Oh, behave!

Let me say a few things, right from Jump Street, about the November 19th episcopal election in the Diocese of New York.

I have no doubt that the Rev. Canon Andrew M. L. Dietsche, who has served faithfully and loyally as Canon Pastor to Bishop Mark Sisk and the clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese of New York, will not only continue to be pastoral, but he will also vote on the side of the angels on all the issues of justice.

He is almost universally described by those who know him as "a nice guy" with a "gentle spirit" who "really cares about the church".

I've not met the man, but it's pretty clear from his picture that the words are not too far off the mark.

Dietsche, a Poughkeepsie, NY resident who is currently on the diocesan staff as Canon for Pastoral Care, was elected on the third round of balloting by a majority of the active clergy (176 of a total 262) of the diocese and of delegates from all of its congregations (131 out of a 233). A brief biography of the bishop elect may be found here (where you will also find information on the other nominees and videos of all).

Bishop-elect Dietsche was one of two candidates nominated "from the floor" in addition to the five who were put forward at the end of August by a special Committee to Elect a Bishop, which began work following Bishop Sisk's call for an election at the diocese's 2010 annual convention last November.

You can learn more about the election process and other nominees by clicking here.

Let me also admit that I had my own "favorites" among the nominees. It's no secret that Tracy Lind was my absolute favorite. She's a skilled, talented, competent and proven leader. Her election would not only have been of great bishop for that diocese but for the whole church.

Which leads me to admit some things that just might ruffle some feathers. I've never been a "good girl" in the church. I've never really "behaved".

Or, as some bishops are wont to say, been a "good team player". Which means that you understand that they are the "captain" and you take your directions from them. Including keeping your mouth shut and not ruffling any feathers.

If that's what you expect of me, well, good luck with that. Be sure to have a comb and brush nearby after you read this.

What is disturbing and, in fact, deflating about the NY election is that, in one of the most diverse dioceses in The Episcopal Church - indeed, I dare say, the Anglican Communion - the good people of the Diocese of NY elected someone who looks for all the world like The Episcopal Church of Olde.

Nice, heterosexual, white guy - complete with beard - who bears little resemblance with the majority of the people in that diocese.

It's not like the candidates didn't offer diversity. They did. So, I'm wondering what the heck happened. Apparently, so are a lot of people who were there. And, voted.

One theory is that some folks followed the "First Ballot Is Always A Crap Shoot Theory of Episcopal Elections".  People vote for the "sentimental favorite" or for their committed candidate, or to make a statement of sorts, but mostly, they want to see how the first ballot goes before making a decision.

People who subscribe to the "First Ballot Crap Shoot Theory" are often those who haven't done their homework - read: political campaigning.

Oh, I know. I know. No one campaigns during an episcopal election because it's not political. It's spiritual and prayerful. If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

Don't even get me started by having to ask where the caucuses of the LGBT people, Women or People of Color were in all this.

Bishops are rarely elected on the first ballot, although it has been known to happen. This is often seen as a clear mystical working and a strong statement from God, "himself", that this candidate is, in fact, God's choice.

Others see it as the predictable result of a 'crap shoot'. "It" happens when some folks play fast and loose with the power of their vote.

My recollection of episcopal elections in the Diocese of NY is that they tend to go on a bit. Days, even. So, I'm sure most folks felt comfortable with that first ballot as being a window into where folks were leaning, never thinking for a red hot NY minute that momentum would build and the election would be over in three ballots.

Let those who have ears, hear. And, learn.

I also think that the good people of the Diocese of NY forgot that, when we ordain a priest or elect a bishop, we are not just doing so for the diocese. We ordain priests and consecrate bishops for the whole church.

Which is why the election process is not complete until a majority of the diocesan bishops and standing committees in The Episcopal Church give their consent to the election, and the Presiding Bishop must certify that this is so.

What The Episcopal Church ( and all of the dioceses and provinces) needs right now is bold leaders who are willing to take the risks of leading the church into a future which will hold challenges on every level of institutional governance.

I'm not saying that the new bishop-elect will not be that leader. Eventually. It's just that nothing in his portfolio gives that indication.

Then again, I am remembering that the election of Edmond Browning as Presiding Bishop gave rise to a similar sense of deflation and disappointment.

No one has a larger pastor's heart than Ed Browning. When he said, "In this church of ours, there will be no outcasts" he said that from a place of absolute authenticity as a pastor.

What caused some of us to raise a left eyebrow in suspicion was that there was nothing in his portfolio to back up the claim that he had the "right stuff" to live out that bold statement and lead us into the future of the church.

For the first third of his episcopacy, he was a disappointment to many of us. I think the turning point was the Ellen Cooke debacle - the former treasurer of The Episcopal Church who was found to have systematically diverted 2.2 million dollars from the PB's discretionary fund to renovate the manse in Virginia where she and her husband, a priest at St. Luke's, Montclair, NJ, were planning to live.

That deep betrayal changed Ed Browning and emboldened him to be one of the great leaders in The Episcopal Church. He was able to see much more clearly and take important stands for what was right - no matter the cost.

Perhaps God has something similar in mind for New York. I'm waiting to be pleasantly surprised.

Meanwhile, you'll excuse me if I continue to sit with my dismay and distrust while my sense of disappointment and deflation linger around the corners of my heart.

Indeed, if the Diocese of NY went for what was - at least at all outward appearances - to be the "safe choice," I'm wondering if the Spirit isn't sending us a message in all this.

I'm wondering if we ought to depend on bishops to be the leaders in the institutional church to bring about the change we so desperately need.

I'm wondering if we aren't electing the very reasons the institutional church MUST change or die.

I'm wondering if we aren't electing hospice chaplains to tend to a church that is dying to be reborn.

I'm wondering if change is going to come, it's going to come from the ground up - and, in fact, outside the grounds of the institutional church.

I'm wondering if change can happen in straight lines of institutional authority, or if it happens best in small circles of people, whispering among themselves.

Breathing together.

A "con-spiracy", you know?

I'm wondering if "revolutions" don't always begin in small circles comprised of people who don't behave in the way the institution or "powers that be" expect or want us to.

Not "team players".

Uppity women - and men - who question the status quo and challenge the way things are and always have been, world without end, amen.

People who look around at all the problems and challenges and hear people ask, "What are we to make of this?" and hear in that a call to enter into the process of being Co-Creators with God.

To "make" something out of what appears, at least at first, to be chaos. You know. Just like it was at the beginning of creation when God breathed over the chaos and formed "this planet earth, our island home".

People who listen to those around them who say, "We're headed for disaster!" and change the narrative by asking, "But, what if we're headed for an adventure?"

You know. Dreamers. Visionaries. Risk takers. Fools for Christ.

You know. What the Church in every diocese in The Episcopal Church in every province of the Anglican Communion desperately needs right now.

Leaders who are less interested in either preserving or making history, but listening to cries of the people who occupy the present reality and commit themselves to molding the future of the church.

As for me, I'm not holding my breath for any other election as I did for the Diocese of NY. Instead, I will continue to think globally and work locally and believe more in Jesus and less in the institutional church.

I think I can accomplish more this way.

Besides, this way, I don't have to behave.