The Bishop's Address to the 121st Council of the Diocese
Address To The 121st Annual Council Of The Diocese Of West Texas
February 21, 2025 | San Marcos, Texas
The Rt. Rev. Dr. David G. Read, D.D.
Bishop of West Texas
WELCOME AND GREETINGS
Good morning! Buenos dias! Bienvenidos a todos. Greetings
• To the clergy and clergy spouses;
• To the delegates, alternates and lay leaders gathered here;
• To the honored guests, mission partners, visitors and friends of the Diocese of West Texas;
Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
THANK YOU TO OUR HOST CONGREGATIONS
We are gracefully hosted in San Marcos for this council by two congregations: Holy Spirit, Dripping Springs and St. Elizabeth’s, Buda. I invite you to join me in thanking the Rev.’s Mike Woods & Evan Hierholzer and our amazing co-chairs Vanessa Westbrook & Sylva Kezar, our sub-committee co-chairs, cookie bakers, musicians, and countless other sisters and brothers in Christ who are taking care of us throughout this council. Thank you to our hosts!
GREETINGS TO BISHOPS & SPOUSES
One of the books I read during Christmas break is entitled, The Power of the Other, by Dr. Henry Cloud.
It reminded me that each one of us needs other people in our lives and in our corner to help us perform at our very best. As Bishop I am so very grateful to stand with my predecessors in this office who gird me up by their prayers, their support, and their ministries:
• The Rt. Rev. James Folts – 8th Bishop of West Texas;
• The Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge – 9th Bishop of West Texas and Interim Rector at Christ Church, San Antonio and his wife Catherine.
• The Rt. Rev. David Reed – 10th Bishop of West Texas and Interim Rector at Grace Church, San Antonio and his wife Patti.
• The Rt. Rev. Rayford High, Former Assisting Bishop in West Texas, and his wife the Rev. Canon Ann Normand.
Also joining us at this council are four active bishops:
• The Rt. Rev. Dr. Ann Ritonia – Bishop Suffragan for Armed Forces and Federal ministries.
• The Rt. Rev. Dr. Jonathan Folts – Bishop of South Dakota and partner in mission.
• The Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenda Curry – Bishop of Alabama and our luncheon speaker today.
• The Rt. Rev. Sue Briner, Bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
I give thanks to God for these sisters and brothers in Christ and in the House of Bishops for their faithfulness, their service, and their support of me and of West Texas.
Finally, I am so grateful to be joined at this council, and at the head table, by our Bishop Suffragan-Elect, the Rev. Angela Cortiñas. As you know, she was elected by you and the Holy Spirit in October. She began her work in the diocese in January, and she will be consecrated on Saturday, March 15 at St. John’s Church & School in McAllen. Our new Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, will be the Chief Consecrator. I will say more about her role in a few minutes, and I invite you to welcome her to her first council in the Diocese of West Texas!
SEND GREETINGS
I ask the Rev. Ramiro Lopez, Secretary of the Diocese, to send heartfelt and warmest greetings and love from this council to Nancy Hibbs – widow of the Rt. Rev. Robert Hibbs, Bishop Suffragan, and an active member of St. Elizabeth’s, Buda. And to Shirley MacNaughton, widow of the Rt. Rev. John MacNaughton, 7th Bishop of West Texas, and a member of St. Luke’s, San Antonio.
I pause here for a moment to honor and remember Sandy Folts who entered the nearer presence of our Lord this last year. Wife of the 8th Bishop of West Texas, she faithfully traveled the miles and miles of West Texas with him; a preschool teacher extraordinaire; Sandy doted on clergy families, and loved on clergy children with creative notes, small gifts, a genuine interest in each person, and much love. And I invite us to a moment of silence to give thanks to God for Sandy Folts and her ministry among us.
OUR THEME
The theme for our council, and for the year, is “Here am I. Send Me.” These words come from the 6th chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah. In this narrative, Isaiah has a vision of God seated on a heavenly throne, high and lifted up, while the chant “Holy, Holy, Holy” reverberates through the chamber and clouds of incense fill the sanctuary. 6-winged seraphim were in attendance. The visible radiance of glory filled the sanctuary and spilled out to fill the whole earth.
