Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church and pour out your Holy Spirit upon all who will participate in the process of choosing a bishop for this diocese, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; Grant that all who are called to this sacred office may be filled with the truth of your doctrine, clothed in holiness of life, and devoted to your glory and the flourishing of your holy Church; through Jesus Christ, the shepherd and bishop of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer, For the Election of a Bishop and For the Ministry (Ember Days)
This page serves as a central location for all resources supporting the Diocese of Tennessee’s process to elect a Bishop Diocesan. It will be continually updated with new information as the process progresses over this year and next. Please revisit frequently for the latest updates.
September 8, 2026
To the People of the Diocese of Tennessee:
The Standing Committee takes great pleasure in announcing the slate of nominees to be the twelfth Bishop of the Diocese of Tennessee. They are:
The Rev’d Colin Ambrose
The Rev’d Cn. Brian Cannaday
The Rev’d Andy Olivo
Background information, videos, and written material from each nominee can be found on this website.
We also want to say a heartfelt thank you to the members of the Search Committee as they have worked through the extended search and especially want to thank the Rev’d Chris Bowhay and Mr. Bryan Essary, co-chairs of the Committee. At every step of the way, the Search Committee has taken great care to represent the fullness of the Diocese and to discern those candidates who were most capable and most committed to being the twelfth bishop of the Diocese. They have done this work with diligence and integrity and we, the Standing Committee, are delighted to present the slate of nominees they submitted to us.
In Christ,
The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Tennessee
Thursday, October 15, 6:30-9:30pm
St. James the Less
411 W Due West Ave, Madison, TN 37115
This session is scheduled for the convenience of members who live in the northern area of our Diocese.
Friday, October 16, 6:30-9:30pm
St. Bartholomew’s Church
4800 Belmont Park Terrace, Nashville, TN 37220
Saturday, October 17, 2:00-5:00pm
School of Theology, The University of the South
335 Tennessee Avenue, Sewane, TN 37383
Questions for Our Bishop Nominees
The three sessions will be recorded and made available on this website. The questions for these sessions will be compiled and asked by the members of the Standing Committee. There will be no open questions from the floor.
We request that you submit the questions that you feel are most important for our episcopal nominees. We want to be sure that the questions asked of the nominees in the Meet & Greet sessions reflect the concerns of the members of the Diocese. We will be receiving questions from September 28 through October 5. We will take your questions seriously even though we cannot promise that all questions will be asked in the limited time available.
To submit a question: Write out your question—in 25 words or less—and send it to: standingcommittee@edtn.org. Please include your name and your parish. Unsigned questions will not be considered.
The Standing Committee has established two important committees and has appointed people to serve on each in order to help guide the diocese through a healthy, transparent, faithful, joyful, and prayerful process. These two committees play very different, yet equally vital roles.
The Search Committee is responsible for listening to the diocese in a structured way and then communicating our gifts and needs in the form of a diocesan profile; recruiting, receiving, and discerning nominations for bishop; and presenting a slate of candidates to the Standing Committee.
The Transition Committee is responsible for welcoming and hosting candidates in the diocese, celebrating Bishop Bauerschmidt, and events surrounding the electing convention and ordination weekend.
September — November 2026
April 10, 2027