BCMS Calls for Mutual Patience and Graciousness....

“The Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota is at a critical juncture in its life. Almost every measurable trend is in a downward direction. Courageous and visionary efforts to address this reality over the past several decades have not succeeded in any measurable way. Apart from a significant change in the way the diocese conceives of its life and engages in its ministry, the BCMS holds out little hope that these patterns will be reversed in the future. That is why this process has focused on rethinking, reframing and reclaiming the identity and purpose of the diocese.”

These bold statements mark the premise of the report that the Bishop’s Commission on Mission Strategy will recommend to the diocese at Convention on October 27, 2007.

A key understanding of the report is that there are No Simple Solutions — ”The crisis within the diocese is systemic. It stems from both a complex set of relationship dynamics and a history dating back several decades. Any effort to plan our way out of this crisis merely by setting more goals and strategies is doomed to fail and will only compound the problems we face. Systemic change takes time. We will surely make mistakes in this process of transformation. We will need to continually evaluate our efforts and progress. We need to be patient and gracious with one another as we move forward.”

Even while the report sees near-term decline as most likely, it is essentially hopeful with numerous action steps recommended for implementing each of its four goals.

Bishop Jelinek was strongly supportive of the report at the September meeting of Diocesan Council, which in turn voted to endorse the report for Convention’s acceptance and affirmation as the blueprint for our diocesan future.

A virtual self-study of the diocese, which has involved well over 1,000 participants, and almost every congregation at one level or another, the report will be featured and presented at Convention’s opening Saturday morning business session.

Should Convention endorse the report, a new broadly-based commission will be named to lead the charge in developing and implementing the systemic changes envisioned in the report.

Click here to read the BCMS report and to learn more about the commission's process.