Isaiah got a glimpse of what is normally veiled to mortals. So, no wonder his first reaction is, “Woe is me, for I am lost.” After taking away his sin and guilt with a live coal that touched his lips, Isaiah hears the voice of the lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here Am I; Send Me.” And God did. God sent Isaiah to be a prophet to his people in Judah.
I chose this theme because of particular challenges the Diocese of West Texas is facing in these days. Nationwide, The Episcopal Church is beginning to experience a very real shortage of clergy. Here are some numbers from the episcopal church to illustrate what i am talking about:
• 51% of all active clergy are 55+
• Mandatory retirement for clergy is 72. Half of all active clergy will retire in the next decade.
• In 2010 there were 325 new priests ordained. In 2022 there were 225 and there were 411 retirements.
• There are fewer full-time positions for clergy. In 2010, 74% of open positions were full-time. In 2022, 46% of open positions were full-time and 54% were part-time.
• Factors impacting clergy deployment include: family needs, financial compensation, housing markets, political climate, cultural factors, geography, and more.
We are beginning to see the impact of this growing clergy shortage on search processes in West Texas. The harvest is plentiful, but the ordained laborers are growing fewer. So, before I go any further, I want to invite you to join me in thanking the clergy who are faithfully serving in West Texas.
I recently viewed a documentary about the lives of episcopal clergy in West Texas, and I thought I would show you a short clip from it.
All joking aside. I want to thank our clergy for their faithfulness, for their hard work, for striving to “bring in the herd.” Our clergy are serving in very challenging times, and they are to be commended and thanked. Our clergy are serving in a politically divided time. A time when people are overly sensitive to unintended political statements. A time of serving in a church that is no longer what it was and has still not yet becoming something new.
In addition to a clergy shortage, we in West Texas continue to be impacted by post-covid trends. According to a study on congregational recovery funded by the Lilly Foundation, several nation-wide trends are impacting us in West Texas.
1. Overall, in-person and virtual worship attendance is on the rise from a low in the spring of 2020 but has not yet fully recovered to pre-covid levels.
2. Income is up. Note: congregations emphasizing online and electronic giving saw a 30% increase in per capita giving over those congregations that do not use it.
3. Overall, serious conflict in congregations has decreased.
4. Over 80% of congregations surveyed expressed a positive outlook on their future.
These are all positive trends. But the trend I want to focus on now involves lay ministry. Prior to covid, 40% of folks attending worship were involved in regular ministry or volunteering in their congregation. During covid, like everything else, that number fell dramatically, to just 15%. According to the latest data from late 2023, that number has now risen to just 35%. The number of lay people engaged in ministry in their congregations is still below pre-pandemic levels. Only about one-third of folks in attendance are serving.
I hear this need consistently expressed in my travels. There is a need in many of our congregations for Altar Guild Servers, Acolytes, Ushers, Sunday School Teachers, Bible Study Facilitators, Vestry Members, Outreach Leaders, Office Angels, and more.
With these growing clergy and lay ministry shortages in mind, I chose our theme, “Here Am I. Send me.” I chose it to remind us that each one of us is called. Every person, in every pew, in every congregation, is called. Women and men; youth and children; middle aged and senior citizens; high school and college students - all are called. The Risen Lord is inviting each one of us to actively engage in the mission and ministry of reconciling all people and all creation to God.
Some of our congregations have a need to evaluate their current ministries to ask which are still effective – if they are having the same impact they did when they began. And those that are not need to be altered or stopped, rather than asking people to maintain something that’s not working. But the need for active lay ministers is real. And this means you, and the people in your congregation. Your church, and your Lord, need you to say: “Here am I. Send Me.”
In addition to our annual council theme, it is my pleasure to continue a tradition begun by Bishop Lillibridge of inviting the diocese to read the same scriptures throughout the year. This year I am inviting you all to read 1 & 2 Peter and the letter to James. Our Christian Formation team has prepared resources to help you with this that are already available. In addition, Suzanna Green and Canon Leyla King have created a Lenten video series on our council theme, and it is ready and available for you to use this lent to discuss ministry and vocations.
