TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING OF CONVENTION
January 14-15, 2005
REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE

Introduction 

The Diocese of El Camino Real is very young as Episcopal dioceses go, being only 25 years old. In its first years of life, the diocese has experienced the excitement and challenges of growth, and has also dealt with growing pains. 

To promote healthier growth and more effective functioning, our diocesan canons mandate periodic check-ups. In 2001, after an extensive evaluation revealed that our diocese was marked by distrust between our clergy and bishop and by confusion about authority and communication between the bishop and various diocesan bodies, the Strategic Planning Commission proposed that we address and resolve our interpersonal problems before embarking on any new programs or initiatives.

The first part of the Strategic Plan addressed the distrust between clergy and bishop through face-to-face meetings with a consultant from the Alban Institute. The second part of the plan created a committee composed of the bishop and leaders from each of our elected bodies; the committee’s charge was to unravel the confusion and distrust which characterized diocesan life, and to rebuild diocesan structures and relationships that had been damaged or broken over the past few years.   Following the Strategic Plan’s guidelines, the Standing Committee has worked to develop collegial relationships in the diocese and assure openness and accountability on every level of our diocesan life. 

On March 31, 2004, Bishop Richard L. Shimpfky resigned and, according to the canons, the Standing Committee became the Ecclesiastical Authority of the diocese.  Throughout 2004 the Standing Committee and other diocesan leaders worked to stabilize the diocese by focusing on rekindling trust, building teamwork, and repairing diocesan structures.  Our emerging vision is of a diocesan family working together -- Christians across the diocese in congregations both large and small -- committed to mutual ministry and mutual accountability.  Our ultimate objective is a diocese that operates effectively and efficiently, incorporating the particular gifts and skills our new bishop may bring. 

We firmly believe that, working together, we can become a healthy and dynamic diocese. 

What are the leadership challenges facing our diocese?

Short-term leadership challenges

• Restore trust
• Develop effective and accurate communication systems
• Establish collaborative leadership with key diocesan leaders
• Call an assisting bishop to help us through the transition
• Repair diocesan structures
• Set goals and demand accountability
• Discern and articulate a diocesan vision

 
Long-term leadership challenges

• Develop adequate funding for diocesan programs
• Determine and enable future mission and ministry
• Elect the third diocesan bishop
• Establish collaborative leadership style for all diocesan leaders
• Maintain effective and accurate communication systems
• Maintain responsible oversight of program, policy, and budget
• Ensure ongoing strategic planning
• Conduct thorough diocesan evaluations

What goals have been set to address these challenges?

(1) Restore trust and teamwork
Throughout the year, our goal has been to establish clear communication throughout the diocese, and to build a collaborative diocesan leadership team. Responsible: Standing Committee President, Corporation President, Council Chair, Diocesan Administrator, Canon Educator, Assisting Bishop

• establishing clear communication: This goal is being met through parish visitations by the Assisting Bishop, the Canon Educator, and members of the Standing Committee; through regular contacts with the Diocesan Communication Liaisons (DCLs); through Standing Committee and Administrative Updates, News ‘n Notes, Monday Morning Meditations, and Mission House Mailings; and through the revised and amplified ECR web site.
• building a collaborative working team: Since April 1, 2004, we have worked to build a collaborative diocesan leadership team, whose members include the Standing Committee President, Corporation President, Council Chair, Administrator, Canon Educator, and Assisting Bishop.  This team is now working with and serving as a resource to clergy, congregations, Deans, DIEM, COM, and other diocesan entities and committees.

(2)  Repair and improve our structures
Since April 1, 2004, the Standing Committee has worked in partnership with diocesan committees and entities to repair diocesan structures, to support congregations of all sizes, and to regularize personnel administration.  Responsible:  Standing Committee Liaisons

• promoting financial stability and accountability in all diocesan organizations in collaboration with Diocesan Council and Corporation
• strengthening diocesan support for congregations, especially small parishes in collaboration with the Assisting Bishop, Canon Executive and Canon Educator
• requiring financial stability and accountability in diocesan missions in collaboration with DIEM and the Diocesan Administrator
• supporting the work of the Commission on Ministry as it guides candidates through the ordination process
• supporting the work of the Personnel Commission as it revises job descriptions and develops new policies and procedures

