By: The Rev. Jay Emerson Johnson, PhD

Rector, All Saints’ Parish in Saugatuck, MI

I am delighted to announce, with great joy and hopefulness, that the first bishop diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of the Great Lakes was elected this past Saturday. The Rev. Zachary Nyein, currently on staff at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York City, was elected on the second ballot our diocesan convention.

The journey that has brought us to this moment has been a long one. It began well before my arrival as the rector of All Saints’ Parish in 2020, when discernment began about the possibility of bringing together the Dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan in some fresh ways for collaboration and partnership. That discernment led to what is called “juncture,” the creation of the brand new Diocese of the Great Lakes. This new diocese consists of over 90 congregations and covers the vast majority of the lower peninsula of Michigan. The process of becoming this new body of Episcopalians is still unfolding in both mundane administrative tasks and in the ongoing need for vision and leadership for the future of our shared ministry here in Michigan.

One of the more vital and significant pieces of that unfolding process has now been decided with the election of the Rev. Zachary Nyein as our first bishop. Having served on the Search Committee since October of 2025 (meeting weekly, and sometimes more frequently, including retreats), I came to know all the candidates for this position very well indeed. All of the candidates brought important and distinctive gifts to the table of leadership. Zack in particular brings a compelling combination of deep roots in Anglican traditions while also energized by innovative ways to reach out to the wider world—a combination thoroughly imbued by a strong faith in the God of Jesus Christ.

I am also delighted to have reached this moment in the life of our diocese. I have served as the rector of All Saints’ for a little more than six years now, and have done so without a Bishop Diocesan; this has been difficult and sometimes very unsettling for me personally and vocationally. I am so pleased that we will now have a “chief pastor” in this diocese to lead us forward and for the sake of a world in desperate need of the good news of Gospel and the transformative and healing love of God in Christ.

Zach will begin his work here in Michigan in January, and his ordination and consecration as a bishop will take place on May 8, the Feast of St. Julian of Norwich. Please join me in praying for this time of hopeful transition.