EXPANSION OF THE IONA COLLABORATIVE
DISCERNMENT WEEKENDS
TERM LIMITS IN ORDER TO RAISE UP LEADERS
In order to help people pray, discern, and explore where God is calling them in ministry, the Diocese of West Texas will launch a series of discernment or discovery weekends. The first of these will be in November. These weekends are open to anyone who is exploring how the Holy Spirit is calling and equipping you for ministry. These weekends will explore lay and ordained vocations; the permanent diaconate; the bi-vocational priesthood; church planting; parish ministries; and the path to ordination. I have asked Archdeacon Mike Besson to coordinate these discernment weekends, and he is working with a good team of folks to plan our first one.
In addition, the Diocese of West Texas is partnering with the Iona Collaborative to significantly expand the Iona School in West Texas. Currently, our Iona School is geared toward persons studying for the bi-vocational priesthood. There are nine priests serving in West Texas who are graduates of this program and serving well in mostly small and rural congregations. With the expansion of the Iona school in West Texas, we will create a three-track model. The lay track will be open to anyone who wants to learn more and have a greater theological and biblical foundation for their lay ministry (all of you should want this!). This track will also include training for lay preachers who will be licensed to serve in congregations where there is not a priest every Sunday.
The second track will be for those studying for ordination to the permanent Diaconate. This will be a two-year program meeting monthly to give deacons the foundation they need to do the servant ministry to which they have been called.
And, the third track of Iona will be for those studying for the priesthood. This is one of the ways we will continue to raise up and form clergy to serve in the 60 counties of West Texas.
If you have any interest at all in the Iona Collaborative, I invite you to attend their workshop this afternoon.
Finally, in addition to discovery weekends and expanding the Iona School in West Texas, I am asking all committees and commissions of the diocese to look seriously at creating their own term limits. In a recent survey of our committee structure, I noticed several committees that had people who had served 15 years or more in the same role. If we are going to be serious about raising up new leaders in West Texas, we will need to be intentional about creating systems where people serve a maximum of two, 3-year terms, and then take a break after helping to train new members and new leaders. I am not demanding this of every committee, but I am strongly encouraging each committee or commission to look at the tenure of your members and create your own system to raise up new leaders for ministry. The diocesan staff and I are available to help you figure this out.
Discovery weekends to explore vocations; an expanded Iona school for the laity, deacons, and priests; and intentionally raising up new leaders are ways we can address the current shortage in clergy and lay ministries in West Texas.
OUR BISHOP SUFFRAGAN ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
One of the people who did respond faithfully to God’s call is our Bishop Suffragan-Elect, Angela Cortiñas. Last year at this council I called for the election of a bishop suffragan to share in the ministry of this diocese which is vast in geography and vast in ministry. In my address I outlined some of the duties and responsibilities that I would ask of our bishop suffragan.
Bishop-Elect Cortiñas will join me in making visitations throughout the diocese. She will preach the gospel, celebrate the sacraments of the new covenant; confirm, receive and reaffirm folks prepared by you; teach; and assist me in supporting the ministry in our 87 congregations.
Bishop-Elect Cortiñas will have oversight of the development of lay ministry, Christian formation, and discipleship in the diocese. While there is excellent ministry already happening in these areas, we have plenty of room to grow in forming disciples of Jesus Christ who will respond to God with, “Here am I. Send Me.”
Bishop-Elect Cortiñas will also assist me in the development and on-boarding of new clergy, curates, and seminarians.
She will assist me in the pastoral care of clergy, clergy families retired clergy and their families.
I have asked Bishop-Elect Cortiñas to have oversight and leadership of Hispanic ministry in West Texas.
We need a bold and expansive vision for Hispanic ministry in West Texas. And I am excited about the
future of this ministry in our diocese.
I will also appoint Bishop-Elect Cortiñas to serve on the board of Morningside Ministries.
And Bishop-Elect Cortiñas will assist me in responding to the great variety of opportunities and challenges that are part of the daily and weekly unpredictable ministry at the diocesan level.