(3) Discern and articulate a diocesan vision
Since June 1, 2004, Standing Committee Liaisons have worked in partnership with the Conference Planning Team to develop a vision for the Diocese of El Camino Real through input from all levels of the diocese in discerning our values, priorities, and goals.  The Conference Planning team, working with three consultants, is leading the diocese through a process to develop our vision for the future.  This work will have the added benefit of helping us to strengthen our relationships and sense of community, foster spiritual maturity, and clarify where we want to focus our financial resources. Responsible: Conference Planning Team (Standing Committee Liaison Ann Wright working with David Breuer, Keith Johnson, Gary Letson, Barbara Miller, Silito Romero, Joanna Shreve, Jan Wood, and Tom Woodward).

• Completed in 2004:
  May 2004 - Lay Conference on shared ministry with facilitators Ron Reed and Dale Simison
  May 2004 - Clergy Conference with facilitator Al Bamsey
  September 2004 -  “Forgiving the Past, Living into the Future;” clergy and laity meet together for a day of reconciliation and planning for the future
  October 2004 - Time with the new Assisting Bishop, to meet diocesan leaders, to begin conversations with clergy, and to be welcomed by the diocesan family
  November 2004  "Living into the Future, Embracing the Possibilities;" continued discussion of shared ministry with Ron Reed and Dale Simison as facilitators
• Planned for 2005:
  January 2005 - clergy and laity share perspectives in a small group exercise at Convention. 
  February/March 2005 – laity and clergy review diocesan history in Deaneries.
  April 2005 - clergy and laity meet to share historical information collected in deanery meetings;  from the sharing of stories, we can begin to identify our norms.
  June 2005 -  laity and clergy meet to finish the work on the norms and move toward discerning core values and priorities.
  July/August 2005 - members of the Conference Planning Team conduct interviews to understand collaborative opportunities, mission field, and community perceptions of ECR.
  September 2005 - clergy and laity clarify goals, values, and identity. 
  October/November 2005 - develop a vision statement and goals and objectives to realize that vision.
  January 2006 - At the annual Diocesan Convention, we will proclaim our vision based on our common understanding of our core values and priorities

(4)  Elect the Third Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real
Our goal is to elect a Bishop whose vision and practice of mission and ministry is in alignment with the values, goals, and vision identified by the people of the Diocese.  When the Conference Planning Team process is completed, the Joint Process Committee will take up its work again.  The Search Committee will then complete tasks leading to the election of the Third Bishop of El Camino Real at a Diocesan Convention.  After the Transition Committee has completed its tasks, the Third Bishop will be consecrated.  Following the Bishop's consecration, the Bishop and diocesan leaders will work collaboratively for mission and ministry. Responsible: the People of the Diocese of El Camino Real, working through the Joint Process Committee, the Search and Transition Committees, and a special Diocesan Convention. 

What are our long-term goals for the diocese?

The long-term objectives can, at present, be seen only in broad outline.  They will be developed as the various entities of the diocese learn to confer and work together, as genuine collegiality and accountability are established, as successive Diocesan Conventions determine the possibilities and directions for the future, and as the crucial process of choosing a new Bishop is brought to completion.  These goals and objectives will be set by diocesan leaders and the people of the diocese (not just the Standing Committee) in a two-step process. Responsible:  the Bishop, Clergy and People of the Diocese, working through Convention, elected diocesan leaders, Diocesan Council and Corporation, various diocesan committees and commissions, DIEM, and deaneries

• during the interim:  Goals and objectives will be set by the Standing Committee and Assisting Bishop working with the people of the Diocese through Diocesan Council and the Conference Planning Team. The Diocesan Strategic Plan, developed in 2002 using the results of the 2001 Diocesan Assessment, will also guide this work.
• after the election of the next Diocesan Bishop: In-depth evaluations of the diocese are scheduled every five years by canon law.  Goals and action plans are drawn from these evaluations by the Strategic Planning Commission, presented for approval at Convention, and are then administered by the Bishop, the Standing Committee (acting as a council of advice), the Council (exercising oversight over program and budget), and the Corporation  (exercising oversight of funds, investments, and property).

