The Councils of the Church: The General Convention

THE REV. MIKE EHMER, CHAIR OF THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON PROGRAM, FINANCE & BUDGET, PRESENTS THE 2023-24 BUDGET PROPOSAL TO A JOINT SESSION OF THE 80TH GENERAL CONVENTION IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. (PHOTO: DAVID PAULSEN/EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE)

In the coming week, The General Convention of The Episcopal Church will convene and be called to order. As a governing body with the authority to pass laws (referred to as canons in church language), The General Convention is the 2nd largest governing body in the world when convened. It is also the highest level of authority within The Episcopal Church with an Executive Council ruling in the interim years between The General Convention. The General Convention is the place that our church attempts to do its work of discernment, of practicing the love of God and love of neighbor (which we might understand as spiritual formation), and of shaping the ways that we, as Episcopalians, pray together in our worship. In its best work, the deputies (lay and clergy representatives from member dioceses) and bishops work together to undertake the theological work of what it means for us to be the Church today. It is a time in which we gather as a church to put forth ways that we can live out the Gospel in our most localized context: the local congregation.

On some years, there are special elections that are held for the officers of The Episcopal Church. One of these many of us are very familiar with: The Presiding Bishop. The name of the office comes from the history of our church in which the bishop diocesan with the most tenure in the House of Bishops was also tasked with presiding over the meeting of the house. Later in our history, the role of the Presiding Bishop shifted and became a job unto itself with one bishop being elected to the position from within the House of Bishops. The election is conducted with the House of Bishops meeting behind locked doors, and much like when cardinals convene to elect a new pope, the bishops remain behind those locked doors until such time as an election happens and that election is affirmed by the House of Deputies. If you would like to read more about the process for electing the Presiding Bishop, you can do so here.

The second office that is up for election this year is the President of the House of Deputies (with the lovely acronym of PHOD). The person in this position presides over the business of the House of Deputies and is a member of the Executive Council alongside the Presiding Bishop. It is only very recently (within the last 9 years) that this position has been a stipendiary position in its own right. Until then, it was a volunteer position, and it meant that candidates for this position had to be financially well-off enough that they could actually stand for election. This year, the House of Deputies will elect a new president. Though this position does not command the influence of the Presiding Bishop, it is of equal importance since it is a reflection of the ministry of all the baptized. The President of the House of Deputies is elected from within the body comprised of priests, deacons, and lay people. I would encourage you to learn more about the people standing for election for this and other positions. You may learn about the candidates for the President of the House of Deputies here, and you may learn about the candidates for the Vice President of the House of Deputies here.

Through the legislation that is passed, the officers elected, and the election of a new Presiding Bishop, our church is gathering to listen to and discern how God is calling our church forward in living out the Gospel. While it may feel remote to many of us, the work of The General Convention is how our church prayerfully responds to where God is moving in the world around us, and it is also one of the ways that we elect representatives of our church to connect us to other members of the Anglican Communion around the world. Sometimes, The General Convention passes legislation that creates headlines. But perhaps the more important work is the humdrum work of authorizing liturgy, authorizing the calendar of the church, and tending to the administrative needs of the church. The work of The General Convention is, in all matters, deeply concerned with what we believe about God and the ways God is calling us forward in God’s mission of love and reconciliation.

Beginning on June 23, I ask for your prayers for me and for all deputies and bishops attending to the work of the church. Pray that we, as a church, may be so moved by the Spirit as to follow where God is leading, and pray that we may do so in a way that honors the dignity and respect of all persons, that we may seek and serve Christ in all people, and that when we fall into sin then we will repent and return to the Lord. Pray that The General Convention may carry out its work with faith, hope, and love. But above all, may it do so with love for God, for neighbor, for self.