The Episcopal Church in its convention in Louisville Ky elected its youngest Presiding bishop on June 26, Bishop Sean Rowe, 49. Rowe, who will be the 28th presiding bishop, has been bishop of the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania since 2007 and bishop provisional of Western New York since 2019.
Addressing his fellow bishops and delegates to the meeting after his election, Bishop Rowe called for the church to be courageous and resilient heading into what he described as an “existential crisis” caused by a changing world. He suggested he would encourage the denomination to focus on local dioceses and congregations and streamline its national structure so it doesn’t “collapse under its own weight.”
He compared the denomination’s uncertain status to his experience growing up in western Pennsylvania in the 1980s, as factories closed and friends moved away. But he also expressed optimism. “God is calling us ever more deeply into the unknown,” he said. “Let us follow Jesus into this unknown future filled with hope.”
He will be installed in November after Bishop Curry completes his term at the end of Oct., 2024.