clayton Elder va a explicar lo que seguie por ustedes, sobre los canones y prarcticamente.

En nuestras vidas critianas, necesitamos discernir el tiempo derecho.  Primero, aunque temenos desafíos varios, generalmente estamos en un lugar fuerte. Secundo, hace un año, enseñe un curso llamado ‘ser viejo y ser un Cristiano.’ Ahora necesito aplicarlo en mi vida, sobre la temporada proxima del mnisterio.  Tercero, la perspectiva nueva de un lider nuevo ayudarianos.

Entiendo que ahora mucha atencion va a dirigirse al proceso de la elección. Pero voy a continuar a trabajar continualmente en todos los projectos los que hemos comenicido. Ellos incluyen plantar una iglesita, apoyar nuestros misioñeros en Cairo, una lectura sobre IA y teologia, el programa nuevo en Español de enseñaza, llenar posiciones de las paroquias, y ayudar congregaciones pequeñas para compartir. El trabajo de comites permanentes continuan, especialmente de la vocación, a Stephanie yo gustan visitar congregaciones mucho.

Agradecidos son por un otro dia en frente. mas importantemente, nosotros proseguimos hasta el fin de la primera del llamado de arriba en Jesus Cristo.

Paz,

+GRS