View video of The Very Rev. Raymond Joe Waldon talk about the election at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark's. 

View video of Craig Wirth, communications director at St. Mark's, talk about the important history of the cathedral.

PB election procedures:

Following the Convention Eucharist at 9:30 am on June 27 bishops with seat, voice, and vote will gather at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral for the election.  The bishops cast ballots until a Presiding Bishop is elected. A majority of all bishops (excluding retired Bishops not present) is required to carry the election.  The vote totals for each ballot are public and must be provided to the House of Deputies.  Once there is an election, the Presiding Bishop sends a deputation from the House of Bishops with the name to the President of the House of Deputies.  The President refers the name to the House of Deputies Legislative Committee on the Confirmation of the Presiding Bishop without announcing the name to the House of Deputies.  The legislative committee, chaired by Deputy Lynn V. Schmissrauter from the Diocese of East Tennessee, will then make a recommendation to the House of Deputies on whether to confirm or not to confirm the choice of the House of Bishops, and the House of Deputies will immediately vote on the recommendation.  A delegation from the House of Deputies will then notify the House of Bishops of the action taken.  The bishops remain in the Cathedral and must refrain from any communication outside the Cathedral throughout the election and until the confirmation is received.

Once the House of Bishops receives the confirmation, the Presiding Bishop-elect is then presented to the House of Deputies, along with his family members present at the Convention.

Seating and access to live-stream transmission of this presentation of the Presiding Bishop-elect will be similar to the June 24 meeting.

July 3

The Presiding Bishop-elect will be the preacher at the closing General Convention Eucharist on July 3, from 8:30 am to 10:00 am (MDT).  Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will be the celebrant at this closing Eucharist, which will be live-streamed.

November 1

The Presiding Bishop-elect becomes the 27th Presiding Bishop on November 1. The seating of the Presiding Bishop at the Washington National Cathedral is scheduled fornoon.  Details of this service are under the supervision of the Presiding Bishop Transition and Installation Committee appointed by the Executive Council.  The National Cathedral will arrange for the seating to be live-streamed, as are all of the Cathedral’s major services.

The Roles and Functions of the Presiding Bishop Today

The most familiar description of the roles and functions of the Presiding Bishop can be found in Canon I.2.4 of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church (pp. 28-29):

(a)  The Presiding Bishop shall be the Chief Pastor and Primate of the Church, and shall:

(1)  Be charged with responsibility for leadership in initiating and developing the policy and strategy in the Church and speaking for the Church as to the policies, strategies and programs authorized by the General Convention;

(2)  Speak God’s words to the Church and to the world, as the representative of this Church and its episcopate in its corporate capacity;

(3)  In the event of an Episcopal vacancy within a Diocese, consult with the Ecclesiastical Authority to ensure that adequate interim Episcopal Services are provided;

(4)  Take order for the consecrations of Bishops, when duly elected; and, from time to time, assemble the Bishops of this Church to meet, either as the House of Bishops or a Council of Bishops, and set the time and place of such meetings;

(5)  Preside over meetings of the House of Bishops; and, when the two Houses of the General Convention meet in Joint Session, have the right of presiding over such Session, of calling for such Joint Session, of recommending legislation to either House, and, upon due notification, of appearing before and addressing the House of Deputies; and whenever addressing the General Convention upon the state of the Church, it shall be incumbent upon both Houses thereof to consider and act upon any recommendations contained in such address;

(6)  Visit every Diocese of this Church for the purpose of: (1) Holding pastoral consultations with the Bishop or Bishops thereof and, with their advice, with the Lay and Clerical leaders of the jurisdiction; (ii) Preaching the Word; and (iii) Celebrating the Holy Eucharist.

(b)  The Presiding Bishop shall report annually to the Church, and may, from time to time, issue Pastoral Letters.

Canon I.2.4(c) goes on to provide  that there are many other roles and responsibilities prescribed throughout the Canons of and “to be enabled better to perform such duties and responsibilities, the Presiding Bishop may appoint, to positions established by the Executive Council of General Convention, officers, responsible to the Presiding Bishop, who may delegate such authority as shall seem appropriate.”  These other canonical duties may be grouped into five other categories.

I. Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and Executive Council

The Presiding Bishop is ex officio President of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society which carries on all of the corporate matters of the Episcopal Church.  In addition to being ex officio Chair and President of the Executive Council, as Chair and President the Presiding Bishop is the chief executive officer of Executive Council “and as such the Chair and President shall have ultimate responsibility for the oversight of the work of the Executive Council in the implementation of the ministry and mission of the Church as may be committed to the Executive Council by the General Convention.” (Canon I.4.3(a).  It follows that as chief executive officer the Presiding Bishop is in charge of all the Executive Council staff and has authority as well to oversee the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Church.

II. The Presiding Bishop exercises the right of making many appointments including:

• Appoints all the members of the House of Bishops legislative committees

• Appoints bishop members of Joint Committees and Joint Standing Committees of General Convention

• Appoints bishops to the Board of the Archives of The Episcopal Church

• May appoint up to four members of the General Board of Examining Chaplains

III. The Presiding Bishop has responsibility for congregations:

• In foreign lands

• In the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe
• In Navajoland

IV.  The Presiding Bishop has special roles at the time of vacancies in missionary dioceses and the election of missionary bishops, and in the event of a vacancy in the office of bishop assigned jurisdiction in an Area Mission

V.  The Presiding Bishop has the highest dispensing power for vows of members of religious orders of The Episcopal Church 

VI.  The Presiding Bishop exercises authority in disciplinary and dissolution proceedings against bishops including 

• Responsibilities in the proceedings for the dissolution of the relationship between a bishop and a diocese
• Substantial responsibilities in the discipline of bishops including appointing the Intake Officer, serving on the Reference Panel, issuing Pastoral Directions, Administrative Leaves and restrictions on ministry to bishops, and negotiating  agreements for discipline with bishops

VII. The Presiding Bishop participates in the governance of the Church with the President of the House of Deputies:

• Both serve ex officio on the Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements that plans General Convention, the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, and the Joint Standing Committee on Nominations

• Both serve ex officio on all Standing Commissions

• Together with the President of the House of Deputies, the Presiding Bishop does the following:

• Appoints the Executive Officer of the General Convention
• Appoints all members of Executive Council Committees
•  May change the date and the length of General Convention
•  Nominates the Chief Financial Officer of the Executive Council
•  Nominates members of the Joint Audit Committee
•  May set the House of initial action for each Resolution of the General Convention
• May authorize variations and adjustments to, or substitutions for, or alterations in, any portion of liturgical texts under trial use, which do not change the substance of a rite

Each Presiding Bishop brings her/his particular gifts to bear to shape and organize these myriad responsibilities of this office.  Yet as the Shared Governance document of 2012 reminds us, at the core “the roles of Chief Pastor, Primate, Leader, and Spokesperson are the integral keys to this ministry.”