Diocese of Iowa announces slate of candidates for 10th bishop

Posted May 11, 2021

[Diocese of Iowa] The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Iowa announced May 11 the slate of candidates for the 10th bishop of Iowa.

The candidates (listed in alphabetical order by last name) are:

  • The Rev. Jennifer Andrews-Weckerly, currently rector of Hickory Neck Episcopal Church, Toano Virginia, in the diocese of Southern Virginia.
  • The Rev. Betsey Monnot, currently priest-in-charge of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church and director and retreat leader, Called to Abundant Life: Leadership Consulting in the Diocese of Northern California.
  • The Rev. Elizabeth Duff Popplewell, currently rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Cedar Falls, in the Diocese of Iowa.

“Through a prayerful process of discernment, and creatively responding to challenges presented by the pandemic, the Bishop Search and Nominating Committee worked hard to bring forth a slate of bishop candidates that each would be a faithful and inspiring leader of the Diocese of Iowa,” said the Rev. Kathleen Milligan, acting president of the Standing Committee. “The Standing Committee is thrilled to announce a slate of three incredible women as candidates for the 10th bishop of Iowa. Each one is exceptionally qualified and uniquely gifted, and would be a blessing to our diocese.”

The Standing Committee has also announced the opening of the petition process, which allows additional nominees to be added to the slate within 10 days. The final slate of candidates will be announced by the Standing Committee on June 15, 2021, after the close of the petition process on May 21, 2021, at 5 p.m. CDT.

Members of the diocese will have the opportunity to learn more about the candidates during a series of Meet and Greet events, which will be held in person and livestreamed July 12-16, 2021.

The election will be held in person and livestreamed on July 31 in Des Moines, Iowa, with the consecration to take place on Dec. 18. The bishop will be seated at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul the following day. The new bishop will succeed the Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, who was consecrated on April 5, 2003. He will retire on Dec. 18, 2021.

The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa includes almost 7,000 members in 58 congregations, including Trinity Cush Church, a congregation formed by South Sudanese immigrants that was admitted to the diocese in 2020 and a long-standing ministry of Native Americans at St. Paul’s Indian Mission in Sioux City, Iowa. The Diocese of Iowa hosts several specialized ministries, including The Way Station, the Beloved Community Initiative, the Agape Café. The Diocese of Iowa was founded in 1853, and its offices are located in Des Moines. The diocese covers the entire state of Iowa.


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