You have a critical role in assisting our new bishop. When I became Bishop, I had the advantage of having lived and served in West Texas for decades. I knew much of our written and unwritten history, culture, traditions, stories, and customs. I had visited many of our congregations for vestry retreats, guest preaching, ordinations, installations, and more. Bishop-Elect Cortiñas will need your help to learn your stories and our story. Add her to your newsletter list. Don’t assume she knows the history of your congregation, or how long you’ve been a member or a priest. Let her ask you questions. And help her get on-board.
She also brings outside experiences that will be assets to me and to you as we continue to experiment with new ways to do ministry in these present times.
I look forward to seeing you on March 15, as we gather in McAllen with the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop, for the very first time to consecrate a bishop in the Rio Grande Valley.
DEACONS
Speaking of new ministries, I turn now to the subject of the permanent Diaconate. Last year I called for a task force to study the reintroduction of the permanent Diaconate in West Texas. I’m so very grateful to the Rev. Dr. Mike Marsh and the members of the committee for their work in this area. They will present their report to you tomorrow morning. With your support, it is my intention to move forward with this initiative. I do so with a reminder to all of us of the role and ministry of deacons.
The Diaconate, along with priests and bishops, is an ordained order within the church. A deacon is called to be first and foremost a servant. This is a ministry for those who want to be engaged in service: feeding the hungry; clothing the naked; tending the sick; teaching children; advocating for immigrants; counseling the lonely, visiting the imprisoned. In serving these, we are serving Christ himself. A deacon brings the needs of the poor to the church, and the ministry of the church to the poor.
This is not a ministry for those who want to sit in nice offices and to dress up in pretty vestments to stand in front of the congregation on Sunday mornings. A deacon should smell not of incense and furniture polish but should smell like the people he or she serves. A deacon should often smell of poverty. In this day and time when
we need to learn to get outside the walls of our congregations and meet our neighbors, I pray the ministry of deacons may be an effective way for us to do just that.
Those who are discerning a call to the servant ministry of deacon are likely already serving in some capacity in their congregation or community. They should present themselves to their local priest to begin the discernment process.
CHURCH PLANTING
Yesterday we welcomed St. Nicholas’ church deeper into the family of congregations in West Texas. St. Nicholas is the most recent church plant of the Diocese of West Texas. Their story is an amazing success story, illustrating the fact that West Texas can plant churches. It is now time to plant the next one. We plant churches because the great commission is not “the great suggestion.” Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, is still his great expectation of us.
The good news is that church planting is in the D.N.A. of West Texas. I invited Curt Mowen to do a little research project for me. My question was, “how many congregations have been planted during the tenures of each bishop of West Texas?” Here is our history by the numbers:
Bishop Elliott (1874-1887) 45
Bishop Johnston (1888-1916) 45
Bishop Capers (1914-1943) 13
Bishop Jones (1943-1968) 46
Bishop Gosnell (1968-1977) 2
Bishop Bailey (1977-1987) 10
Bishop MacNaughton (1987-1995) 2
Bishop Folts (1994-2006)1 1
Bishop Lillibridge (2006-2017) 1
Bishop Reed (2015-2023) 2
Bishop Read (2024-) 0
Total 167
In the early days of West Texas, church planting was incredibly common. Our canons in 1904 allowed that anytime 20 adult communicants gathered together, they could petition the bishop to form a parish. Even as recently as Bishop Bailey’s tenure as bishop, this diocese planted 10 new churches in 10 years.
Church planting must once again be part of regular conversation throughout West Texas. It must not be the function of just the bishop and diocesan staff. Church planting must involve all of us, through the creation of unique networks, partnerships, and collaborations between clergy, congregations and the diocesan office. I’m so grateful to the Rev. Mike Michie and the other members of the Church Planting Task Force for their work since our last council. Tomorrow, they will present to you a big, audacious goal: to plant five new congregations in 10 years. It’s a big goal, but it’s a needed goal. The harvest is plentiful in many parts of the diocese.
Just last week I read in the San Antonio Business Journal several statistics about the San Antonio - New Braunfels metropolitan area:
• In this area in 2016 there were 7,600 new home starts. In the first three quarters of 2024, there were 17,751.
