The Rev. Cn. Dr. Janet Waggoner

The Rev. Dr. Janet Waggoner currently serves as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Church in North Texas (formerly, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth).
Prior to this, Canon Waggoner served as Interim Pastor of Rejoice Lutheran Church in Coppell, Texas (2012-2013), Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Shelton,
Connecticut (2006-2012), and Assistant Rector in two Connecticut congregations (2001-2003, 2003-2006).
Waggoner, a native of the Pacific Northwest, was born in The Dalles, Oregon, and raised in Goldendale, Washington. In 1989, Waggoner received her BA in Religion from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. In her twenties, she explored a
variety of vocations (campus minister, recreation therapist, marketing specialist, and development director) before discerning for the priesthood. In 2001, Waggoner
earned an MDiv (magna cum laude) from Yale Divinity School and, in 2021, a DMin in “Transforming Practices: Spirituality, Leadership and Justice” from Brite Divinity
School. Waggoner chairs the churchwide Task Force on Church Planting and Congregational Redevelopment. She is a founding member of Circle of Clergy, community leadership for racial justice. Waggoner is an Academy 4 mentor, an ICF certified coach, and an Advisor in Title IV disciplinary processes. She is a long-time member of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. Waggoner has partnered with
Kenyans to build a school in northwest Kenya and with Ecuadorians to rebuild a coastal church destroyed by a tsunami.
Waggoner has two children, Wynne (19) and Ben (16), and a dog, Comet (7). She enjoys quilting, hiking, cooking, and writing

La Rev. Dra. Janet Waggoner es actualmente canóniga del Ordinario en la Iglesia Episcopal del Norte de Texas (anteriormente, la Diócesis Episcopal de Fort Worth).
Anteriormente, la canóniga Waggoner fue pastora interina de la iglesia luterana Rejoice en Coppell, Texas (2012-2013), rector de la Iglesia Episcopal de San Pablo en Shelton
Paul’s Episcopal Church en Shelton, Connecticut (2006-2012), y rector asistente en dos congregaciones de Connecticut (2001-2003, 2003-2006).

Waggoner, nativo del noroeste del Pacífico, nació en The Dalles, Oregón, y creció en Goldendale, Washington. En 1989, Waggoner se licenció en Religión en la Universidad de Willamette, en Salem (Oregón). En sus veinte años, exploró una variedad de vocaciones (ministra del campus, terapeuta de recreación, especialista en marketing y directora de desarrollo) antes de discernir el sacerdocio. En 2001, Waggoner obtuvo un MDiv (magna cum laude) en la Yale Divinity School y, en 2021, un DMin en “Prácticas transformadoras: Espiritualidad, Liderazgo y Justicia” de la Brite Divinity School. Waggoner preside el Grupo de Trabajo de Plantación de Iglesias y Desarrollo Congregacional de toda la iglesia. Congregational Redevelopment. Es miembro fundador de Circle of Clergy, una comunidad liderazgo comunitario para la justicia racial. Waggoner es mentora de la Academia 4, entrenadora certificada por la ICF y asesora en los procesos disciplinarios del Título IV. Es miembro desde hace mucho tiempo de la Sociedad de los Compañeros de la Santa Cruz. Waggoner se ha asociado con kenianos para construir una escuela en el noroeste de Kenia y con ecuatorianos para reconstruir una iglesia costera destruida por un tsunami.

Waggoner tiene dos hijos, Wynne (19) y Ben (16), y un perro, Comet (7). Ella Le gusta acolchar, hacer senderismo, cocinar y escribir.

Essays from The Rev. Cn. Dr. Janet Waggoner

Greetings in the name of Christ!

I write in response to your compelling invitation to mutual discernment. As the Diocese of Utah seeks its twelfth bishop, I am seeking my next call in compassionate, visionary leadership in our Episcopal Church. Three things from your diocesan profile are drawing me into prayerful engagement with you.

The first is the simple prayer that bookends your profile. I was struck by your celebration of God’s goodness to you thus far, and your desire for closer relationship with God as you engage in discernment. In these turbulent times, there is much to do, and I share your sense that faith and hope are sustained through thanksgiving and through steeping in God’s love, which is our rock and our salvation.

The second thing that draws me into discernment with you is the statement of your three clear priorities: congregational leadership, congregational growth, and congregational vitality. I believe that a diocese exists primarily to support, enhance and uphold the vision and ministries of its congregations. As I read your profile, my heart was stirred by stories of some ways in which your diocese has done this in the past, as well as some ways you hope the diocese will do this in the future. I am curious to discover whether I might be the leader who can partner with you in the good work you are called to do.

Finally, I am also drawn to you by your delight in the history, beauty, and people in your state. As someone who is from elsewhere in the West – Washington and Oregon -, I do not know Utah well. But I do know what it is to be committed to loving land and people down through time, and I wonder if God might be calling me to join you in knowing and loving the land and people of the Diocese of Utah.

In closing, I share with you the prayer that I am praying these days, a prayer inviting God’s presence and transformation in my life, in the lives of our clergy and congregations, and in our world. It’s based on the prayer for the third Sunday of Advent: “Stir up your power, O good and gracious God, and transform our hearts, that we may be wholly yours. May your abundant grace and mercy flow to us and through us, that all creation may know your love and be made new. Amen.”

An Essay about Opportunity for Growth

I sensed deep clarity, passion, and longing in the description of your eighth Opportunity for Growth. Though the word ‘evangelism’ stops many followers of Jesus in their tracks, Episcopalians in Utah see evangelism as an opportunity for growth where there has been decline, for coming together where there has been isolation and disruption, and for healing where there has been pain. In my experience, a commitment to sharing the Good News through presence, words, and actions is most likely to have lasting, transformative impact when we begin with mutual understanding of the risks and rewards of evangelism.

Evangelism is most challenging thing Jesus asks his followers to do. The call to “go and make disciples” regularly takes us out of our comfort zones. Helping people encounter God’s love takes time and trust, and it requires us to be vulnerable, to share stories of what God’s love means to us and how it transforms us. Finally, evangelism is difficult because taking risks opens us up to suffering. Whether it is being ridiculed for something we cannot fully explain or accompanying someone through their struggles, stresses and sorrows, bearing the Good News can be painful.

In spite of these difficulties, responding to God’s call to share the Good News is the most joyful, community-building, and transforming thing that followers of Jesus can do. There is delight to be found in all kinds of adventures – from trying new foods to reading good books to running marathons. In my life, however, I have found deepest joy in the adventure of sharing God’s love with others, accompanying people as they discover that they are a treasured and beloved child of God. Sharing and showing God’s love also builds community among the followers of Jesus: in the midst of the joys and sorrows of journeying with our neighbors, we come to rely more deeply on our fellow Episcopalians. Sharing God’s love transforms not only those who encounter God’s love through us, but our own lives, as well. As we share our experiences of God’s love, we see God at work in ways we may not have recognized before, and we open ourselves to experience God’s love anew.

“May the Lord who has given [us] the will to do these things give [us] the grace and power to perform them!” – BCP 1979 Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Sermons from The Rev. Cn. Dr.

Janet Waggoner

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