Diocese of Easton to consider partnering with another diocese after bishop’s retirement
[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Easton Standing Committee released a statement Dec. 19 saying it will create a discernment committee to “determine whether our participation in God’s mission could be strengthened by collaborating or partnering with another nearby diocese.”
The announcement comes as several dioceses across The Episcopal Church have agreed to or are considering whether to merge in recent years, and it follows Easton Bishop Santosh Marray’s November announcement that he intends to retire in 2026.
Easton is one of three Episcopal dioceses with congregations in Maryland. Most of the Diocese of Easton spans a region of the state known as the Eastern Shore, part of a peninsula that extends south along the Chesapeake Bay and is bordered to the east by Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean.
The diocese separated from the Baltimore-based Diocese of Maryland in 1868. Today, the Diocese of Maryland, at 26,000 members, is nearly four times larger than the Diocese of Easton, with fewer than 7,000. The Diocese of Washington, with about 31,000 members, also includes some congregations in Maryland just north and south of the U.S. capital.
The Diocese of Easton engaged in a previous period of discernment a decade ago. At that time, it considered partnering with another diocese but decided to remain independent. It elected Marray as its bishop in 2016.
“With thanks for Bishop Marray’s ministry, the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Easton, understanding that the search and installation of a diocesan bishop will likely cost the diocese around $200,000, believes it is prudent and good stewardship to first enter into another diocesan-wide discernment process to determine the diocese’s vision for its ministry in the coming decades after Bishop Marray’s resignation,” the standing committee said in a page on its website about the transition.
Those interested in serving on the Easton discernment committee are invited to apply for nominations now. The committee is expected to be finalized by February.