• In the past three years the population in that area has grown by 500,000 new residents.
• From 2015 – 2024 the population has grown 42%.
That is just one of the growing areas in West Texas that is ripe for planting new congregations. Other areas include Laredo, the Valley, the Northside of San Antonio, and the San Antonio to Austin corridor.
You may have noticed when you look at the chart of congregations planted by bishops over the last 150 years that there have been a total of 167 congregations planted in West Texas. Today, there are 87. Not every church plant attempted in the last 150 years has lasted forever. Population shifts, economic shifts, leadership challenges, local needs, have all played a role in the ups and downs of congregational life in west Texas. And that’s o.k. You may remember that last year I gave you permission to experiment, and permission to fail. While we want to do our homework and make decisions based on the best information available at the time, not everything we do will last forever. And that’s o.k. Church planting has ebbed and flowed depending on other circumstances like economic downturns, world wars, and internal conflicts. Today, we are uniquely positioned, and the environment is ripe to plant new congregations, and we must do it.
STUDY THE APPORTIONMENT FORMULA
As we think about the investment of human and financial resources across the Diocese of West Texas, we must revisit the current apportionment formula. As many of you know, each congregation in West Texas contributes a percentage of their income to support ministry at the diocesan and national levels. Our current formula has six tiers from the lowest of 10% to the highest of 18%. It is based on a three-year rolling average of income. The current formula was adopted by this council in 2005.
I believe it is time to re-examine whether this formula still works for our current needs. We need to ask questions like, “Is this current system sustainable – especially for our large churches?” “How does the current formula assist or stifle growth?” “How are other dioceses of similar size and resources funding their ministries?”
But there is a bigger question here than whether or not diocesan apportionment should be lower, higher, or unchanged. The bigger question is, “What is the purpose of our diocesan level structure?” “Why does our diocesan level structure exist?” “What do we expect or need at that level?”
I believe there are three really basic answers to those questions. The diocesan level structure exists first and foremost to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Second, the diocesan level structure exists to support the congregations and institutions in West Texas so that they thrive. And third, the diocesan level structure exists to do ministries that are best done at that level, or ministries that are best done together. Some of those include
important administration ministries like property and medical insurance. But some of them include life-changing ministry like the ministries at Camp Capers and Mustang Island that no single parish could sustain alone.
As we think about the apportionment formula in West Texas we must also clearly focus on the purpose of our diocesan structure. In the next 30 days I will appoint a task force to study our apportionment formula and bring back recommendations to the next council. This important work was begun by my predecessor, Bishop Reed, and derailed by covid. It is time to pick it up again.
Finally, no discussion of apportionment can be had which does not also take into account increasing endowment income. It is income from endowments that enables West Texas to do so much more than if we solely relied on apportionment funds from congregations. Thanks to the work of Bishop James Folts which launched the diocesan foundation, and the management of dan butt, and the many gifts and bequests of faithful saints, West Texas enjoys significant endowment income that supports many ministries.
I believe it is time to do more. I believe it is time for us to significantly expand the endowments which support the ministry of Camps and Conferences. The ministries which take place at Camp Capers, Mustang Island Conference Center, and Duncan Park are life-transforming ministries. Through summer camps, Cursillos, and retreats, people of all ages encounter our Risen Lord and have their lives transformed forever. Our Camp and Conference centers historically have been places where young adults tested calls to ordained ministry – including our last four diocesan bishops. For those ministries to continue to flourish for decades to come, their endowments need to be expanded. Now hear me out: I am not looking to fully endow our camps so that the diocesan budget and our congregations no longer play a vital role or no longer have “skin in the game.” We will always fund these ministries through the diocesan budget. But an endowment of $10 million would provide income to continue to support these ministries and the maintenance of these sites for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren in addition to helping us reduce apportionments across the diocese.
