Trialogue Reunion Goals and Opportunities
Greetings from the Trialogue Communications Task Force. The Trialogue is composed of the three Episcopal dioceses of Wisconsin that are exploring how reunification to one diocese may better equip us to be the church God is calling us to be.
The job of our task force is to regularly update the clergy and parishioners about the Trialogue process. Our goal is to keep you informed about how the reunion conversation is progressing and the steps taken along the way. There will be many opportunities for your input and questions as we proceed. This is a work in progress and we value all participation and input.
Bishop Matt Gunter representing the Dioceses of Fond du Lac and Eau Claire (with Milwaukee Provisional Bishop Jeff Lee) presented the Trialogue steering committee, and seven task forces, the reasons below that support reunion during the initial Trialogue meeting.
Pursuing reunion as one diocese provides us an opportunity to engage a changing world and become the church God is calling us to be. The outcome of this process is uncertain as we discern our strengths, challenges and seek to improve the way we embrace a hurting world, raise up disciples and share the Good News of God’s grace and transformation. Our goal is to encourage and challenge all people to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
It is an opportunity to
- reconfigure ourselves into a strengthened diocese organized to engage our changed and changing world
- combine our financial, human and spiritual resources, into a diocese organized for mission, evangelism, and public witness
- organize ourselves to better support each of our existing congregations
- encourage, cultivate, and nurture new communities of worship and discipleship; some may look like conventional congregations, others may not
- form disciples equipped to live faithfully in these times
- find ways to faithfully and responsibly use various communication methods to better reach all ages
- encourage and train lay leadership
- draw on our heritage and organize ourselves to be a missionary diocese for the 21st and 22nd centuries.
The world is changing and changing significantly. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We need to adapt, not for mere existence, rather as a dynamic reflection of the Good News and love we know in Jesus Christ. It is the Good News the world desperately needs. We can become a church that confidently lives and bears witness to the Good News, with due humility, as we listen to and learn from our neighbors. Together, we can become a missionary diocese organized to embrace growth, challenges, and opportunities before us.
We will have more information for you soon. We conclude today with this prayer from the Prayer and Discernment Task Force.
Almighty God, we come before you asking grace and wisdom for all who are called to discern your mission for the church in Wisconsin. May we listen to one another in humility and always seek your will. We pray in the name of Jesus, the head of the church. Amen.
pdf version
https://www.episcopalwisconsin.info/
