UPDATE: See the new "Personal information" link on each candidate's page.

The Reverend Debra Kissinger

Having read our profile, why are you interested in being the Bishop of Maine, and what gifts would you bring to this ministry?

I am interested in being the Bishop of Maine because of the energy and commitment I discern in reading your profile.  I resonate both personally and professionally with what I believe the Diocese of Maine is about and I believe my gifts and experiences have prepared me to be your next bishop.

The Diocese of Maine is committed to small church ministry, the deaconate, mission and outreach within and outside the diocese, communication, stewardship, education and formation, the baptismal ministry of all people, and programs like Fresh Start and the Small Church Network that support both clergy and small churches.  While I have served in every size parish from family to corporate throughout my twenty-five years of combined lay and ordained ministry experience, most of my ordained ministry has been dedicated to the small church.  I will share several of my experiences below.

The Diocese of Maine is committed to childrens, youth, and young adult ministries and understands that our children and youth are our church now and not just in the future.  The past six years of my ministry have been focused on children and youth by nurturing, equipping and mentoring those who work with our younger generations and helping congregations embrace children and youth as awesome gifts from God who also minister to us!

The Diocese of Maine is forward looking, reality based, healthy, and knows how to have fun.  I am a very practical person; I believe our faith must be connected to our daily lives if it is to have a true depth of meaning and purpose.  I believe in faithful stewardship, have a background in business administration, and seek to live a balanced life that is centered in prayer and the Eucharist.  I am healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually and I do like to have fun!

My post-seminary training is in Congregational Development with the Church Development Institute.  I am passionate about congregations and seek to help them become the most whole, healthy, and holy embodiment of Christ that they are able to be.  While I am passionate about all congregations, I have a special affection for small congregations.

I was the seed planter at the small, now Jubilee, parish of St. Gabriels in Philadelphia.  Focusing on children and developing worship that embraced the 20 plus ethnicities in the neighborhood was key to the redevelopment of the congregation.  After several years of wrestling with our need to die to old ways and discover our mission, we offered the citys first evening vacation Bible school (VBS).  At the time we had ten children in our Sunday school and expected to pick up twenty to twenty-five more children from the community.  On the first evening of VBS eighty children graced our doors!  Through this first step we discovered our mission and the seeds were planted that would grow from VBS to a summer camp program and an after-school program in the early days to a full-blown inner city mission, Urban Bridges at St. Gabriels today.

At St. Peters, Oxford, Connecticut there were many needs to address in this family size parish that had lain fallow for over a decade.  We spent our first year looking inward and putting our spiritual and physical house in order.  We focused on worship, education, and our fiscal and stewardship responsibilities.  Known in the community as the little white church with the peeling paint, we put a plan in motion to change our community image by both restoring our historic building and reaching out to the community in service during the second and third years of the redevelopment plan.  My ministry at St. Peters was to be a turn-around agent, equipper and cheerleader for a people and parish that were close to dead on the vine.  Today St. Peters is vibrant, financially stable, growing and active in both community and diocesan ministries.

Grace Church, Willoughby, Ohio was a pastoral size parish that was emerging from a period of divisiveness and trauma following the resignation of its previous rector.  My main task was to be an agent of healing and pastoral care while engaging the parish to move into mission.  During our first year I helped the church grieve, come to terms with its history, and build a positive relationship with the diocese.  As the parish moved into stability we addressed evangelism, stewardship and education through study and action.  Educational offerings expanded and several forms of non-traditional Sunday school were explored.  A new spirit emerged in stewardship and the over 40 acres of property that God had entrusted to us were set aside for spiritual and physical renewal.  An old baseball diamond and a picnic pavilion already on the property were refurbished. A new outdoor chapel was built and campsites were established. 

In my current diocesan position, I regularly visit with parishes and help them develop inclusive worship and quality education and formation programs.  I design seasonal offerings for faith formation in the home and run annual events for the continuing nurture and formation of educators.  I produce a creative, annual Bishops Day with Children as well as a host of other resources on our faith formation website.  I have oversight for our Safe Church training program and organize multiple training events in various locations each year.  I serve on several provincial and national church committees.  In short, I am accustomed to traveling a lot, am good at multi-tasking, and am thankful God has blessed me with good organizational, administrative, and people skills.

I get to use my prophetic voice as the first paid Child Advocate resulting from the adoption of The Childrens Charter for the Church (GC 1997).  At General Convention 2006 I testified eight times on a variety of childrens issues and, am pleased to say, that children, along with youth and young adults, were added to our churchs priorities and funding was restored.  I advocated for a comprehensive childrens policy that will allow the Episcopal  Office of Government Relations take action quickly on behalf of children and a national Standing Commission on Lifelong Faith Formation that will address the spiritual and formational needs of all ages children through seniors.

