Episcopal News Service May 6, 2006
Eastern Michigan diocese elects Todd Ousley as bishop By Mary Frances Schjonberg
[ENS] The Rev. Steven Todd Ousley, missioner for congregational development and clergy deployment for the Diocese of Eastern Michigan, was elected as its bishop coadjutor May 6.
Ousley, 44, was elected on the fifth ballot.
The results of the balloting are available at http://www.eastmich.org/Profile/Voting5.
The results do not show voting in the clergy and lay orders separately. They give totals for each nominee and a total needed to win on each ballot. The total is a supermajority of two-thirds of the votes cast on that ballot. On the final ballot, Ousely earned 171 of the 248 votes cast, or 69 percent.
Ousley will succeed the Rt. Rev. Edwin M. Leidel Jr., the first bishop of the diocese, who retires at the end of this year.
Prior to joining the diocesan staff, Ousley was the rector of St. Francis Church and School in Temple, Texas, and of Holy Comforter Parish and School in Angleton, Texas. He had also been assistant to the rector at Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, Texas.
Ousley -- who uses Todd as his first name -- is a native Texan and holds degrees from Baylor University and Texas A&M. He earned the master of divinity from Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, and a doctor of ministry degree in congregational development from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He was ordained to the priesthood February 1, 1992. He and his wife, Ann, have three sons.
The Episcopal Church's General Convention will be asked to consent to Ousley's election because it occurred within 120 days of the convention, which runs from June 13-21 in Columbus, Ohio. His consecration is set for September 9.
The other nominees were:
* the Rev. Daniel S. Appleyard, 51, rector of Christ Church, Dearborn, Michigan;
* the Rev. Canon Margaret Babcock, 52, canon for congregational development for the Diocese of Idaho;
* the Rev. Bruce William Gray, 46, rector of St. Matthias' Church in Whittier, California;
* the Rev. Canon A. Gordon Okunsanya, 63, interim rector of the Church of the Incarnation in Atlanta, Georgia; and
* the Very Rev. Robert A. Schiesler, 56, Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, Des Moines, Iowa.
Ousley's name was added to the slate of nominees by petition after the other nominations had been announced.
Information about all the nominees is available at http://www.eastmich.org/Profile/biographies.htm
The electing convention was held at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Grand Blanc, Michigan.
-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.
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