Report Reveals that the Diocese of New Jersey Faces Daunting Task of Reconciliation
Episcopal News Service. June 6, 1997 [97-1781]
(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.
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.
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.
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.