imageAloha ke Akua:

At the end of August, the Strategic Planning Task Force (Arnold Carson, St. Andrew’s Cathedral; Deidre Harris, St. Nicholas Church; Tom Kelly, Trinity by-the-Sea Church; Preston Lentz, St. Elizabeth’s Church; Ben Nelson, All Saints' Church; Dot Shigemura, St. Nicholas Church; Bill Skelton (chair), St. Michael and All Angels Church; John A. H. Tomoso, Good Shepherd Church; and Rick Vinson, Holy Nativity Church) presented me with a report entitled “Imua kakou!:  The Episcopal Church of Hawai`i Plan to Grow More Vital and Vibrant Communities”.  I will share their report at Convention (and online). 

In their report, the Task Force suggests that the Vision of the Diocese should be simply stated as:
 
“The Episcopal Church in Hawai`i is spiritually relevant to a dynamic body of believers – the Body of Christ – who become connected and more responsive to human needs.”

And that we operate with two simple Goals:
 
1.    Transform the Episcopal Church in Hawai`i into vital and vibrant Christian communities;

2.    Streamline our diocesan leadership and support structures such that they focus on transforming the Episcopal Church in Hawai`i into vital and vibrant Christian communities.

From their work, the Strategic Planning Task Force arrived at the conclusion that the size of our corporate governing body (Diocesan Council) is too large with twenty-one members to be effective and adaptive.  The Standing Committee also explored how the Diocese might move toward a more effective governance in the 21st century by reviewing the size and duties of our Diocesan governing groups. To do this, the Standing Committee checked with other dioceses in the national church and has discussed the topic with a variety of members across the Diocese.  They even set up a blog with proposed changes in the constitution and canons so that we can get additional feedback from members of the congregations in the Diocese.  Coming to the same conclusion as the Task Force, the Standing Committee’s proposal is to reduce the size of Diocesan Council to twelve.  We know from the experience of other dioceses much larger than our own and those of similar size that this reduced number can effectively and efficiently do the work of the Diocese between Conventions. Obviously the responsibilities of Council members must change, but a Council of the proposed size has been shown to encourage the level of involvement of even more people from throughout the Diocese in the specific ministries of the Diocese, while at the same time, allowing for a leaner Council to better vision, plan and lead our Diocese in between Conventions.

For me as Bishop, I would like Diocesan Council to clearly serve as the “Board of Directors” (with the Bishop as President) acting on behalf of the Convention.  This Board needs to focus on long-range planning and fiduciary responsibility.  I would hope Council could be a non-program group to manage and set policy for the Diocese (and the legal corporation known as “The Episcopal Church in Hawai`i” of which the Bishop is the President). 

Just as I have asked much more of the Standing Committee since becoming Bishop, I would like a different relationship with Diocesan Council.  As you may know, I have often asked Standing Committee to act as my Council of Advice in keeping with the Constitution (Article IV) and Canons (I.12.1) of The Episcopal Church.  This has included my asking them to take on projects and studies for the good of the Diocese (e.g., the Camp, the Canons, etc.).  The Standing Committee also has specific canonical responsibilities around ordinations, during disagreements in pastoral relationships and functioning as the ecclesiastical authority when there is no Bishop.  Standing Committee’s duties focus on the canonical, the ecclesiastical and the advisory (to the Bishop as the “Ordinary” of the Diocese).  The Standing Committee has no role in acting for the Corporation or the Convention (the organizing entity which is the Diocese).

I would like Diocesan Council to be the policy makers and long-range planning team for the Diocese.  Because of budget cycles and habit, we tend to plan from year to year with little practical sense of the next three, five or ten years.  Unfortunately, Council has often had to become directly involved in programs and activities.  These factors make long-range planning and setting goals difficult.   My hope is that a Council acting as a smaller policy, long-range planning and management team could then work with no more than five or six commissions to engage the programs and activities of the Diocese.  While one such commission would have to deal with “Finance, Budget and Property”, the Council would be in charge of oversight of budget, expenditures and programs.   Diocesan Council may need to meet (electronically) more often and therefore the smaller numbers makes that possible.  I would hope members could make nearly every meeting (in person or by teleconference).  Members of this Diocesan Council would need to have experience in management, long-range planning, non-profit boards and/or finance.  While the members of Council will need to be personally involved in the programs and activities of the Diocese, the Council ought not organize or sponsor events (though they might encourage or even direct the implementation of programming as part of an overall vision or plan).  Diocesan Council would be the active Board of the Episcopal Church in Hawai`i, and help me set the vision and goals for the programs of the Diocese of Hawai`i.

Most importantly for membership on both the Standing Committee and the Diocesan Council, we need elected leaders to share with me in the stewardship of the Diocese and further to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.  The leaders of the Church in our age must be adaptive and not reactive.  We must be open to an emerging reality.  We have to be prepared to take risks and even to fail for the Gospel, but also to succeed and welcome new communities into the Church.  I call on leaders to have “missionary zeal”.  In the writings of Roland Allen, “missionary zeal” is the phrase used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers urging them to make Jesus Christ known to our neighbors and in our communities.  “Missionary zeal” depends upon the state of the soul and its relationship to God.  We need elected leaders who are faithful servants of Jesus Christ, regular in prayer, open about their giving to the Church (ideally, tithers) and bold in sharing the Love of God.  

I would like the smaller Council to come into being sooner rather than later, and then we together will shift Diocesan Council to being a Board of Directors as soon as possible.  I would like to begin reducing the number of Commissions of the Diocese to five or six with working groups and committees to focus on activities and projects.   

I ask the prayers of the Diocese as we prepare for the Annual Meeting of Convention on Saturday, October 29th.  Also, if you would, please remember me in your prayers as well. 

Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko mākou Haku,

+Bob

The Right Reverend Robert L. Fitzpatrick
+ Keali‘ikoaokeakua