How will the diocese improve support for diocesan programs and local ministries?

(1) Financial support for diocesan programs
Our goal is to provide dedicated financial oversight for diocesan funded programs, to maximize diocesan investments, to build, protect and utilize endowment funds, and to explore capital funds campaigns for missions.  There are three aspects to managing the financial assets of the diocese:

• Investment of the money we have:  A newly created Joint Investment Policy Committee (consisting of representatives of Corporation, Finance, and Foundation) has now begun an important review of our investment policy, the performance of our portfolio and our portfolio management alternatives.  Changes are likely to be recommended. The goal is three-fold: to increase financial oversight; to maximize our investment income prudently and in conformance with the mandates of Convention; and to provide an investment vehicle in which both donors and congregations can have confidence that their money is being well managed.  (This last goal is especially important as we seek to increase our endowments and other gifts through the Foundation’s educational efforts and to provide an investment service for those congregations that do not wish to manage their own funds.)
• Ensuring the proper use of our financial resources in ministry: The diocese’s outside auditors have recommended numerous times that we determine whether there are alternatives to what they view as the impractical and ineffective current structure of our permanently restricted funds and the fact that “the earnings are not being utilized effectively.”  The Corporation’s Board has now begun to develop a complete inventory of our funds.  A task force is working to create a detailed inventory of our funds with their purposes, restrictions, etc.  After the inventory is completed, significantly more work lies ahead in restructuring our funds and developing a new process of administration.  The goal is to develop a new, practical and effective operation to ensure that our funds are not only wisely invested but are actually used effectively to support the ministries of the Diocese to a greater extent than in the past.
• Developing full funding for diocesan programs:  We have no real operating reserve.  If Fair Shares decline too much in a given year, we have to scramble in the fall, trying to adjust our programs to fit the funds available.  This causes anxiety among those receiving diocesan funds, diminishing their effectiveness.  It is our priority to develop adequate funding to support diocesan ministries.  We plan to form a task force -- composed of representatives from the Corporation Board, Finance Committee, the Foundation, and the Stewardship Commission – to address this issue.

(2) Staff support for congregational ministries
Our goal is to support congregational ministries through the dedicated focus of diocesan leaders:

• Assisting Bishop (new job description)  The Assisting Bishop shares with the Standing Committee the task of providing leadership and vision.  He presides at Diocesan Convention, participates in meetings of Council and other bodies, and works with DIEM in mission planning and supervision.  Working with congregations, the Assisting Bishop provides pastoral care, sacramental ministry, and guidance; he conducts Visitations and Confirmations, and licenses lay ministries.  Working with the clergy, the Assisting Bishop provides pastoral care, sacramental ministry, guidance and supervision. 
• Canon Executive Officer (new job description)  The future Canon Executive Officer will support congregational and mission development by developing diocesan strategies for evangelism and church growth.  He or she will guide, support and evaluate DIEM and missions, and will assist small parishes in goal-setting, financial planning, and organizing.   The Canon Executive will assist clergy and congregations with personnel issues, serving as a deployment consultant for clergy, and as a search process consultant for congregations.  He or she will also assist congregations in conflict resolution.  The Canon Executive will assist in the building of relationships throughout the Diocese by working with parishes, missions, clergy, vestries, and lay leaders, and by modeling and teaching shared ministry.
• Canon Educator (revised job description)  The Canon Educator will continue to serve as a resource for ministry development and Christian education, fostering Christian formation for all ages, and communicating the theology, praxis, spirituality of Christian life.  She will serve as a resource person to congregations and to the Conference Planning Team, guide youth ministries in the diocese, serve as a resource person for renewal movements, EFM, and other projects, and provide other educational and training events.  She will serve as a liaison between individuals, congregations, and diocesan organizations, making parish visitations, sending Program Notes, and participating in various councils and committees. She will coordinate, mentor and support volunteers, modeling and teaching shared ministry, and providing pastoral care for volunteers. 
• Mission House staff (revised job descriptions) The Diocesan Administrator, Executive Assistant, and Accountant will continue to serve as the central communication arm for the diocese; establish and monitor Policies and Procedures; assist congregations with finance and stewardship, providing payroll and accounting services/support, strategies to address Fair Share shortfalls, ideas for stewardship campaigns, and fund raising; assist congregations with creation of business plans, and evaluation of those plans; assist congregations with property, insurance, and related issues; advise and counsel congregations on all insurance-related matters (working with the Risk Manager); create contracts for land rental, employment agreements, vendor contracts, etc. (working with the Diocesan Chancellor or other legal counsel); intercede with landlords or vendors to resolve conflict or other issues; and assist congregations in their contacts with national church and government agencies.

