Doyle, 41, Will Be Nation's Second-Youngest Bishop When He Takes over Diocese
By Eileen E. Flynn
Austin American-Statesman
June 30, 2008
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/30/0630doyle.html
The Rt. Rev. Andy Doyle's election in May to lead the Houston-based Episcopal Diocese of Texas came as a surprise to many, including him.
For one thing, he is young — at 41, he'll be the second-youngest bishop in the country when he takes over in 2009. For another, his initial support in the election process came overwhelmingly from the laity. One of his opponents, the Rt. Rev. Dena Harrison, a suffragan, or assistant bishop, covering the Austin area, drew more clergy votes.
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| Andy Doyle says youth are eager to serve. Photo by Kelly West |
After several ballots, though, Doyle prevailed. He succeeds the Rt. Rev. Don Wimberly who, according to church policy, is retiring next year at age 72.
Some observers in the church cited an "Obama factor," a combination of youth and enthusiasm for change, as a reason for Doyle's win.
"The message I feel I have is really one of hope and excitement about our future and joy," Doyle said.
And at a time when the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, has inspired political activism among young people, Doyle said there seems to be enthusiasm for change in other areas of society.
"Something is going on in our culture," Doyle said, stressing that it's not limited to politics. "I think our country really is hoping for something better for us. ... We just know where we are isn't where we're supposed to be, and people are longing to have that changed."
Doyle said he hears that in the voices of youth yearning for unity and more opportunities to serve poor people. He began a listening tour of the diocese Thursday with a group of Episcopalians in West Austin.
Wearing jeans with his black clerical shirt, he faced church members representing all parts of the diocese, which stretches from Houston to Marble Falls, and asked what the church should look like in the next 10 years.
The group of teenagers who had gathered at St. Stephen's School for the annual Christian Leadership Conference didn't sugarcoat their answers. Fewer pointless church groups, they said. Fewer boring meetings. More outreach to young adults. More service opportunities for the youth. And unity, not just among theological perspectives but among races and classes, too.
Michael Mullarkey, an 18-year-old from Austin, drew a strong response at his discussion table when he said, "We're all about vision, vision, vision, but ... we don't do enough."
The diocese offers plenty of activities for teens, from retreats to summer camps, said Jennifer Wisler, 14, of Houston. "They all benefit us, though," she said. "They don't benefit other people."
The teens' passion for the church's future was exactly what Doyle wanted to hear.
"What you desire of us as adults is partnership," Doyle told them, beaming. "And that's what you'll get from me as your bishop."
From adults, Doyle said, he hears anxiety about the economy and their families' futures. He said he senses a hunger for spiritual guidance among people not affiliated with a church
The church should focus on meeting those needs, he said. The basics — feeding, clothing and comforting people — take priority over making new Episcopalians, he said. "I think that's the work that Jesus gives us," he said.
But he said he hopes that as the church fulfills its mission, more people will be attracted to the denomination.
The son of an Episcopal priest, Doyle grew up in churches around Houston. Before going to seminary in Virginia, he worked construction and apartment maintenance in Austin and earned a fine arts degree at the University of North Texas. He has served churches in Temple and College Station and has studied in Mexico.
His most recent job, canon to the ordinary, which functions as the bishop's chief of staff, has given him a glimpse of the realities of diocesan leadership and introduced him to the more trying aspects of the job.
Over the past year, Doyle navigated a sexual abuse scandal involving now-retired priest James L. Tucker. After a church tribunal, which included testimony from several men who said Tucker had molested them while they were students at St. Stephen's in the 1960s, the diocese stripped Tucker of his priestly orders in February. Doyle has continued to work with victims on compensation.
"My heart tells me we did the right thing, as painful as it was for some people," Doyle said, adding that churches cannot hide their problems. "The culture demands a huge amount of transparency. Christianity demands a huge amount of transparency."
Doyle is an ideal leader for the church at this time, said the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, former rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in East Austin and now bishop of Olympia, Wash.
Rickel said his friend can reach people age 35 and younger, especially those with no religious ties — a priority for many bishops — but can also ensure that older members are included.
"What we need in this whole conversation are translators and bridge people," Rickel said.
That's why Doyle is traveling the diocese and gathering input from members, said Reb Scarborough, an Episcopalian and diocesan consultant who helped develop a "vision document" for the diocese. Goals include becoming more multicultural and creating service opportunities for church members.
Another challenge for Episcopal bishops is the divisions in the church, which have lately been drawn along ideological lines, including debates over interpretation of scripture and the question of how to treat homosexuality. Some Episcopal parishes have separated from the national denomination, and some bishops in the worldwide Anglican community have condemned the American church, accusing its leaders of abandoning scriptural authority.
Doyle didn't offer his opinions on those issues, saying "there hasn't ever been a time in the history of the church where everyone has agreed on everything."
Some people, he said, ask him what he will do about priests who reject the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Nothing, he says. Some priests have always argued that.
"I guess I'm just not that worried," he said.
And, he added, he doesn't want history to judge him by whether he "checked the right boxes" on controversial questions.
"I want them to say, when Andy was bishop of Texas, he was faithful and he was good and he was kind."
Contact: eflynn@statesman.com; 445-3812
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