SMALL CHURCH MINISTRY BEARING BIG FRUIT
I want to note that last year at this council I introduced to you our new Canon for Mission in Small Congregations, Leyla King. There are many exciting initiatives for small congregations that Canon King and our diocesan staff have introduced to the diocese to help our small congregations thrive. Remember how I encouraged you to experiment last year? Well, we are experimenting as well. Thanks to the work of Canon King, Anna Tarver, and Canon Caroline Mowen, we are running an experiment in the diocesan office involving diocesan staff assisting several congregations in different parts of the diocese with their bookkeeping needs. We have also partnered to develop an easy-to-use, inexpensive bookkeeping software. When our experiment is finished, we will share the results and invite more congregations to participate. This is just one way the Diocese of West Texas is helping small congregations thrive, and I’m very excited about the future of this ministry.
IMMIGRATION MINISTRIES & CURRENT POLITICS
One of the places we see new challenges in West Texas is in our immigration ministries. The change in border policy instituted by the new administration has had a significant impact on Plaza de Paz. The impact actually began in 2024. With changes in President Biden’s policies, the numbers of migrants we were serving began to drop significantly, and that decline has continued into 2025.
Therefore, in consultation with Flor Saldivar who leads our Immigration Ministries, I made the decision to close Plaza de Paz respite center. This is not a reflection on the hard work of Flor, Melanie, and the staff of Plaza de Paz. Neither is it a reflection on our desire to serve people in West Texas. It is in response to the realities of the current need. This does not mean that the Diocese of West Texas will no longer do any immigration ministries. It just means that we will adjust and change our ministries to meet the changing needs within the diocese.
In the 6th chapter of Isaiah, from which our council theme is derived, the chapter begins with the sentence, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord…” in the year that King Uzziah died. It was a tough year, the year 742bce. Uzziah had been a good king for Judah. He brought much stability to the land. When he died, his son Jotham took over as king and he was weak and ineffective. The whole nation of Judah was destabilized. Assyria was growing in power and appeared to be ready to invade.
God called Isaiah to a seemingly impossible task. God called Isaiah to proclaim God’s word to a people “whose heart is fat; whose ears are heavy; and whose eyes are blind.” A disruptive transition in political power and a culture whose hearts, ears and eyes were focused elsewhere… does this sound familiar to any of you?
We are living and serving and doing ministry in very strange and challenging times. The political climate is hyper-sensitive and ready to react to any perceived questioning or challenge to the new status quo. Threats of political violence are now the norm in our land. Just a few weeks ago the Bishop of Washington pleaded for mercy for migrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community and was met with threats. You may agree or disagree with her sermon, but as followers of Jesus we must be saddened by threats of violence.
There is no room in America, or in our congregations, for hatred. There is no room for racial stereotyping or racial profiling. There is no room for language that suggests all migrants are criminals, or lazy, or somehow sub-human. They are children of God. Citizens of God’s kingdom. Loved by Jesus their Lord. And we should have no tolerance in the church for anything less than love.
In the midst of these challenging times our lord stands and asks each one of us in the diocese of West Texas, “Who will go for us? Whom shall we send?” I pray and hope that every one of us will once again respond to the lord who calls us into ministry in such a time as this. I pray you will respond, “Here am I. Send Me.”
CONCLUSION
I have now been your Bishop Diocesan for just over one year. I have learned much, and I still have much to learn. I am proud to say “I am the Bishop of West Texas” because I am proud of you. As I travel our diocese I see the work, and ministry, the outreach and experimentation, the labors of love, and the challenges of our day. And I thank my God always for you, and for my wife, Jacqui.
As we continue this journey; as we continue learning to be the church in a new day; as we do ministry in challenging times; as we learn to get outside our walls and try new ministries; I invite you to say bigger prayers.
Phillips Brooks was a graduate of Virginia theological seminary and rector of Trinity Church in Boston. He also composed the words to the Christmas hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” before becoming Bishop of Massachusetts. Phillips Brooks is quoted as saying, “Pray bigger prayers.” “Don’t pray for crutches – pray for wings.” “There is not one prayer you can pray that Jesus doesn’t wish it was bigger.”
Pray bigger prayers, for the Diocese of West Texas, for your congregation, and for yourself. Pray bigger prayers, and stand up to say, “Here am I. Send Me.” Amen.
