News & Messages

Letter from Standing Committee President

Greetings beloved kindred of the Diocese of Milwaukee,

I have the privilege of having served as president of the diocesan Standing Committee for the last two years, and in that time I have witnessed much healing and spiritual growth that has occurred throughout our diocese. We have learned new ways of relating to each other, we have been empowered to live out our mission as Christ’s Church in unique and wonderful ways, and we have been given the space and the courage to ask the question, “What is next?” What is next for us as individual Christians, what is next for our parishes, what is next for our diocese, and what is next for us as Episcopalians in the state of Wisconsin?

As I have watched all of these things occur and look toward the future of “what is next,” I have been and will be forever grateful for the presence, leadership, and grace of Bishop Jeffrey Lee, who has been our shepherd throughout this time. As the end of his time with us as our bishop provisional has quickly come upon us, I cannot imagine where we would be right now had it not been for him and the blessings he brought to us in this time and place.

And at the same time, though I will miss him so very much, I do not have any anxiety about his departure. The Diocese of Milwaukee is in a really good place. Our lay and clergy leadership is strong and healthy. Our diocesan staff is skilled and committed. We are joyfully meeting the needs of our people and parishes and global outreach missions. And we have a plan to move forward with confidence whether that be towards reunification with the dioceses of Eau Claire and Fond du Lac, or whether that be towards the search and calling of our next bishop.

One of the gifts Bishop Lee has given us is the space to learn how to discern together who Christ is calling us to be and the confidence to follow that call. It is my prayer and my hope that we take that gift and use it in ways that will enable us to be Christ’s hands and heart to our communities and the world.

So thank you, Jeff, for all you brought to us and all that you leave behind. As you enter into retirement (again), I would like to leave you with this blessing For Retirement from John O’Donohue’s book “To Bless the Space Between Us.”

This is where your life has arrived,
After all the years of effort and toil;
Look back with graciousness and thanks
On all your great and quiet achievements.

You stand on the shore of new invitation
To open your life to what is left undone;
Let your heart enjoy a different rhythm
When drawn to the wonder of other horizons.

Have the courage for a new approach to time;
Allow it to slow until you find freedom
To draw alongside the mystery you hold
And befriend your own beauty of soul.

Now is the time to enjoy your heart’s desire,
To live the dreams you’ve waited for,
To awaken the depths beyond your work
And enter into your infinite source.

With the departure of Bishop Lee and our ongoing discernment about reunification with the other two dioceses in Wisconsin, the Diocese of Milwaukee once again finds itself in a place of transition where we feel the best course of action for the moment is to have our Standing Committee as the Ecclesiastical Authority and contract with Bishop Matt Gunter of Fond du Lac to be our assisting bishop.

Especially with our robust diocesan staff, the competent lay and clergy leadership that is in place throughout the diocese, and our current relationship with Bishop Matt as we continue with the Trialogue discussion, this arrangement will enable us to continue the good work we are doing, while remaining flexible for what might come in the not too distant future.

We have contracted with Bishop Matt to be our assisting bishop through June of 2024. If the decision is made that we will reunify the three Wisconsin dioceses during that time, that will bring us to the time of the General Convention when we will officially become one diocese. If the decision is made to not reunify, the June 2024 date will give us time to begin a search for the next Bishop of Milwaukee, and we will determine the next steps and needs for Ecclesiastical Authority until a bishop is called.

For most of the needs you might have as clergy and parishes during this time, the best place to start is with our diocesan staff. They can help direct issues to the right person. Canon Scott Leannah, canon to the ordinary, and the Standing Committee will be available for most of the needs of the diocese.

Bishop Matt will be available for Standing Committee meetings, upcoming ordinations, and a regional confirmation event we will soon schedule for early 2024. We will also have Bishop Matt’s visitation schedule available to us should there be an urgent need for a confirmation or reception where folks could travel to another parish in Fond du Lac on a given weekend. And especially if we vote to reunify at our conventions in October, Bishop Matt will be making efforts to be at our clergy days and other events so we can get to know him a bit better over this next year.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or anyone else on the Standing Committee and/or Canon Scott Leannah. We are all eager and honored to serve the Diocese of Milwaukee in this capacity and hope that you will keep us in your prayers as you are in ours. 