Conclusion: Together We Can

This Standing Committee Report has addressed the leadership challenges before us, the goals we have set to address these challenges, and our plan to improve support for diocesan programs and congregational ministries.   It is necessary to establish clear and truthful communication, build a collegial team of diocesan leaders, repair our organizational structures, and develop a diocesan vision for mission before we can move forward.  It is also necessary to develop increased financial support for diocesan programs and ministries.  Finally, it is necessary to establish a working diocesan staff, comprised of seasoned and skilled personnel (bishop, canons, and administrator) to support our congregational, regional and diocesan ministries.  

We believe that our diocese is now ready to move into a dynamic and exciting future.  With Bishop Romero's guidance, with the collegial work of many diocesan leaders, and with the contributions of every parish and mission in our diocese, we see a future diocese that is vital and growing, supporting the ministries of its congregations, and bringing the good news of Christ to our surrounding cultures.  

Statistics for 2004

The Standing Committee met twelve times in regular session and four times in extra session.  In March the Committee held one overnight retreat and also met for two days with The Rt. Rev. Clayton Matthews of the Presiding Bishop’s Office of Pastoral Development. Seven additional meetings were held via hour-long conference calls.  The Standing Committee met in joint sessions with members of the Corporation and the Commission on Ministry.  Committee members also met regularly, as individual liaisons, with the following persons, councils and committees: Diocesan Council, Diocesan Corporation, Department of Intercultural Evangelism and Mission, the Commission on Ministry, the Deans, the Priests, the Deacons, the Finance Committee, the Budget Committee, the Episcopal Foundation, the Auditors, the Mission House staff, and the Personnel Committee.   The Standing Committee approved five encumbrances on property: on behalf of Todos los Santos in Nipomo, St. Joseph the Worker in Milpitas, St. Philip’s in Scotts Valley, and St. Andrew’s in Saratoga, as well as the sale of the episcopal residence. Nationally, the Standing Committee gave consent to the election of two diocesan bishops and one suffragan bishop.  Working with the Commission on Ministry, we approved one ordinand to the vocational diaconate, two ordinands for the transitional diaconate, five candidates for priesthood, and two ordinands for priesthood.

For the Standing Committee:   
The Rev. Donna Ross, President
Mr. Joseph Chouinard,
the Rev. Chris Creed,
the Rev. Joan Gardner,
Dr. Gordon Gritter,
the Rev. Harriet Linville,
Ms. Ginger Redman,
Ms. Joanna Shreve,
Ms. Ann Wright 

The Standing Committee thanks:
Mr. Hugh Barton, Chair of El Camino Real Foundation;
Ms. Nancy Cohen, Chancellor of the Diocese;
Ms. Katy Dickinson, Convenor of Department of Evangelism and Mission;
Ms. Diane Lovelace, Chair of Diocesan Council;
Mr. Edward Markham, Treasurer of the Diocese;
Mr. Richard Mueller, Chair of Finance and Audit Committee;
the Rev. Brian Nordwick, Diocesan Administrator;
Mr. Frank Snow, Secretary of the Diocese;
the Rev. James Thomas, Diocesan Deployment Officer;
Mr. Jerry Witherspoon, Chair of Commission on Ministry;
Mr. Timothy Wittlinger, Esq;
the Rev. Jan Wood, Canon Educator;
the Rev. Thomas Woodward, Chair of Strategic Planning;
the Rev. Ernest Cockrell and former members of the Standing Committee;
the Rt. Rev. Clayton Matthews, Presiding Bishop’s Office of Pastoral Affairs;
the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, Diocese of Los Angeles;
and the Rt. Rev. Sylvestre Romero, Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real.