UPDATED: Diocese of Pittsburgh announces slate of candidates for 9th bishop

Posted May 24, 2021

Editor’s note: The diocese’s Standing Committee announced on May 24 that two nominees, the Rev. Scott Gunn and the Rev. Jeffrey D. Murph, were added by petition. 

[Diocese of Pittsburgh]The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh on May 14 announced a slate of three priests to stand for election to become its next bishop.

The nominees, in alphabetical order, are:

  • The Very Rev. Kim L. Coleman, rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Arlington, Virginia
  • The Rev. Scott A. Gunn, executive director of Forward Movement, based in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • The Rev. Jeffrey D. Murph, rector, St. Thomas Memorial Episcopal Church, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
  • The Rev. Ketlen A. Solak, rector, Brandywine Collaborative Ministries, Wilmington, Delaware
  • The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox, rector, Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge, New Jersey

The diocese has posted biographical profiles, including full resumes and responses to a set of essay questions, on the “Meet the Nominees” pages of its Pittsburgh Episcopal Bishop Search website.

“The selection of these nominees began with a large pool of applicants compared to other Episcopal dioceses recently,” said the Rev. Noah Evans, rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon and president of the diocesan Standing Committee, the governing board that oversees the election.  He added: “We are deeply grateful for the work of the nominating committee in discerning these individuals.”

A 14-member nominating committee of local lay leaders and clergy spent the last 15 months assessing the needs of the diocese, soliciting applications, screening and interviewing candidates, and gradually narrowing the field of potential nominees.

The process now enters a one-week period in which names could be added to the ballot by petition.

The election is set for June 26 at a special diocesan convention.  The person elected must gain a majority of votes from both lay deputies and from the clergy.

The new bishop will be consecrated on Nov. 13, 2021, succeeding the Rt. Rev. Dorsey W. M. McConnell, who is retiring.

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh numbers slightly more than nine thousand members belonging to 34 actively participating congregations spread across seven counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.


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