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| Bishop Kirk Smith |
Friday, June 22, 2012
A Thoughtful Proposal from Bishop Kirk Smith
An Overview of General Convention
This post is adapted from my letter in the July edition of the Saint Mary's parish newsletter.
This month I have the incredible privilege and responsibility of sharing in the counsels of the Church by serving as a Deputy to the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. As you probably already know, The Episcopal Church meets every three years to consider and decide on issues related to common life, including worship, discipline, mission, outreach, budget, and so much more. Resolutions will be offered to and considered by two Houses: a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies. Each diocese may send up to four clergy and four laypersons to the House of Deputies. Resolutions that are adopted in the same language in both houses are binding on the Church.
“Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel for the renewal and mission of your Church.”— Book of Common Prayer, 818
This month I have the incredible privilege and responsibility of sharing in the counsels of the Church by serving as a Deputy to the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. As you probably already know, The Episcopal Church meets every three years to consider and decide on issues related to common life, including worship, discipline, mission, outreach, budget, and so much more. Resolutions will be offered to and considered by two Houses: a House of Bishops and a House of Deputies. Each diocese may send up to four clergy and four laypersons to the House of Deputies. Resolutions that are adopted in the same language in both houses are binding on the Church.
One of the peculiar practices of our Church is that we don’t send
representatives or delegates; we send deputies.
As a deputy I am not expected (or even encouraged) to represent the will of my
parish or my diocese. Instead, I am to consider resolutions and vote as I
believe the Holy Spirit is leading me on behalf of the entire Episcopal Church.
As you might expect, since the Church only meets in this fashion once every three years, there will be a great number of resolutions to be considered. And they may not even be in final form when the Convention begins on July 5. Instead, legislative hearings, which will begin on July 4 and continue throughout the Convention, will consider each of the resolutions that are offered and perhaps amend them in a variety of ways before the final proposed legislation comes before the bishops and deputies for prayerful consideration and vote.
To prepare for this experience, I have attended a meeting of the West Tennessee Deputation as well as a meeting in North Carolina of the dioceses in our region of the country. I have learned about the legislative process I’ve described in brief and about my role and responsibilities as a deputy. Those of us in the deputation (which includes our own Scott Haight) have also had an opportunity to engage in what are likely to be the most debated and consequential issues of the General Convention.
These issues include consideration of the blessing of the relationship of same-gender couples. The materials proposed to General Convention include study materials and a carefully drafted trial liturgy. If adopted, we will have the opportunity as a parish to study and reflect on this issue.
A second issue concerns the structure of The Episcopal Church. Over the last decade, our active membership has slipped from over 2.3 million to just under 2 million persons. Meanwhile, our church structure has become, in the view of some, top heavy and unresponsive to the mission-oriented needs of our denomination. At best, we may adopt a procedure to study and recommend a possible reorganization in the future.
A third issue that will be debated includes pension and health plans for lay church employees. The last General Convention voted to require churches to include lay employees in a manner that brings them the same level of benefits that are enjoyed by clergy. The implementation of these worthy proposals, however, has hit a few snags that we will have to address.
There will be many other issues raised, discussed, debated, prayed about, muttered about, and eventually voted upon. Some of these you will no doubt read about or see in various media. But the national media will likely only report a small sliver of what’s really being discussed and decided without capturing the full discussion or the nuance behind our votes.
How then can you stay informed on the events of General Convention? Well, you can continue to check in here at my blog. You are welcome to read my notes as well as post your own comments. You should be able to respond to each other’s comments as well, allowing us to have a “cyber discussion” about the events of General Convention.
Of greater value than my own reflections are the list of links you can find on my blog. These Internet sites will offer exhaustive and extensive coverage of General Convention actions. The list is found on the right side of your computer screen.
I will be away from Dyersburg from July 3 through July 13. Please keep me, our bishop, and all the bishops and deputies in your prayers as we travel to Indianapolis for this Convention and especially as we prayerfully gather in discussion, debate, and decision.
As you might expect, since the Church only meets in this fashion once every three years, there will be a great number of resolutions to be considered. And they may not even be in final form when the Convention begins on July 5. Instead, legislative hearings, which will begin on July 4 and continue throughout the Convention, will consider each of the resolutions that are offered and perhaps amend them in a variety of ways before the final proposed legislation comes before the bishops and deputies for prayerful consideration and vote.
To prepare for this experience, I have attended a meeting of the West Tennessee Deputation as well as a meeting in North Carolina of the dioceses in our region of the country. I have learned about the legislative process I’ve described in brief and about my role and responsibilities as a deputy. Those of us in the deputation (which includes our own Scott Haight) have also had an opportunity to engage in what are likely to be the most debated and consequential issues of the General Convention.
These issues include consideration of the blessing of the relationship of same-gender couples. The materials proposed to General Convention include study materials and a carefully drafted trial liturgy. If adopted, we will have the opportunity as a parish to study and reflect on this issue.
A second issue concerns the structure of The Episcopal Church. Over the last decade, our active membership has slipped from over 2.3 million to just under 2 million persons. Meanwhile, our church structure has become, in the view of some, top heavy and unresponsive to the mission-oriented needs of our denomination. At best, we may adopt a procedure to study and recommend a possible reorganization in the future.
A third issue that will be debated includes pension and health plans for lay church employees. The last General Convention voted to require churches to include lay employees in a manner that brings them the same level of benefits that are enjoyed by clergy. The implementation of these worthy proposals, however, has hit a few snags that we will have to address.
There will be many other issues raised, discussed, debated, prayed about, muttered about, and eventually voted upon. Some of these you will no doubt read about or see in various media. But the national media will likely only report a small sliver of what’s really being discussed and decided without capturing the full discussion or the nuance behind our votes.
How then can you stay informed on the events of General Convention? Well, you can continue to check in here at my blog. You are welcome to read my notes as well as post your own comments. You should be able to respond to each other’s comments as well, allowing us to have a “cyber discussion” about the events of General Convention.
Of greater value than my own reflections are the list of links you can find on my blog. These Internet sites will offer exhaustive and extensive coverage of General Convention actions. The list is found on the right side of your computer screen.
I will be away from Dyersburg from July 3 through July 13. Please keep me, our bishop, and all the bishops and deputies in your prayers as we travel to Indianapolis for this Convention and especially as we prayerfully gather in discussion, debate, and decision.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Province IV Synod
Last week I joined most of the deputation from the Diocese of West Tennessee for the Synod Meeting for Province IV, the group of dioceses in the southeast part of the United States. We heard presentations, considered resolutions to be presented at General Convention, and considered other Province IV business. Most attention was paid to providing useful information for all of us preparing for General Convention. A good day and a half, especially the time spent later in the evening with Bishop Johnson and the other GC deputies discussing the issues raised at the Synod.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Welcome to my blog!
Hello! I will be attending the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church which runs from July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana. As I prepare for this -- and then during the Convention itself -- I will be posting my impressions of events, people, news, and more. This will be no substitute for genuine news coverage from trusted sources, just one deputy's own perceptions and experiences.
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