General Convention Is Coming!

This summer, The Episcopal Church will meet in General Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, from July 3rd through the 13th. The Church gathers in Convention once every three years. The last Convention was in 2009, in Anaheim, California. This is so much more than just a big meeting. The General Convention is a remarkable part of the life of the church.

Governing Body of the Church

The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the entire Episcopal Church. Representatives from all 14 nations that constitute the Church will meet, to set the direction the church is going, develop and approve a budget, and craft the legislation that governs our common life. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons of the Church, the General Convention is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church. As a legislative assembly, it is the largest of its type in the world!

The Convention is structured much like our Congress. It is a legislative assembly made up of two houses: The House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. (Remarkably, the House of Deputies is considered the Senior House.) All bishops in the Church, even those retired, make up the membership of the House of Bishops. It is presided over by the Presiding Bishop. (This is the source of her title - almost all of her other duties are a result her holding the position of presiding over the House of Bishops.) Each Diocese in The Episcopal Church sends eight deputies to serve in the House of Deputies. Four of the diocesan deputies are clergy (priests or deacons) and four are lay people. The eight Deputies are elected by our diocese when it meets in its own conventions. The House of Deputies is presided over by its President, who can be elected from either the clergy or lay deputies.
Most the work of the convention comes in the form of considering legislation in the form of resolutions. They are submitted for consideration from several sources: diocesan conventions and dioceses; bishops and deputies themselves; and committees, commissions, boards and other bodies of the church. Committees hold hearings and discuss the legislation and prepare it for consideration in both houses. Resolutions must pass both houses in order to take effect. When one house has acted on the resolution it is sent to the other house for consideration.

The Two Houses Meet in Prayer

In addition to the legislative duties, the two Houses meet in prayer daily. These celebrations of the Holy Eucharist are spectacular! There are also representatives of other groups and business in a massive exhibit hall where almost any good or service related to the life and mission of the church can be found!

The convention will deal with more than 250 pieces of legislation in this assembly. Several of them will have special importance and significance to the life of the church: the blessing of same gender unions, the budget and structure of the church of the future, welcoming the unbaptized to our communion table, a church-wide health care plan, and the approval of the Anglican Covenant. Each of the topics could be an entire newsletter in itself, and so I will simply invite you to come to listening sessions to learn more about them. The next will be at St. Bartholomew Church in Pewaukee on the evening of June 21st. Also, feel free to talk to John Washbush, one the four lay deputies from the Diocese of Milwaukee. Finally, please keep the convention and its work in your prayers!

by John Washbush