From Episcopal News Service – Louisville, Kentucky
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania and bishop provisional of Western New York, has been elected and confirmed on June 26 at the 81st General Convention to serve as the 28th presiding bishop. His nine-year term as presiding bishop, the face and voice of The Episcopal Church and its chief pastor, begins Nov. 1.
The House of Bishops elected Rowe on their first ballot in a closed session at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Louisville. The House of Deputies confirmed him with a nearly unanimous majority, 95% in favor.
His speech following election and confirmation acknowledged some of the challenges facing The Episcopal Church at a time of membership decline when some dioceses say their ministries are struggling under financial burdens and diminished congregational vitality. Rowe affirmed the concerns raised by some bishops and deputies at this week’s convention, that some aspects of churchwide governance and structure could be hindering the church in adapting to a changing world.
“It’s not too strong to say we’re facing an existential crisis,” Rowe said – not because the church doesn’t have something to offer the world, he said, but “because the world around us is changed and continues to change and is changing all the time. God is calling us ever more deeply into the unknown.”
Bishop Rowe, 49, is the youngest bishop ever elected to serve as the church’s presiding bishop. He also was the youngest Episcopal priest in the U.S. when he was ordained, at age 24, and he was the youngest member of the House of Bishops when he was ordained and consecrated at age 32.
Presiding Bishop-elect Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe Sermon at the closing Eucharist of General Convention
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