December 2009 In My View

Dear Friends,

At the Provincial Synod in September I was honoured to be elected as the new Metropolitan of British Columbia and Yukon and installed on September 27, 2009 during a service in the chapel at the Sorrento Centre. Since then I have had numerous questions about the role of Archbishop and what it means for the Diocese of Kootenay and several people have asked me to write something about this new ministry for The HighWay. So let me respond to what have been the frequently asked questions. What is a Metropolitan? The term "Metropolitan" is the official title for the Bishop who is elected to take a particular role of leadership in the province. There are four ecclesiastical or church provinces in Canada and our province is made up the five dioceses and one Episcopal region covering all of BC and Yukon. The term "metropolitan" means a large political area (like metro-Vancouver) and simply refers both to the geographical region and the Bishop who has a particular role of leadership for the area. In Canada our metropolitans are called "Archbishop." The Archbishop of the Province is the chairperson for the Provincial House of Bishops, the Provincial Synod and the Provincial Council. The Metropolitan also presides at the consecration of new Bishops.

Will you still be Bishop of Kootenay? The answer is yes. Although I have responsibility for some aspects of the life of our Province I will remain the bishop of Kootenay and continue to visit parishes, provide leadership with the clergy and lay leaders of the diocese, and be the chief pastor for the diocese.

Does this mean you will be moving?
No. The ministry of Archbishop takes place alongside the ministry within the Diocese and so Alida and I will continue to live in West Kelowna and I will continue to work from the Synod Office in Kelowna. Do you receive a salary increase? No. I continue as the bishop of this Diocese on salary with the Diocese. The work of the metropolitan is added to diocesan responsibilities. There is a provincial budget amount for travel for the Archbishop, so when I travel for this new work it will not be charged to the diocese. In addition to travel there is a small amount of money given to the diocese to help cover additional administrative costs to the Diocese.

What are some of the challenges facing our church in the Ecclesiastical Province? We live in a rapidly changing province in what is the most secular part of the country. There are significant economic challenges that have affected the mining and the forest industry and left large parts of the province suffering from unemployment. At the same time we see an aging population preparing for retirement, an increasing immigrant population, and are in the midst of a technological revolution that is changing our way of life. The church is declining in overall numbers and we are experiencing the attendant diminishment of resources for our work. The context for our mission has changed so much that the ways we have learned to be the church in the past, no longer effectively serve our primary calling to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and share in his ministry of healing and reconciliation. The greatest task facing us in the Province is the same task facing us as a diocese and in our congregations. That task is to recover an urgent sense of our mission so that we may focus our energies and resources to strengthening the church and the mission to which God calls each of us. We are preparing for the great celebrations of the birth of Jesus who focuses for us God’s love and passionate concern for the whole world. In my view, our Christmas celebrations are an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for God coming amongst us as a human being, to consider the amazing acts of God for the sake of the world and to renew our part in sharing the Good News with those around us.

Advent and Christmas blessings to each of you,

Faithfully, +John