wfn.org | Report reveals that the Diocese of

[ENS.parti@ecunet.org]

June 6, 1997
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

97-1781
Report reveals that the Diocese of New Jersey faces daunting task of
reconciliation

by James Solheim
   (ENS) After five months of interviewing a wide range of clergy and
lay leaders in the Diocese of New Jersey, a consultant has reported that
the diocese is facing a daunting task of internal reconciliation.
   The Rev. Peter Steinke, a nationally known conflict resolution
consultant from Connecticut, was hired by the diocese last December in
what the standing committee said was an attempt to "deal with the issues
of conflict, dysfunction, tension, trust, anger and a lack of
communication which are present in the diocese."
   The situation has been complicated recently by lawsuits alleging
sexual misconduct by the former dean of the cathedral, a rift with black
clergy over what they regard as institutional racism and a persistent
financial crisis that forced cuts in diocesan staff and programs and a
drastic cut in support of the national church. 
   Steinke presented the results of his evaluation to key diocesan leaders
in a closed meeting May 16 at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton but his
observations became public when the confidential report leaked to the
press. 

Portrait of a diocese in trouble
   Steinke said that his interviews with 160 clergy and laity--and an
additional 95 letters that he received--painted a portrait of a "quiet, in-
grown, parochial and conservative" diocese that is large and diverse,
"composed of places that do not have much to do with each other." And
it is a diocese, he said, where members described divisions that run the
gamut from gender to geography--a diocese where people mistrust each
other. 
   So when the diocesan convention elected Joe Morris Doss as bishop
in 1994, most of those interviewed said that they were looking for
someone who would "bring together the diversity, get the diocese moving
in a new direction," and provide pastoral care. It was also the first time
in 80 years that they had elected someone from outside the diocese,
regarded by many as a sign that the diocese was ready for change, but
also sowing the seeds for a potential clash with those resisting change.

A polarized diocese
   In the face of what many described as "rising expectations," interest
groups including women, blacks, Hispanics, gays, liberals and newly
ordained clergy looked to the new bishop for empowerment. The result,
according to Steinke's interviews, is a polarized diocese that lacks focus
or vision where programs are "scattered and incoherent."
   The report also uncovered some allegations that the bishop is part of
the problem. While some said that they found Doss "engaging, amiable,
charming," also "warm and sensitive," a bishop who is "intelligent,"
with "great ideas," others were highly critical. They said that Doss could
be manipulative, arrogant, condescending, dismissive of others and they
described his leadership style as impatient and impulsive.
   Steinke's report estimates that nearly half of the diocese occupies
middle ground, composed of people who admit that the bishop may have
problems in his leadership style yet share an eagerness to move on with
the mission. The other half is split almost evenly between opposition and
support.
   When a leader becomes a "lightning rod" for anxieties within the
system, the situation often "regresses to fighting for turf, recruiting
support for one's own position... and jockeying for the power to decide
what happens," Steinke observed. And he warned that the situation could
continue for four or five years, while "resentments build, and the mission
is hobbled."
   According to some observers Steinke interviewed, the diocese has
three choices: support Doss, condemn him to failure, or build on his
areas of competency and help him in areas of weakness.

Looking for a plan of action
   As Steinke said in the introduction to his report, "Tension carries
both seeds of destruction and creation. To move toward the latter, it is
necessary for the diocese to make decisions and to set a course of
action." He is asking the diocese to examine the forces unleashed in the
years of conflict and then determine what it can do. 
   The evaluation report itself is the first of three stages--and now the
diocese will attempt to shape a plan of action "based on observations" in
the report, according to a May 16 statement by the Rev. Peter Stimpson,
chair of the diocesan wellness committee. The committee will develop
the plan of action "over the summer months" and begin implementing the
plan this fall.
   While describing the report as "blunt and candid," one that "pulled
no punches," the Rev. Fred Baldwin, a member of the wellness
committee, said in a press interview that "it was a very hopeful report
that talked about how we can adjust to change."
   "The report did identify all the anguish and anxieties," added Susan
Harnischfger, a member of the diocesan Standing Committee. "Now we
have to wait and see if it will help the behavior."
   Stimpson said that, with so many people "on the fence, it will be up
to the people of the diocese--including the bishop--as to whether they're
going to move forward and work together." While expressing cautious
hopes that a solution will be found to the conflict, he said that "if either
end of the continuum engages in a battle for the middle, the opposite will
happen."
   Diocesan sources said that there are signs that those in the middle
are refusing to take sides and instead are expressing a determination to
work towards healing.
   
--James Solheim is director of news and information for the Episcopal
Church.