| As the Episcopal Church enters post-Christendom, it will need to adjust and adapt some it is operational assumptions in order to accept the prompting of the Mind of God in the Spirit's power. The Diocese of El Camino Real, due to its history and cultural setting, is situated to participate in this renewal, especially as it pertains to the mission and ministry of the diocesan bishop and the congregations in that jurisdiction. The shared episcope (governance function) between the bishop and the presiding ministers of the Diocese is the primary focus of and locus of this renewal.; The presenting problem of the forced resignation of the second bishop of the Diocese and the concomitant revelations of an impending financial crisis have served to precipitate this essay in constructive ecclesiology, Using the theoretical frameworks presented by Clayton and Morowitz, Laszlo, Levinas, Hegel, Lewis, Radner, Bolman and Deal, Cormode, Schaller, Heifetz and Laurie, Schaef and Fassel, among others, apostolicity, the episcopate and its niche the diocese, as well as contemporary management concepts will be used to point to the emerging office of the episcopacy and the transforming Diocese in central, coastal California. The challenges that are presenting themselves and the use to which they may be put in bringing about this transformation may be paradigmatic for the whole Church. |
