News for Week Ending 12/15/2014

CoE set to implement talent development plan

According to Church Times, “A RADICAL[sic] overhaul of the Church of England’s leadership is under way.” What is being called the Green Report proposes the identification of high-potential clergy and development of a program that grooms them for high office in the Church of England. The report was produced by a group led by Prebendary the Lord Stephen Green of Hurstpierpoint and has the blessing of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. The report is to be made public in January but is already attracting serious criticism. The same day Church Times published the story referenced above, it also published a highly negative evaluation of the proposed program by the Very Rev. Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Church Times also published a skeptical editorial on the subject of the Green Report. Thinking Anglicans is collecting additional commentary on the report’s business-school approach to leadership development in the church.

TREC issues final report

The Task Force for Reimagining The Episcopal Church issued its final report to the 2015 General Convention on December 15, 2014. (The press release about the report is here, and the 73-page report itself is here.) Among other things, TREC recommends making General Convention a unicameral legislature and electing the Presiding Bishop from the single house consisting of bishops, clergy, and laypeople. No doubt, commentary on the report will be forthcoming from various groups shortly.

Presiding Bishop offers Christmas message

On December 8, 2014, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori released her Christmas message, which can be found here.

EPF calls for prosecutions of those responsible for torture

In response to the so-called torture report from the U.S. Senate, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship has called “for the prosecution of those responsible on all levels.” The press release from EPF can be read here.

Bishop Bruno calls for coadjutor

Bishop of Los Angeles Jon Bruno, generally recognized as one of the more liberal Episcopal Church bishops, has called for the election of a bishop coadjtor to be elected at the 2016 diocesan convention. Bruno must retire in 2018, when he reaches the manditory retirement age of 72. Episcopal News Service covered this story, and a letter distributed by the bishop can be read here.

Charges against GTS dean dropped

Episcopal Café has published a letter from Bishop Mark Sisk, Bishop of New York and President of the Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary. He explains in the letter that charges that were brought against Dean and President of GTS Kurt Dunkle have been dismissed. The nature of the charges and the reason for dismissal are not given. Sisk says, in part,

This brings to a close a difficult chapter in the history of the General Theological Seminary that has caused great distress to everyone who loves this Seminary, including Dean Dunkle and his family.

The truth of this statement is not totally obvious.