I have also testified to the Pennsylvania state legislature about the lack of equitable funding for our public schools and organized prayer vigils that drew over 300 people from around the diocese to the capitol steps.  Last year I organized Cruising to Equity, a prayer and advocacy project that asked parishes to fill a boat with items for needy children in their communities and to take action to make a difference in those childrens lives.  More than half of our parishes had an actual boat in their church or parish hall.  This year we sponsored Walk a Mile in Their Shoes which educated parishes about childrens health needs and culminated in a walk-a-thon to benefit abused children.  During my fall 2006 sabbatical I taught at Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  It was my privilege to help shape some of the next generation of clergy who will have a positive impact on faith formation in the wider church.

Any diocese that stands behind their bishop throwing the opening pitch at Episcopal Day at the Seadogs clearly is alive and knows how to have fun.  You can assure your youth (who engaged Bishop Knudsen in a swimming noodle battle and thinks that the new bishop should come with a noodle) that I have both a noodle in my noggin and own three (blue, pink, and green) swimming noodles of my own!  I believe that the life of faith should be filled with joy. 

Having fun together binds us together in spirit.  Upon graduating from Yale Divinity School, I immediately took off for the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and studied the art of clowning with several retired Ringling Brothers clowns.  This dose of humor seemed to be the perfect antidote to a theology degree and served me well when I started my own entertainment (clowning) business to supplement my income during the early years of my ministry which were part-time.  Yes, I was a tent maker like Paul.  Im also quite the face painter and balloon twister and would be happy to pass along the tricks of the trade to our children and youth or anyone else who might be interested in becoming a fool for Christ! 

As a former tent maker I really appreciate the struggles you face to pay your clergy and see your desire to address this and many other issues as forward looking and reality based.  I have some innovative thoughts and ideas about how some of these challenges can be addressed.  All of the above, as well as your willingness to live in the tension of not agreeing on everything, naming the challenges of Maines geography, facing your financial and stewardship challenges, all speak to the dioceses health.

In short, I feel a strong sense of call to the Diocese of Maine as your profile describes it.  I have come to understand that my gifts are best suited for diocesan ministry where I can mentor, coach and counsel others (in the words of another institution) to be all that they can be.  Through programs like CREDO and the Clergy Leadership Project I have come to understand and seek to live out my purpose statement to encourage, equip and enable others (both individuals and institutions) to live into their full potentiality.  My purpose statement reflects the fullness of who I am and I seek to live out my purpose in my personal life with family and friends as well as my vocation in the church.

Describe the process you have used to assist or lead a congregation through their struggle with a theological issue.  Was there a resulting epiphany in your own understanding?

Listen, listen, and listen.  In my experience there is nothing more important than creating an environment in which people feel comfortable to speak, are listened to respectfully, and are heard by those present even if they do not agree.  Creating such a space is essential; in it tolerance and insight can be gained and transformation can occur.

Over the years I have used a variety of processes while working with parishes in conflict or struggling with a particular issue.  Conflict Intensity, Trust Development, and Speed Leas materials are all part of my cache of tools.  Last fall I used Seven Languages For Transformation:  How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work effectively with a group of seminarians at Moravian Theological Seminary.  The students use of this tool was particularly impressive.  They were quickly able to name their personal assumptions that held them back from working together and were able to move from a language of blame to a language of personal responsibility.

One of my favorite processes for assisting a congregation in hearing each other, in the midst of differing views on a theological issue, is Authority of Generations.  I like this model because it calls on the Holy Spirit in a very specific way and can be used with all ages, even with children present.  I firmly believe that children and youth have much to teach us and I believe that we benefit greatly from their presence in such times of discernment and struggle. 

The process of Authority of Generations is relatively simple.  Each person in the group is invited to answer a question about his or her faith journey.  After each story is offered, the group sings a hymn in response to that story.  The question that elicits the stories is flexible.  Some examples of the types of question or task include the following:

• Bring a holy object from your home and tell the story about it.
• Share a story of when you felt you didnt belong.  What helped, if anything?
• When was God most present in your life?

There are two presiders for the process.  The Discerner of Song leads the hymn to be sung as a response to each story.  The Weaver facilitates the process and weaves all of the common threads from each of the stories together by articulating and connecting the common elements.  The group is then invited to discuss the experience and name what common links they themselves heard or experienced. The time ends with a final hymn and prayer.

