Follow-up Pastoral Letter to California-Nevada Conference

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Dear Laity and Clergy of the California-Nevada Annual Conference:

Greetings of peace and grace to you in this Lenten season!

Over the last couple of weeks, we have all tried to come to terms with the suspension of Bishop Minerva Carcaño.  As the interim bishop, the lay leaders, and the appointive cabinet, we have spent time listening to each others’ concerns as well as the many of you who have expressed your thoughts and feelings to us. We offer this joint letter to address some of the main questions and concerns that we can answer together:

  1. The process. The complaint process is outlined in the Book of Discipline (par. 413) but the important thing to know is that the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops received two complaints, reviewed them and made the decision that to “protect the well-being of the complainant, the Church and/or bishop,” in consultation with the jurisdictional episcopacy committee, to place Bishop Carcaño on a suspension not to exceed 60 days. Contrary to common secular practice, such a suspension comes at the beginning of the process and is not intended as punitive or an indication of wrong-doing. A response team, created by the College of Bishops, is currently in the process of investigating and working for a “just resolution” that could be mutually agreed upon by all parties. This is a standard practice for handling complaints.
  2. Confidentiality related to the complaints. One of the most frequent questions and biggest frustrations for many is that the complaint process against Bishop Carcaño is confidential.  One reason for confidentiality is to protect and care for the one who is under complaint as well as those who filed the complaints.  This is also the standard and accepted way of dealing with complaints against clergy and bishops alike. Complaints are not meant to be adjudicated in the public sphere. Even the interim bishop does not have knowledge of what the complaints are nor who filed them.  She wasn’t asked to be the interim in order to do anything about the complaints but instead to help the annual conference continue to move forward in its mission and ministry for these 60 days.

Be assured that appointments are being made as the appointive cabinet meets regularly with the interim bishop.  The work of the conference to prepare for disaster relief continues.  Annual conference preparation is led by the able people elected with that responsibility.  Follow up work is moving forward from the recent Ethnic Ministries Summit.  New church plants and ministries are being reviewed for a new round of funding.  Goals and budgets are being determined and acted upon for annual conference in June.  Summer camping opportunities are getting ready.  Lay trainings and ministries, including the Laity Summit, are moving forward. 

As conference leaders, we encourage all of you—and ourselves, too—to resist the temptation to speculate about the complaints and what they mean.  To do so only adds to our own and each other’s anxiety and distracts us all from focusing on our individual, local church and conference efforts to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  Instead, let us reflect upon St. Paul’s words to the Philippians who were engaged in their own 1st century struggles as a church:

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and see in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

Please pray for Bishop Carcaño during this difficult time.  Pray for all of us as we continue in ministry to you and the world around us.  And we promise to pray for you as you faithfully continue in your ministry as laity and clergy in your communities.  As leaders, we recognize that there is a spectrum of feelings among our Annual Conference, relative to this situation. We also realize that as time passes, feelings sometimes shift. What we need the day after receiving shocking news, isn’t necessarily what we need a week later. Please know that our desire is to be present with you, and for you, as you have the need. We encourage you to reach out to us with your questions and concerns as we are ready to offer care and prayer for those who are navigating strong and complex emotions in the midst of this circumstance.

Sincerely in Christ, 

Bishop Sally Dyck                                                        Micheal Pope

Interim Bishop                                                            Conference Lay Leader

Rev. Staci Current                                                       Tyree Johnson

Bay District Superintendent/Dean of Cabinet            Bay District Lay Leader

Rev. Blake Busick Great Northern                               George Beckman

Great Northern District Superintendent                    Great Northern District Lay Leader

Rev. Shinya Goto                                                         Kelly Vaughan

Los Rios District Superintendent                                 Los Rios District Lay Leader

Rev. Samuel Hong                                                     Murphy Tsan

El Camino Real District Superintendent                      El Camino Real District Lay Leader

Rev. David Niu                                                            Diane Bulls

Central Valley District Superintendent                       Central Valley District Lay Leader