On October 24, 2009 at the 225th Annual Diocesan Convention, the Rev. Dr. Ian T. Douglas was elected to be the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. He was elected on the second ballot from among four nominees. (read more about the election in this Oct. 24 eNewsletter.) Link here for the ballot details.
Douglas was the Angus Dun Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts and an associate priest at St. James’s Church, Cambridge, Mass.
Interview with the bishop-elect published in the diocesan newspaper, Good News, Winter 2009-2010.
start working here.
The bishop-elect began work for the Diocese of Connecticut on Feb. 1. As he described his plans for the first months, in the interview, he said, "In February I’ll be getting to know the rhythms of the diocesan office, answering correspondence, [and] getting the calendar together." He’ll also meet individually with diocesan staff, visit parishes, pay calls on former bishops, and discern with the current bishops what portfolios each will have as they begin to build a new team. The bishop-elect plans to attend the clergy conference in early February. “It will be a slow, deliberate process of learning,” Douglas said." (excerpted from interview, linked above)
Contact information:
The Rev. Dr. Ian T. Douglas: 860-233-4481 or 800-842-0126 in CT, ext. 111, itdouglas@ctdiocese.org
Julie Burnep is the bishop elect's executive secretary, 860-233-4481 or 800-84201026 (in CT) ext. 112, jburnep@ctdiocese.org
Learn more about the bishop-elect from his interviews during the search/nominating process.
Click here for the video interviews.
Questions included:
+ What about the Diocese of Connecticut calls you to serve as Diocesan Bishop?
+ Tell us a story about how you facilitated collaboration in the midst of diversity.
+ How do you play?
+ How do you think the Church can best meet the needs of the 21st century?
+ How will General Convention 2009 affect the future of the Episcopal Church?
The material below is taken from the printed material provided to the Diocese and originally published in the diocesan newspaper, Good News. It was written in response to the search/nominating committee request of each nominee and includes the following.
+ Vision for the Diocese of Connecticut
+ Letter to the clergy of the Diocese
+ Letter to the laity in the Diocese
+ Autobiography and family information
Vision for the Diocese of Connecticut
Consider what the Holy Spirit has been doing in recent decades. In The Episcopal Church people who historically have been marginalized have begun to find their voices including: people of color, women, lay people, and most recently gay and lesbian Christians. Likewise in the broader Anglican Communion historically colonized peoples whose first language is not English and who live in economically and socially distressed circumstances are beginning to move from the margins to the center. Some see these recent changes in the Church as a threat to our unity in Christ. Yet I believe the increasing differences in the Body of Christ represent a new Pentecost that empowers us to proclaim the Good News of Jesus in new ways, with new voices, for a hurting and needy world.
The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut is particularly gifted to extend God’s reconciling love in this new Pentecost because you embody a great diversity of parishes, peoples, and theological perspectives in a relatively compact geographic area. Celebrating the differences that God has given you, Episcopalians in Connecticut can best serve God’s mission of reconciliation by modeling new ways to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. Celebrating such differences is possible because in the incarnation of Jesus, the differences of fully God and fully human have been reconciled once and for all. In these changing times we are invited to live this incarnational truth by letting go of old securities and embracing the possibilities of God’s new Pentecost.
Letter to the Clergy of the Diocese
Dear Colleagues in Christ:
It is both a challenging, and exciting, time to be a Christian leader. Changes in the Church in recent decades, decreasing membership in mainline Protestant churches, and the global economic crisis cause some of us to worry about the viability of the institutional Church as we have known it. Yet in the midst of such turmoil there are fresh expressions of the Holy Spirit blowing. Old ecclesial boundaries are beginning to give way to new opportunities to serve God’s mission of restoration and reconciliation within The Episcopal Church, with other Christians, and with people of other faiths.
The challenges and changes of these times offer a leadership opportunity to all of us. As an extrovert and a person of vision and energy, I enjoy working with people of different perspectives and I deeply value being a member of a team. Although I come from a working-class family, I have been privileged to travel in circles of higher education and significant financial means. I am not afraid to talk about money and how God calls us to use our resources rightly. As your bishop I would offer these gifts as we work alongside one another to build up the Body of Christ for the sake of God’s mission.
Above all, I will try not to take things too seriously and will hope to enjoy many good laughs with you because I know in the end it’s really all about God and God’s mission and not about the Church or us.
Faithfully yours,
Ian
Letter to the Laity in the Diocese
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
In 1835 The Episcopal Church proclaimed that every Episcopalian is a member of the church’s missionary society by virtue of one’s baptism (and not voluntary annual dues). The Episcopal Church has said for over 170 years that baptism gives us our vocation to serve God in the world. Baptism, not ordination, is our commission, “co-mission,” in God’s mission. The offices of deacon, presbyter, and bishop have been “ordered” by the Church to support the baptized in our service to God’s mission and as such they are secondary to the priesthood of all believers.
Because I believe that baptism is our commission in God’s mission, I have dedicated my life and ministry to helping the people of The Episcopal Church discover a deeper commitment to mission. In my writing, teaching, and preaching, I have challenged Episcopalians to expand their understanding of missions (with an “s”) to that of the missio Dei, the mission of God. It is God’s mission to restore all people and all creation to unity with God and each other in Christ.
Nothing excites me more than to work with sisters and brothers in Christ as together we ask: What is it that God is up to, right here, right now? How are we called, in the realities of our various vocations and daily lives, to join in God’s restorative, reconciling activity in the world? I am thrilled by the possibility of accompanying you in such missionary endeavors.
Faithfully yours,
Ian
Autobiography and Family Information
I have been incredibly blessed my entire life by the love and support of a variety of communities in The Episcopal Church. I am a life-long Episcopalian/Anglican of immigrant stock who grew up in an economically depressed mill-town in central Massachusetts. I am a New Englander at heart; educated in Vermont, Kristin (my spouse) and I have made our homes in New Haven, Connecticut and greater Boston.
I grew up in a typical, broad-church parish at Christ Church, Episcopal in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. As a missionary in L’Eglise Episcopale d’Haiti in 1983-1984 I learned how the Church ministers with poor and marginalized people. For the last two decades I have served as a parish priest at St. James’s (yes, it’s James’s with “s’s”), an economically challenged, diverse, and dynamic inner city congregation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As Professor of Mission and World Christianity at the Episcopal Divinity School since 1989, I have traveled the world teaching and advocating for God’s mission of restoration and reconciliation.
My wife Kristin, our three young adult children Luke, Timothy, and Johanna, and our dog Lily show me over and over the incredible gift of the love of God in Christ. My friends and ministry colleagues continually call me to a deeper understanding of what the Holy Spirit is up to in the world today. Finally, I experience the goodness of God’s creation in the out-of-doors and in physical activity as I enjoy sailing small sailboats, playing squash, skiing, and participating in Crossfit fitness training.
