The Office of Pastoral Development exists to provide pastoral support to bishops, dioceses, and the wider church. An arm of the presiding bishop’s ministry, the office engages issues of discernment, transitions, and disciplinary matters, primarily through bishop election consultation, crisis care, and intake for concerns about bishop behavior.
When concerns are raised—relational and/or behavioral—the Office of Pastoral Development holds the mechanisms to assist, including managing processes of mediation, reconciliation, and discipline, where needed. Title IV disciplinary canons for bishops provide for a response from the Presiding Bishop’s Office to concerns and formal charges “healing, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, justice, amendment of life, and reconciliation among all involved or affected” (Canon IV.1).
The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley serves as bishop for Pastoral Development. He provides confidential, nonjudgmental listening, counsel, guidance, direction, and support in crisis and disaster intervention; focuses on pastoral roles in Title IV issues; and oversees consultation for episcopal search processes churchwide. He can be reached by writing him here.
The Rev. Barbara Kempf serves as intake officer for complaints against bishops. She is the primary contact for receiving allegations of misconduct by bishops and serves as a member of the Title IV reference panel for bishops and case manager for misconduct cases. She can be reached by writing her here.
Title IV of The Episcopal Church details the grounds and process for ecclesiastical discipline. It is a churchwide structure to address claims that bishops, priests, or deacons may have engaged in conduct constituting an offense under the Canons. It encourages accountability, justice, reconciliation, restoration, and pastoral responses. For anyone suspecting clergy misconduct, helpful information is found in both sections of the “Understanding Title IV” website, available here.
Contact:
The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley
Bishop for the Office of Pastoral DevelopmentTitle IV Intake Officer
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