Electing a New Bishop for the Diocese of Rupert’s Land
At the 119th Synod of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, Bishop Geoff Woodcroft announced his pending retirement on June 1st, 2025. This initiated a process that will culminate in Synod being called to gather for the sole purpose of an holding an Episcopal Election. At this 120th sitting of Synod, chaired by Archbishop Greg Kerr-Wilson, Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Northern Lights, our next bishop will be elected.
Though most of the ministry and work of our diocese is within our own authority and jurisdiction, in the case of an episcopal election the primary guiding documents are contained with the Constitution (particularly Part VI) and Canons (particularly IX) of the Ecclesiastical Province of the Northern Lights. These documents can be found on the left hand side of this page.
As outlined in Provincial Constitution and Canons, the first step is to determine the date for the Electoral Synod and to establish the Diocesan Search Committee. Diocesan Council has discussed this and the Metropolitan has concurred with our intention. The Electoral Synod will take place at St. John Cathedral, Winnipeg on Saturday 31 May 2025. The Seach Committee has been established and has begun their work. Please check back top this website for updates from the Search Committee.
The Search Committee consists of six members appointed by our Diocesan Council (three clergy and three lay members) along with three members – a lay person, a cleric, and a bishop – appointed by the Metropolitan of the Province (Greg Kerr-Wilson) from a panel elected at the last Provincial Synod. In addition, at the request of Diocesan Council and with the approval of Archbishop Greg our Search Committee will be joined by one of our Indigenous Elders. The Committee members from our diocese are The Ven. James Dugan, The Rev. Matthew Bowman, The Rev. Di Panting, Ms. Deb Buxton, Ms. Rachel Mawejje, Mr. Chris Whitmore and Elder William (Bill) Shead. The appointed members from the Province are Bishop Rachel Parker (Brandon), The Rev. Peter Coolen (Saskatoon), and Chris Katzell (Saskatoon). The first meeting for this Search Committee will take place in December 2024.
The election of a new bishop is first and foremost an act of discernment. All of the processes, discussions, and prayers are aimed at helping the members of our Diocesan Synod discern whom they believe God is calling to serve as bishop of Rupert’s Land. The first step for the Search Committee is to arrange opportunities for members of our diocese to have input into the preparation of a Diocesan Profile. This written piece describes the current nature of our diocese and its mission and ministry, as well as its needs, concerns, hopes and aspirations around what it believes God is calling our diocese to become in the future. As a result, the Profile will outline some of the gifts, skills, and qualities we believe are necessary for the new bishop to possess in order to lead and support the present and future ministry of our Church.
Once the Profile is complete, members of the Search Committee will begin receiving names for consideration to be nominated for the election. Only members of our Diocesan Synod, bishops of the Province of Rupert’s Land, and members of the Search Committee are able to propose names for nomination, others are able to suggest names to the above persons. Any priest in good standing in any Church of the Anglican Communion, or in any other Church in Full Communion with the Anglican Church of Canada, is eligible for consideration. Therefore, rostered pastors (or bishops) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada are also eligible.
The Search Committee will request a variety of material from those who have agreed to be nominated for the election. This might include a CV, responses to questions, a personal video clip, etc., with a deadline of about a month before Synod. The Committee arranges the received materials into a standardized format (so each of the candidates can be easily compared), then distributes this material in a Convening Circular to the members of our Diocesan Synod. The timeline for these steps is governed by the Provincial Constitution and Canons.
On May 31, 2025, God-willing, the Synod, chaired by The Metropolitan, The Most Rev. Greg Kerr-Wilson will begin with a celebration of Holy Eucharist. Following some procedural resolutions, the Chair of the Search Committee will put forward for nomination those to be considered for election. While there is no provision for nominations from the floor, late nominations may be received up to 72 hours before the Synod convenes. Balloting continues until one candidate receives a simple majority of both the lay and the clergy vote (voting separately). That candidate is then asked to consent to his/her election and becomes the bishop-elect.
Because the bishop-elect will need to wrap-up their present ministry, it will take several weeks or months before they are consecrated. It is our hope that this service of worship take place not later than early September.
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