The Very Rev. Brian Kendall Burgess,rector of Christ Church Woodbury, has been nominated to serve as the 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois.
Dean of the Woodbury Convocation, Burgess was ordained to the priesthood in 1999. He has served of rector of Christ Church Woodbury since 2005.
Bishop Chip Stokes offer well-wishes in a post on his Facebook page: “Congratulations to the Diocese of New Jersey’s own Very Reverend Brian Burgess, Rector of Christ Church, Woodbury and the other nominees to be Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield.”
“Fr. Burgess has a deep love for our Lord and a commitment to strengthening the ministry and witness of the local congregations,” wrote the Rev. Ed Zelley, rector of St. Luke’s Metuchen in the clergy nomination submitted to the Diocese of Springfield. “He is collaborative in ministry, a caring pastor, highly organized and a great communicator. He would be a pastor to the pastors and an a resource for the lay leadership.”
Writing of his own liturgical style in information submitted to the Diocese of Springfield, F. Burgess said,
Our Prayer Book liturgical tradition is the most evangelical tool we have. Traditional observances of rite and ceremony are how we have weathered centuries of stormy seas, and they provide a compass for how I teach faith and practice while encouraging the proper wearing of the armor of God. We are brought to the very threshold of the kingdom of God each time we allow our individual voices to subside and the voice of our tradition to speak. It is within that particular expression of God’s mercy, grace, and favor that I stand before the altar.
The diocese announced the list of nine nominees on Sept. 14. The electing synod meets on Dec. 11 to elect the next bishop of the Diocese of Springfield.
