RE: [HoB/D] Women in the House of Bishops

[Louie Crew [mailto:lcrew@andromeda.rutgers.edu]]

XXXX XXXXXXX wrote:

> We cannot, collectively, change the composition of the HoB -
> that happens one election at a time, and I believe we  can
> see women are widely proposed in diocesan elections (with a
> few notable  exceptions).

I have monitored nominees for bishop since January 1995. During that 
time, 678 have been nominated for bishop in TEC -- including 5 for the
forthcoming election in Southern Virginia.

The 133 completed elections have averaged of 5.1 nominees per election.

Females were 15.5% of the nominees, 9.0% of the bishops elected.  That is,
female nominees have a harder time getting elected than male nominees.

See my report for the names of nominees, dates, dioceses ....
at http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/nominees4bishopsince1995.html

Incidentally, it is not as if we don't have women with leadership experience
to consider for nomination and election:  for GC 2009 34.9% of the clergy
deputies are female, and 40.4% of all female deputies are clergy.  Those
numbers have been steadily increasing.  See the specifics at
http://rci.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/deputations2009.html#stats   1969 was the
first General Convention that 'legally' had female deputies from any order.

Before you file or delete this message, consider making a list of the female
priests you know who would make marvelous bishops.  Look at all the Sees
soon to become vacant (see bishops in order of their age at
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/bishops/age.html) and write a letter
this week to the female at the top of your list urging her to let you
nominate her for the Diocese of XXXXX.

Samuel was quite insistent when reviewed Jesse's first choices:  "No," he
said, "I want to see the one out back tending sheep."  Don't tie the tongue
of the holy spirit by waiting for someone else to nudge the one God has
given you to nudge.

Louie

Louie, Newark L1

Louie Crew, 377 S. Harrison St., 12d, East Orange, NJ 07018.  973-395-1068
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~lcrew