What I have repeatedly found is that people are willing and even anxious to share a story.  Their story of course speaks their truth.  By providing a guided process and a safe environment to share their truth, without later recourse, people are willing to go deep and address issues they might not address in another context.  My epiphanies have included the reality that the process of story sharing moves people towards one another and has a lasting impact on the way they see and treat each other.  Additionally, I have found that children and youth often provide the new and prophetic vision within the group and even have the capacity to hold us accountable in a way that allowed us to move forward.

I have recently begun to work with the Dignity Model through my study with the Clergy Leadership Project.  The Dignity Model provides a framework for understanding conflict in relationships, for healing and restoring relationships after conflict, and for achieving joyful lives and relationships enabling our mutual growth and development.  Some of the essential elements of the Dignity Model include honoring identity, inclusion and empowerment, safety, recognition and responsiveness, and accountability and acceptance.  When we work to embrace these essential elements of dignity, we will move toward connection and away from disconnection.   I believe that this model will be a great asset to the church in the years ahead as we address even more perplexing issues within the church.  I look forward to putting it into practice.

What legacy would you like to leave when you retire as Bishop from the Diocese of Maine?

As your profile highlights, the Diocese of Maine is healthy.  I want the diocese to continue to live into and continue to grow in positive ways that uphold the ministry of the laity and diaconate while focusing on the mission and not the mess.

I am a person who values balance in my life.  At present I see myself fostering a two-fold legacy as Bishop of the Diocese of Maine: (1) embracing and encouraging continuing commitment to spiritual growth and ministry development; and (2) addressing the practical challenges outlined in the profile.

By spiritual growth and development, I am thinking of the broad ministry of the church.  At the conclusion of my ministry as bishop I see us looking back and saying, We started healthy and we are healthier still!  I see an energized ministry of the laity and a deacon in every church.  I see strong formation programs for the laity, as well as quality continuing education for all clergy.

I am committed to building relationships.  I believe it is essential for the bishop to nurture a relationship of trust, appreciation, and availability with clergy and congregations.  I see myself as a bishop who is present for celebrations and crises.  I see myself enjoying times at children, youth and young adult gatherings, and challenging us to explore ways to nurture ministry among all ages.

I am committed to mission.  I see myself using my advocacy background and raising awareness about issues in our state, nationally and beyond.  I see us building on the prison and campus ministry already begun, continuing our companion relationship with Haiti, and taking it to the next level by addressing the MDGs.

And, I see us having fun together.  This is important because through having fun together, along with continual formation and working together in mission, we will move towards each other in love, appreciation and understanding.  This will be essential, because I see us remaining in dialog, wrestling with, and growing in our understanding of a variety of difficult political and social issues during our time together.  I do believe we can and must, as the profile says, focus on mission, not the mess.  But I also believe, sooner or later, we do need to address the mess and that we will do this with love, respect and charity.

I believe we will address a number of practical challenges together during my tenure; this will be the other part of my legacy.  I hesitate to simply refer to these challenges as practical, because I see them also as spiritual challenges.  Nevertheless, they are challenges of a different sort and ones that I believe my gifts in congregational and organizational development, administration, and business are well suited to help the Diocese of Maine explore.

At the conclusion of my ministry as Bishop of Maine, I see a diocese that has faithfully wrestled with the geography gap.  I see a diocese that has invested in and embraced newer technologies, people and parishes who are comfortable with video conferencing but also are willing to travel from time to time to meet face to face and build community.  I see a growth in educational and formational opportunities via the web and a website for every parish (to go with that deacon!).  The foundations have already been laid to make this possible through The Northeast, The Dio Log, EFM programs and the Anglican Studies Program at Bangor Theological Seminary.  We will build on these things and take them to the next level.

I see us taking a hard and realistic look at our physical resources and how we pay our clergy.  I see us learning how to share resources and clergy AND smiling because we are richer spiritually for it!  I see us trying clusters and other alternative forms of ministry.  I see us being willing to fail, still love one another, and try something else and succeed.  I see us paying clergy salaries through a model of diocesan-wide shared costs, because we are one body, one diocese that lives in mutual appreciation, accountability, and support of one another.  And because of the tenacity and stick-to-itiveness of the Diocese of Maine, I see us moving the diocese forward, and even putting Maine on the map as cutting-edge with this issue which is impacting the church nationwide.

God-willing, I look forward to exploring these issues in greater depth in the near future.  May God bless you in your discernment process as you seek to raise up the next Bishop of Maine.  You are in my prayers.