Diocesan Profile
- Introduction

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ALMIGHTY GOD, GIVER OF EVERY GOOD GIFT: LOOK GRACIOUSLY ON YOUR CHURCH AND SO GUIDE THE MINDS OF THOSE WHO SHALL CHOOSE A BISHOP FOR THIS DIOCESE THAT WE MAY RECEIVE A FAITHFUL PASTOR, WHO WILL CARE FOR YOUR PEOPLE AND EQUIP US FOR OUR MINISTRIES; THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN.

Long Island conjures up many images. The popular media often present a picture of endless tracts of suburban housing, a distinctive accent, a population that’s socially and ethnically predictable...from the Gold Coast mansions of the Gatsby era to the summer playground of “the Hamptons.”

For the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, however, nearly every cliché and generalization about our home will be deeply misleading. Our Diocese encompasses the largest and most populous island in the continental U.S., covering 1400 square miles of rural farmlands and urban cityscapes. The “Dominion in the Sea,” as we are known, includes extremes of poverty and wealth, speakers of well over 100 languages, world renowned scientific and cultural institutions, some of the nation’s top schools and some of its worst. Early in the last century, Long Island was the cradle of aviation and the center of the film industry, but economic pressures today are keenly felt by young people trying to stay on Long Island – indeed, by families in virtually all congregations.

We are passionate about our diversity, our churches, and our mission. Our size, location, and resources give us enormous advantages of scale and scope for witness to the Gospel in the world. Our history, our many histories from different lands and traditions, give us pride and confidence in our collective ability to accomplish positive change in our Church and the greater community.

When the Right Rev. Orris G.Walker, Jr. called last November for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor, he observed that “the task before each one of us is one we have inherited from our fore parents. We are called to do our part as we prepare others to take up the quest until the kingdom is revealed in its fullness.” The Search/Nominating Committee elected at the end of January has been mindful of the magnitude of the task before it. Our Diocese has struggled with many of the ills that plague other dioceses – and the church at large: alcoholism, drug abuse, poverty, racism, sexual harassment. Our leaders have also suffered, and with them, so has the church. All of us are united in prayerfully seeking the renewal and revitalization of our institutions and relationships of Christian fellowship.

In fact, some detect a pattern in the ups and downs of our history. Many of the great churches built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in our Diocese were gifts of some of the very wealthiest of Long Island: A historical “lay aristocracy” that paid for everything, made the decisions, and gave the gifts...with strings attached. Perhaps a history of relying on the “great men” (and they were nearly always men) fosters a kind of dependency on leaders who are expected to be larger than life – yet who too often fall prey to substance abuse or other troubles. In many of the comments we received from laypeople and clergy alike, words like “healing,” “division,” “troubled,” “dysfunctional,” “bad image,” and the like were painful to encounter...but too frequent to ignore.

Yet ours is not the story of a church in decline. Roughly in line with other Episcopal dioceses, Long Island has seen average Sunday attendance dip in recent years, but we have not encountered extensive discord at the parish level over the issues convulsing the national church and the greater Anglican Communion. Rather the opposite is true: We have many strong parishes, both large and small, that are united across the Diocese in reaching out to the less fortunate and in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have great resources, treasures like Camp DeWolfe, the George W. Mercer, Jr. Memorial School of Theology, the Cathedral of the Incarnation. Besides the natural beauty of the bluffs overlooking Long Island Sound, the beaches of the South Shore, the dynamic mix of cultures in Brooklyn and Queens and our proximity to Manhattan, we have the even greater spiritual assets of community, compassion, and fellowship that shine through the diversity and inclusiveness of our faith.

What is more, although we are more diverse than just about any other part of the U.S., our Diocese is united in a vision for our future. We have a chance to reinvent ourselves, and we want as one to do just that. We are eager to

engage with our future bishop. We have strong, involved laity and exceptionally gifted clergy who want an episcopal leader with the strength and humility to learn with us how God’s vision for us will be realized in the service of our Lord.

Just who might that leader be? More than 1,400 years ago a little book was written on the subject that became an international bestseller. Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care spells out that rare blend of administrative talents and profoundly spiritual gifts required for the episcopate.¹ People across Long Island, of all colors and cultures and theologies, told us in listening events that they, too, want someone with both the skills of a businessperson and the heart of a pastor. It’s true, as Paul wrote to Timothy, that “whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task” (1Tim 3:1)...but as Gregory pointed out, the Apostle immediately follows this with a long list of requirements for good “household management.” Leaders in the church, Gregory wrote, must be humble enough to resist a call when they are unfit to serve yet confident enough to say yes when asked to serve even in a sea “tossed by tempestuous waves.” In the end, the “job requirements” outlined by Gregory are quite similar to ours: demanding, paradoxical, humbling, and altogether at the mercy of the Spirit. �

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