Below is a list of the different positions that people can be nominated for at Convention. These positions work in different aspects of The Diocese of West Missouri. If you are interested in being nominated for a position in the diocese, please read the descriptions below to better learn what each role fulfills.
Standing Committee
The Standing Committee serves as the Bishop’s Council of Advice. When the Diocese is without a Bishop, the Standing Committee serves as Ecclesiastical Authority (ie, fulfilling the role of Bishop). The Standing Committee also plays an important role in the approval of candidates for ordination, consent to Bishop elections churchwide, and the encumbrance or sale of parochial property.
- Composition: 8 members (4 priests and 4 laypersons)
- Term: 2 years, with a limit of 3 consecutive terms
- 2 clergy and 2 laypersons are elected at each Convention
Diocesan Council
The Diocesan Council essentially serves as the Board of Directors for the Diocese, charged with conducting the work of the Annual Convention throughout the year. The Council meets monthly, alternating between in-person gatherings at churches across the diocese and online meetings.
- Composition: 24 voting members (the Bishop, various officers of the Diocese, various ex-officio members, 4 elected clergy, 8 elected laypersons, and 4 laypersons appointed by the Bishop)
- Term: 3 years, with a limit of 3 consecutive terms
- Nominations welcome from throughout the diocese
- 2 clergy and 4 laypersons are elected at each Convention (and 2 laypersons are appointed by the Bishop after the Convention)
Commission on Ministry
The Commission on Ministry (COM) advises the Bishop in the process of assisting those who are called to ministry (lay licensed ministry or ordination). Additional oversight includes clergy continuing education, orientation, and mentoring.
- Composition: 12 members (6 clergy and 6 laypersons), plus no more than 6 members (equally apportioned between clergy and laypersons) appointed by the Bishop
- Term: 3 years
- 2 clergy and 2 laypersons are elected at each Convention, upon nomination by the Bishop
Board of Examining Chaplains
The Board of Examining Chaplains (BEC) conducts written and oral examinations of candidates for ordination. The BEC coordinates with the Commission on Ministry as part of the discernment process, as well as with the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry on the examination of their students, and seeks ways to share ideas with Examiners in other Dioceses.
- Composition: 8 members (at least 2 of whom must be priests)
- Term: 3 years
- Members are elected at each Convention, upon nomination by the Bishop
Bishop Kemper School for Ministry
The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry (BKSM), located in Topeka, Kansas, uniquely forms priests, deacons, and lay ministers, fostering shared team ministry that honors and values the gifts and callings of all. The BKSM Board of Directors meets four times a year and is responsible for overseeing the life of the school, as well as the work of the school’s dean and faculty.
- Composition: 3 members (1 layperson, 1 deacon, 1 priest) [Note: The board has 18 total members, 3 people from each of the 6 dioceses which operate BKSM (West Missouri, Missouri, Kansas, Western Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska)
- Term: 3 years
Disciplinary Board
The Disciplinary Board assists in cases where members of the clergy have been accused of conduct violating the Constitution & Canons of the Episcopal Church.
- Composition: 7 members (4 clergy and 3 laypersons)
- Term: 3 years, with a limit of 2 consecutive terms
- 1 layperson and 1 or 2 clergy are elected at each Convention, upon nomination by the Bishop