The Rev. Jana Troutman-Miller
Standing Committee President

Deacons' Call to be Living Examples of Christ's Call in the World

As followers and disciples of Christ, we are called to visible witnesses of our Savior in the world, unchanged in our faith in God as we do God’s work, and servants to ourselves, our communities, the world and to God. This is our call to answer from our Savior.

The overreaching vision of ordained deacons in the church and our diocese is to bring God to the people and bring the people to God in a servant role. Deacons do this in the liturgy by proclaiming the Gospel (bringing God to the people), leading prayer including the call to confession (bringing the people to God), and preparing and clearing the Eucharist table (a servant role).

In a faith community, deacons also bring the needs of the world to the church through outreach in the community, organizing, and bringing the resources of God’s church by advocating and supporting those in need. They also serve the church community through pastoral care for those in need.

Deacons are called by God and the church to be living examples of Christ's call in the world. They do this by exhibiting and exemplifying those three characteristics of Christian service in the world:

• Being Iconic – being a visible symbol of Christ’s call to servant ministry, but not worshipped themselves.
• Being Catalytic – supporting and encouraging others’ Christ’s call to servant ministry, remaining unchanged in our faith.
• Being a Servant – being a visible example of Christ’s call to servant ministry

The question is: are you or someone in your parish called to be a deacon, exemplifying that greater call to all followers of Christ through a servant ministry in your parish, in your community, or in the church? If you do not currently have a deacon ministering in your parish, you may feel that calling or have in mind someone who exhibits the servanthood of the diaconate. And if you do have a deacon serving with you, there may still be others who serve but have not explored the diaconate—and may also have a calling. After all, no two deacons are alike and serve the same ministries!

Bishop Lee brought attention to this ministry of the church during his time here. When he comes for visitation, he makes every effort to have a deacon to serve with him and promote diaconia—whether or not there is a deacon assigned to the parish he is visiting. As much as bishops, priests, and other deacons support and promote the diaconate, you all, as disciples of Christ, are in the best position to identify, promote, and support diaconal ministries in your parish, your community, and the greater church.

Recently the diocese revised the Deacon Handbook, a great resource on the vision of our diaconal ministry. This updated handbook provides a slightly different vision of the diaconal ministry in the diocese, how it is implemented and supported, and how and where deacons are assigned.

To assist you and others with examining a call to the diaconate, we have deacons who would love the opportunity to come to your parish to meet with you and/or those whom you feel might have a calling to the vocational diaconate. Raising up deacons helps build your parishes through focus on servanthood of all the baptized.

Pray on this, and contact any of the following deacons if you would like to discuss a call to the diaconate:

The Rev. Bill Dunlop
 or 
217.649.1236

The Rev. Terry Garner

414.807.4378

The Ven. Chuck Zellermayer

262.370.7821

Ask a Theologian: Baptism

Negro Baptism by Donald Mattison (American, 1905-1975). Courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields.

Dear Theologian,

Why does our Church baptize babies? I can understand how meaningful Baptism is for an adult person or even a child. But what sense does it make to administer this sacrament to an infant who cannot know what it means? What effect do we think this has on a baby?

Wondering

Dear Wondering,

If we are to understand the meaning of Infant Baptism, we must first examine the rich and profound meaning of Adult Baptism, for this is the primary and normative form of the sacrament.

Let’s begin with some basic principles of sacramental theology. According to the Catechism of the Book of Common Prayer, “The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace.” [1]

The use of an “outward and visible sign” to express something spiritual, personal and intangible is actually very common in human life. Because we are physical beings, we need to “embody” our thoughts, feelings and decisions. So, people smile, frown, shake hands, carry flags, wear rings.

In some cases, the sign does not merely refer to something personal and spiritual, but really does convey the unseen reality and make it able to be sensed, felt, touched and celebrated. The exchange of wedding rings by a bride and groom, for example, is a concrete, visible sign of their life-long commitment to each other.

From this perspective, we can better understand why the Church celebrates sacraments. They are symbolic rituals that embody and make tangible the spiritual reality of our profound relationship with God through Jesus the Christ in the power of their Spirit.

