The Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real

Strategic Planning Commission

February 20, 2003

 

Dear Wardens, Clergy and Delegates to Diocesan Convention,

 

Our Strategic Planning Commission promised at our last convention in January 2003 that we would solicit your concerns and wishes around the upcoming process of healing and reconciliation in the diocese. We are now writing to seek your input to this process.

 

In the months before the January 2002 convention we either met or corresponded with most wardens and convention delegates to solicit your response to the Triennial Evaluation of the Diocese, prepared for the Diocese by Speed Leas, upon which we based the current strategic plan. With only two exceptions, all who responded indicated that the Evaluation fairly represented their understanding of the dynamics of the diocese and that the three major tasks ahead were (1) addressing the distrust between the bishop and the clergy, (2) working on the confusion of authority and communication in the diocese, in particular with the bishop and the major elected bodies of the diocese, and (3) simplifying our structure. We want to report to you on our progress toward addressing these issues. Here is what has happened over the past year.

 

We began working on our first task, addressing the distrust between bishop and clergy. Last Pentecost the clergy met in retreat with the bishop and an outside facilitator to address the issue of distrust and Carl Hansen wrote a summary of that meeting which was made available to the diocese through the clergy. The report of the Standing Committee to Convention in January 2003 fisted the same concerns that Carl fisted in his summary. The Presiding Bishop's Office is also helping us to address this issue.

 

We have also begun work on our second task, addressing the confusion of authority and communication in the diocese. An elected group ("The Steering Committee") of two members nominated from each of Diocesan Council, The Commission on Ministry, The Standing Committee and Diocesan Corporation with the bishop or his designee began work on the second task through informal discussions and research.

 

Our third task was to recommend ways to simplify our diocesan structure. At the Diocesan Convention in 2002 we passed legislation simplifying our structure.

 

Now a note on our current plans: in March the elected Steering Committee, with four invited guests (Wendy Smith, from Diocesan Council, and Tom Woodward and Harriet Linville from Strategic Planning, and Dr. Gordon Gritter current President of the Standing Committee) and Canon Jim Thomas, will meet to plan a process for our whole diocese to address and resolve the issues of distrust and confusion of authority and communication in the diocese.

 

It is not clear how that will best be done, so we would like you to help us plan how to further address our need to grow in trust, clarify authority and communication, and to become a stronger diocese.

 

The Strategic Planning Commission will benefit most directly if you can tell us what you, yourselves, need in this process. You can tear off the bottom of this letter to respond by mail to the Strategic Planning Commission, at 1071 Pajaro Street, Salinas, CA 93901 or better, to our email address at ECRStrategic@aol.com. The latter is best because we all can read your responses the day they are sent. We will meet the week of March 10 to collate your responses so the planning committee will have that information as it plans for the coming year. If you want to discuss these matters in your deanery and send in your responses after the I 0th they will still be taken seriously as we move ahead. If you have any questions or concerns, please write or e-mail us. We hope to hear from all of you by March 10.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Thomas B. Woodward, Chair; Tom Coverdale; Harriet Linville; Mary Lou McKenney; Joanna Shreve; Ann Wright.

 

 

 

I am: __________________________________________________________________

 

My congregation is: ______________________________________________________

 

My responsibilities there include: ___________________________________________

 

You can reach me by:     ____________ (phone)  _______________________(e-mail)

 

                       ________________________________________(U.S. Postal Service)

 

____     I am ok with the work being done and believe it will benefit us all.

 

____     I believe my deanery needs to be involved in this process directly (tell us why and how):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are your major concerns and/or do you have advice to share in the process of resolving issues raised in the Triennial Evaluation and Strategic Plans? (1) addressing the distrust between the bishop and clergy; (2) working on the confusion of authority and communication in the diocese, (3) simplifying/clarifying our structure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is there information you need now that is unavailable to you on the diocesan web site or through your church office? What questions do you have?