Actions of the October 2021 Executive Council Meeting |
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The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church conducted a hybrid meeting of in-person gathering at the Maritime Center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland and virtual attendance through Zoom from Monday, October 25 through Thursday, October 28, 2021.
During their proceedings, the Council heard reports from the Presiding Officers, click here for remarks by the Presiding Bishop and click here for remarks by the President of the House of Deputies, a report from the Treasurer, and updates from various staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, including a series of presentations by staff members from Indigenous American communities. Other activities focused on board development among members of Council and ongoing conversations on dismantling racism.
The Executive Council Joint Standing Committees on Finance; Governance and Operations; Mission Beyond The Episcopal Church; and Mission Within The Episcopal Church, also met to hear reports and conduct business.
The following resolutions were passed by the Executive Council on October 28, 2021:
EC = Executive Council
FIN = Executive Council Joint Standing Committee on Finance
GO = Executive Council Joint Standing Committee on Governance and Operations
MB = Executive Council Joint Standing Committee on Mission Beyond The Episcopal Church
MBMW = joint resolution from Mission Beyond and Mission Within
MW = Executive Council Joint Standing Committee on Mission Within The Episcopal Church
The Executive Council of the General Convention, which is generally referred to simply as Executive Council, through its oversight of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and Office of the General Convention, serves as the governing body between meetings of the General Convention (Canon I.4.1). It is accountable to the General Convention (Canon I.4.1.b) and issues a report of its work, which can be found in The Blue Book.
The next meeting of the Executive Council is scheduled for January 24-27, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio.
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2022 Episcopal Church Budget Approved |
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During their October 2021 meeting, the Executive Council unanimously approved a budget for the 2022 calendar year for the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the organization and corporate body for The Episcopal Church.
A draft of the 2023-24 budget is also available and the Joint Standing Commission on Finance is soliciting feedback through December 15, 2021. The Committee is particularly seeking feedback on the proposed budget as to how it pertains to three mission and values questions:
- Are there areas out of alignment with where The Episcopal Church is going?
- Are there areas where The Episcopal Church is reverting to “empire” behavior or otherwise misusing its power?
- Are there areas where The Episcopal Church can lessen disparities created by the pandemic?
Typically, a three-year budget is presented to and approved by the House of Bishops and House of Deputies during a meeting of General Convention (Canon I.4.6, a-c). Budgets are drafted for the interval between meetings of General Convention, which is usually once every three years (Article I.7). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting of the 80th General Convention in 2021 was rescheduled for July 2022, resulting in the need to appropriate funding for the 2022 calendar year. Executive Council was responsible for creating and passing a budget through its canonical mandates to oversee the work of General Convention between meetings (Canon I.4.1.a-c) and authority to make adjustments to the budget, as needed, between meetings of General Convention (Canon I.4.6.i).
A two-year budget for 2023-2024 will be put forward for the House of Bishops and House of Deputies consideration at the 80th General Convention meeting in Baltimore, July 7 – 14, 2022.
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Legislative Committees for the 80th General Convention
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Orientation for All Members
All Bishops and Deputies who have been appointed to a Legislative Committee for the 80th General Convention must have attended or viewed a recording of an orientation session facilitated by the General Convention Office.
A review of Microsoft Teams, which every Legislative Committee is using, is included in the orientation for all members and position-specific material for chairs, secretaries, and those assisting with running online meetings is covered in separate orientation sessions.
If you need to view a recording of any of the Legislative Committee orientation sessions, please contact the GCO at [email protected].
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Calendar of Upcoming Legislative Committee Meetings
The calendar of upcoming Legislative Committee meetings is posted on the virtual binder. Click on “More info” to see further details, including if it is an open hearing where testimony is to be heard and if it is a House of Bishops, House of Deputies, or Joint Committee meeting.
Meetings scheduled through January 2022 will only be committee deliberations. Public legislative hearings will begin to be held online starting in February 2022 and an announcement will be made when the GCO has started posting those to the calendar.
All matters of Legislative Committee meetings, including attendance; voice; and format, are subject to the Rules of Order of that House. For the House of Bishops, see Rules of Order IV. Appointment of Committees. For the House of Deputies, see Rules of Oder VIII: Legislative Committees.
At this time, for committee deliberations, non-committee members may request to observe a meeting. Requests must be submitted at least 2-business days prior to the scheduled meeting and. Observers must agree to a code of conduct to participate.
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New Online Register of Church Services |
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Might there be a future without a registry of church services book kept in the sacristy?
Working with the church's IT department, the General Convention Office has been developing an online tool to allow clergy and lay leaders to record the information about church services that is needed for the Parochial Report.
Leaders in Episcopal congregations interested in using this new format are invited to a demo session during which they will be invited to try out the system on Wednesday, December 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The session is limited to 25 participants for this initial round and the deadline to register is Friday, December 3, 2021.
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Format for the 2021 Parochial Report Approved
At the October 2021 meeting of the Executive Council, resolution GO 030 was passed authorizing the format of the 2021 Parochial Report. The 2021 Parochial Report will, for the second time, ask for qualitative data by including narrative questions.
The approved changes to the format of the 2021 Parochial Report can be viewed under the supporting documents for the resolution, or click here to download the file. Note: This document only shows changes, not the complete version of the 2021 Parochial Report.
Revised sections for 2021 are:
- Questions about worship during the pandemic
- Questions with regards to racial justice and reconciliation
- Outreach ministries and volunteer activity of the congregation
- Questions related to the impact of the pandemic on finance and stewardship
The Parochial Report, in accordance with Canon I.6.4, is developed by the House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church, authorized by Executive Council, and overseen by the Executive Officer of the General Convention.
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Diocesan Administrators Webinar
All diocesan administrators were sent a save the date email, inviting them to attend a presentation to prepare them for the upcoming Parochial Report filing season. If your diocesan administrator did not receive this email, please contact the GCO at [email protected].
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Research Findings from 2020 EPIC Study
The Episcopal Church, through the General Convention Office, is a member of Faith Communities Today (FACT), a multi-faith group of religious researchers and faith leaders. The EPIC project is a collaborative venture of 13 members of FACT and the Hartford Institute for Religion Research to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on congregations and how they are navigating a path forward.
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New “Short and Topical” Survey
Congregations in The Episcopal Church were sent an email invitation by the General Convention Office through their Parochial Report contacts to participate in the second round of short topical surveys to study the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on congregations. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the survey, even if you have not participated in a FACT or EPIC survey before. Over three hundred congregations have participated so far. Thank you! The survey remains open until November 30th.
Researchers from EPIC and FACT collaborated on questions used in the 2020 FACT survey and are continuing to administer a series of 10 short topical surveys, two per year between 2021 and 2025. As the organization representing The Episcopal Church in this study, surveys for Episcopal congregations are sent out through the General Convention Office. The GCO maintains a strict privacy standard and will not provide any contact information to other groups or organizations.
Please contact the Rev. Molly James, Ph.D., deputy executive officer, at [email protected] with any questions about the FACT or EPIC surveys and studies.
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Staff of the Executive Office of the General Convention |
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