Update from the Diocesan Search Committee

To access the Consent and Authorization Form for clergy interested in participating in the search, click HERE.

To access the Diocesan Profile, click HERE.  

Finding Candidates to Become Our Next Bishop

The Search Committee’s charge is to present a slate of qualified candidates to the Standing Committee. The Search Committee does not select the next bishop. The committee, however, needs your input to define who the next bishop should be! Here is a brief outline for what to expect throughout the diocese with the search process. We will continue to send out updates as we move along, so please publish this information in your communities and be on the lookout for updates.

Survey

The Search Committee has collected information through an online survey called “Holy Cow.”  The survey results will supplement the information you gave us at the listening sessions and help us more accurately determine the needs of our congregations. The survey is is closed and the results have been tabulated.

Profile

The Search Committee is creating a diocesan profile, which will be a summary of who we are and what we are about in the Diocese of Northwest Texas. It will include information about the mission, character, history, and finances of this unique diocese. The information from the listening sessions and the Holy Cow survey will shape this profile. The profile serves as a notice to clergy across the Episcopal Church that we are looking for candidates to become our next bishop. This profile is how we will begin the communication process with interested priests.  The profile is published as of 4/28/26 and will remain active for approximately six weeks.

Applications

The Search Committee accepts applications for consideration beginning with the publication of the profile.  Nominations are not accepted outside of this application process. However, if there is a priest you would like us to consider, you can direct them to the profile and ask that they prayerfully consider applying!

Interviews

Once the application window closes, the Search Committee the interview process begins.  Interviews will be conducted in person or by Zoom during the summer.

Retreat

On September 24 - 25, the Search Committee hosts a weekend retreat in Amarillo with the applicants being considered for the final slate of candidates. There will be additional interviews, discussions, and a chance to interact with potential candidates in formal and informal settings across the diocese.

Presentation of Proposed Slate to Standing Committee

Within two weeks of the retreat, the Search Committee finalizes its proposed slate of candidates, presenting it to the diocese’s Standing Committee to determine who the candidates will be.

Transition Committee

Once the Standing Committee submits its proposed slate, the Search Committee’s work is over. It hands off the remaining work of the selection process to the Transition Committee. The Transition Committee organizes a tour of the diocese for the candidates, plans the election of our next bishop on January 16, 2027, and plans the ordination festivities scheduled for June 3-5, 2027.

Role of the Bishop

A bishop is the chief pastor and spiritual guardian of a diocese, entrusted with oversight of the church’s faith, worship, and mission.  

The bishop’s authority is not about control, but about care.

Not about power, but about presence. 

Not about hierarchy for its own sake, but about community in Christ.

A bishop helps the church remember who it is and whose it is.  

Pray for the wisdom to discern faithfully the person best suited to serve this diocese.  Pray that our hearts and minds will be open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit throughout this process, as we learn more about who we are and who we should become.  

Final Note

Over the course of this search process, we will continue to publish more information so be on the lookout for updates along the way. The Search Committee asks that you keep in your prayers the committee, the diocesan office, all the clergy who apply, and our future bishop. We especially ask that you keep Bishop Scott Mayer and his family in your prayers as he completes his time as our bishop and prepares for the next chapter in his life. 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.