The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, has been nominated. Voting is scheduled for March 1 in Bethlehem.
Bishop Sean Rowe is shown with his wife, Carly, and their daughter Lauren. If elected March 1 to be provisional bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, Rowe will take up his new duties immediately.
The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem announced Thursday night that the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, is the nominee for provisional bishop of Bethlehem.
Rowe would continue as bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania under the proposed arrangement, which would continue for three years.
The convention at which the diocese's clergy and lay representatives will vote on Rowe's nomination is set for March 1 in Bethlehem, according to a news release from the diocese.
"The Standing Committee chose Bishop Sean as our nominee for provisional bishop because of his stable, forward-thinking leadership in Northwestern Pennsylvania," said the Rev. Canon Andrew T. Gerns, president of the Standing Committee in Bethlehem and rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Easton.
"He has a strong track record of building relationships with clergy and lay leaders and proven skill at resolving conflict directly and effectively. We're pleased that the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania has so readily agreed to undertake this innovative arrangement with us."
In the news release, Rowe said: "I am honored to be nominated as provisional bishop of the Diocese of Bethlehem. Across the Episcopal Church, dioceses are seeking innovative ways to pursue 21st century mission and ministry.
"I am pleased to have this opportunity to help transform the church by fostering collaboration and developing new models for mission that will strengthen the witness of the Episcopal Church in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the work of God's people in our communities."
Gerns said calling for a provisional bishop is the best way for the local diocese to proceed in the long term.
The Diocese of Bethlehem's previous bishop, the Rt. Rev. Paul V. Marshall, retired Dec. 31 after a terminal sabbatical. On Jan. 1, a diocesan standing committee announced plans to call a provisional bishop for a three-year term.
The March 1 electing convention will take place at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity, 321 Wyandotte St. in Bethlehem. Clergy of the diocese and lay leaders from each congregation will vote on the nomination of Rowe as provisional bishop.
If elected, Rowe will take up his new duties immediately and by August spend half of his time in each diocese. He, his wife, Carly, and their 1-year-old daughter, Lauren, will have a home in both suburban Erie and in Bethlehem.
Rowe was ordained bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania, which comprises 33 congregations in 13 counties, in 2007. He is known for developing transformational leadership and is a doctorate candidate in organizational learning and leadership at Gannon University.
He is a 2000 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va., and a 1997 graduate of Grove City College in Grove City, Pa. He serves as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops, chair of the Episcopal Church Building Fund, and member of the Task Force for Reimagining the Episcopal Church, the Council of Advice to the President of the House of Deputies and the General Board of Examining Chaplains.
The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem comprises 63 congregations in 14 counties of northeastern Pennsylvania. Its territory includes churches in the Lehigh Valley. To learn more, visit diobeth.org.