The initiative is from God, who calls human persons into the relationship. This possibility is offered as a generous, free, undeserved gift. Hence, we call it “grace.” The human response to this gracious offer is called “faith.”

The beginning of Christian faith-living comes by being initiated into the “koinonia” (communion) of the crucified and risen Jesus, the fellowship of new humanity that has been created by His life, death, and resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the case of an adult, this happens through a process of “catechesis” and preparation for Baptism, the sacrament of initiation. It involves a lot of learning ––not merely of doctrines, but also of “habits of the heart,” ways of behaving, choosing and loving. One gradually acquires the vision and values and purpose of the community that is the Church of Jesus.

When a person is judged to be ready, he or she receives the sacrament of Adult Baptism––a solemn, public celebration of that person’s entry into the fellowship of Jesus. This symbolic ritual expresses, at one and the same time, both the reality of God’s saving grace offered in Christ and the human person’s free choice to respond in faith.

It is the natural symbolism of water that conveys the rich meaning of this event. Water can be used for washing or cleansing. So it is easy to see how being immersed in water could show outwardly the mystery of the forgiveness of sins and the washing away of the old life of evil and unbelief. “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”(Ps 51:2)

But water can also symbolize death and destruction. To be submerged in water over your head is to be in danger of drowning. And uncontrolled, rushing water can carry away everything and drown anyone in its path. So, going down into the water can show outwardly the mystery of dying to one’s old self and one’s old way of life, as one is identified with the death of Christ. And coming up again out of the water can show outwardly the mystery of rising up to a new life in the power of the Spirit, as one is identified with the resurrection of Christ. (Cf. Rom 6:3-4.)

In the light of this symbolism, Baptism appears as a momentous event of surrender to God’s grace and abandonment to God’s power, letting go of one’s old way of life, and making a profound personal commitment to a new way of life.

That is why adults who wish to take this step are first asked whether they renounce all evil, accept Jesus as their savior, put all their trust in his grace and love, and promise to follow and obey him as their Lord. Furthermore, they are asked whether they believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And they are invited to make certain promises, which we call “the Baptismal Covenant.” [2]

But if all this is true of an adult being baptized, what are we to say of baptizing infants?

It is quite clear that an infant is not yet capable of making an act of faith or of committing self to a way of life. Nor does he or she yet have any personal sins to repent of or any “old way of life” to turn away from. None of this applies.

What is symbolized in Infant Baptism, above all, is the gracious initiative of God choosing and calling this person to belong to Christ and to become a member of his Church––long before he or she is capable of making any response to God.

What is also symbolized by baptizing the baby is his or her incorporation (as infant) into the Church. But this makes sense only if the adults involved (parents, godparents, Church community) are truly committed to raise this child in the Christian faith. And that is why the parents and godparents are asked the same questions that are posed to an adult person seeking Baptism. For it is really their faith into which this child is to be initiated.

The practice of Infant Baptism is legitimate, however, only if the baptizing faith community takes very seriously its responsibility to foster the spiritual development of the ones who have been baptized. The process of “catechesis,” which for an adult precedes the ritual of Baptism, will have to take place after Baptism for those baptized as infants. This is why Christian education and formation are of such crucial importance for our children and young people.

The practice of Infant Baptism without adequate Christian formation produces congregations of baptized people who have never undergone catechesis or initiation. This is a significant aspect of the present malaise of many Church communities.

Does baptizing an infant wrongly “pre-empt” his or her freedom to choose? Not really. When a person baptized as an infant reaches a point of sufficient maturity, he or she will need to make a choice either to affirm or repudiate the Baptism once received passively. Affirming one’s Baptism is a serious moral decision because it involves a commitment to live by the Baptismal Covenant. Without that kind of personal commitment, one has not yet entered into the fullness of Christian faith-living––whether baptized as an infant, a child, or an adult.

In Christ,

The Theologian

[1] BCP, p. 857.
[2] Cf. BCP, pp. 304-305.

The Rev. Wayne L. Fehr wrote a column for a previous version of the diocesan newsletter called "Ask a Theologian." He answered questions from ordinary Christians trying to make sense of their faith. Now he's back with a monthly column once again. You can find and purchase his book "Tracing the Contours of Faith: Christian Theology for Questioners" here.