One of the adages I heard from the late Bishop E.L. Hickman was: “a dead man’s bones make a poor foundation.”  He cautioned the listeners to avoid the temptation to seek the demise of another to secure personal position and gain.  That word should be heard on the chit-chat lines of our Zion today.

Not only do we speculate about who will be elected (and in which order), but also there is much conjecture about how many bishops we will elect in a few weeks.  The number which a reasonable person should conclude is five, although there could be more, or fewer, places. 

Six bishops retire, and one bishop now is located “for a quadrennium.”  The election of five, with the return of one, would yield the number needed for the current configuration.  Sadly, there are those who speculate that one or two current bishops will not be in active service in the coming four years.  They argue this will justify the election of six or seven new bishops. 

Woe to the candidate or supporter of a candidate who wishes ill on a bishop to increase the odds of the election of another.  A dead man’s bones make a poor foundation!

While I see the strength in the election of the “anticipated five,” there are some reasons to choose fewer bishops.  First, the position of Ecumenical Officer and Chaplain Endorser can be divided and separately assigned to a bishop who also presides over a district. That reduces the number by one OR holds the number at five, should ill fate visit one on the Council of Bishops.  Second, there are four districts which can share the leadership of two bishops (1 bishop – 2 districts). This reduces the number to be elected by up to two (2).

In summary, there are options which limit the number of bishops elected to as few as two! Let us pray no one in our Zion is wishing for trouble for our bishops to create opportunity for a newly elected “holy leader in God.”  We ask God to keep the meditation of our heart and the politics in our mouth reflective of God’s will for the strength of our Zion.  If God wills the election of a person, we only must elect one (1). Electing twenty (20) does not guarantee a particular candidate’s election, and it may result in unforeseen problems.

Let’s be fair and kind in our dealings. Let’s be spiritual in our campaigning and voting. Let’s build on righteousness, not a dead man’s bones!