Tina Pickering has been called by Bishop Thomas Brown to serve as the new Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, starting March 1, 2023. Pickering will also continue in her role as Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, working in a cross-diocese capacity. A “Canon to the Ordinary” is church terminology that translates to the chief of staff and senior advisor to the bishop.

Pickering has served in a variety of roles in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire since 2014, including executive assistant to the bishop, special projects director, and canon for ministry development. In these roles she has worked with the Commission on Ministry to discern lay and ordained vocations and direct the ordination process, led formation and congregational development efforts, directed the diocesan COVID response, and served as a clergy disciplinary process (Title IV) and Safe Church officer. Pickering has also held leadership positions in non-profit community development, charitable giving, and advancement at St. Paul’s School, the New Hampshire Bar Foundation, Emmanuel Gospel Center, and I have a Dream: Boston. Pickering knows Maine well, having grown up at St. David’s in Kennebunk, and her late father was a parishioner at St. Giles in Jefferson. Pickering and her husband spend most weekends at their property in Waldo, Maine, and are members of St. Margaret’s in Belfast.

As Canon to the Ordinary in New Hampshire since January, 2022, she has served as senior advisor to Bishop Robert Hirschfeld. In that role she has restructured and supervises the diocesan staff team, and she manages congregational transition and clergy deployment. As Canon to the Ordinary for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, Pickering will serve as senior advisor to Bishop Brown and will redevelop and manage a thriving diocesan staff team to serve the congregations and ministries of the diocese and the Bishop’s vision for the future.

Bishop Brown shared his delight in welcoming Pickering to the diocese, “Tina has a deep well of experience, a heart for service, and a great love of Jesus. She is a deep listener, a strategic thinker, and a caring leader. We are excited for her to bring these gifts to Maine as our Canon to the Ordinary.”

Bishop Hirschfeld of New Hampshire highlighted the importance of Pickering’s cross-diocese work, “This call for Tina to also serve Maine is a testament to her gifts, and is just the latest example of how cross-diocesan collaboration can work. We share collegiality, efficiencies, and now several staff members with the diocese of Maine, and it is now time to take faithful and bold steps like this one to extend our collaboration with our neighbors in service to God’s mission and the vibrancy of the Church.” The dioceses of northern New England already celebrate a close relationship, with the bishops of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont serving as assisting bishops in each other’s diocese, and New Hampshire and Maine sharing several staff members: Pickering and Director of Communications Katie Clark.

“In answering this call,” Pickering said, “I embrace serving two dioceses who both have a deep sense of history, mission, and love of Jesus, and who are also very forward-thinking for what the future of church can be. It is with deep gratitude and excitement that I accept Bishop Brown’s invitation to serve with the people of God in the Diocese of Maine.”

Pickering succeeds the Reverend Canon Michael Ambler who served as Maine’s Canon to the Ordinary and Transition & Deployment Officer from 2014 to 2022. Ambler founded and now develops global NGO Restoration Laos and continues to work in a consultative capacity with congregations in conflict.

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The Episcopal Diocese of Maine encompasses more than 10,000 people in 57 year-round churches, 18 summer chapels, Camp Bishopswood and three Jubilee Centers. The Episcopal Diocese of Maine builds and supports strong communities of faith for God’s mission. The Diocese is led by the Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown, the Tenth Bishop of Maine.