Committees 20, 21, and 23: Sundries

Now we are getting to the bottom of the barrel. Or maybe it’s like the Wedding at Cana, and the best resolutions have been saved until the end. You decide, dear reader. There are three committees concerned with the business of doing business. These are:

• Committee 20: Confirmation of the election of the Presiding Bishop
• Committee 21: Dispatch of Business
• Committee 23: Privilege and Courtesy

Committee 22 certifies the minutes, so they don’t usually generate resolutions. Same with Committee 24 (credentials) and Committee 25 (resolution review). So with 20, 21, and 23, we’ll have made our way through the resolution-generating committees of General Convention. Woo hoo!

I’m lumping these three committees together because they only have six resolutions among the three committees. And here we go!

Committee 20: Confirmation of the election of the Presiding Bishop

A165 The Confirmation of the Presiding Bishop Elect. Full text. Likely vote: YES, but read below!

In its entirety, this resolution reads, “That the House of Deputies confirms the election by the House of Bishops of [the person elected by the House of Bishops] as Presiding Bishop.” One of my favorite things about the Episcopal Church is that our governance insists on the participation of laypeople at all levels. So we’re not a clergy-run church, though we are led by bishops (hence the name, Episcopal). When the bishops elect the Presiding Bishop, their election must be confirmed by the House of Deputies to be effective. I do not believe the HoD has ever rejected an election, but it’s possible. The HoD’s task is to ensure that everything was in order about the election and, though it seems vanishingly unlikely, to reject a poor choice if the bishops erred badly. As I will say to any deputy, this should not be a pro forma vote. If your conscience says to vote no, you should do that, deputies! But I expect that won’t happen.

With the ceremony and tradition here, the brand new PB-elect will be introduced to the HoD and say a few words. And then there’s a vote. It’s a grand occasion for cheers all around, and it allows both houses to turn the page into a new chapter of churchwide leadership together.

By the way, the canons say that the bishops are required to disclose the vote tallies for all ballots of their election, so we’ll be able to see how the voting went after the fact. It’s all very exciting. Please pray for our bishops and our deputies, that the Holy Spirit may lead us to select the leader that God wills for our church.

Committee 21: Dispatch of Business

A001 General Convention Daily Agenda. Full text. Likely vote: YES.

This simply sets the agenda and schedule for the 81st General Convention. If you want to mark your calendars for important things, many of them are listed here.

A164 2025-2027 Budget for The Episcopal Church. Full text. Likely vote: YES, but I will read the final fine print!

This resolution formally adopts the budget, including setting the assessment rates that dioceses pay (currently 15%). The income and expense lines in our three-year balanced budget are currently set at $143,191,157. You can see the current budget online. I encourage you to spend some time with it. General Convention passes a budget, but Executive Council has the authority to make changes as well, since a lot can happen in three years.

X001 House of Deputies Special Orders for the 81st General Convention. Full text. Likely vote: YES.

My favorite resolution number, X001. As you may know, “A” resolutions come from committees of General Convention (committees, commissions, agencies, boards, task forces, legislative committees, and the like). “B” resolutions come from bishops. “C” resolutions come from provinces or dioceses. “D” resolutions come from deputies. Few know this, but “X” resolutions come from deep underground beneath the General Convention, where there is a special superhero lair for caped crusaders the committee on dispatch. If you get a chance, thank the heroes of this committee, who have the thankless job of organizing the business of General Convention, which inevitably annoys some whilst delighting others.

This resolution is where the House of Deputies sets its agenda in terms of special orders. These are typically things that take place at a time certain, such as elections that are held are a particular time. Special orders are adopted, and this includes matters that are likely to garner debate and parliamentary maneuvers, so we limit debate to a certain length or set various special rules.

I note that there are times set aside for presentations from various Episcopal entities. Literally, until I started at Forward Movement, the House of Deputies always heard from Forward Movement. But then they canceled it after General Convention 2009. I’ve tried not to take that personally. Dear reader, of course I don’t! It was part of a much-needed paring down of extraneous stuff at General Convention. If you want to hear from Forward Movement go visit its booth in the exhibit hall.

Committee 23: Privilege and Courtesy

C001 On the Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry. Full text. Likely vote: YES.

We always have a bunch of resolutions that thank and salute various people and things. I vote against most of them on principle, not that I don’t love the things or the people, but because someone could just thank people or say kind things without the hoopla of approving resolutions. I’m all for gratitude, but not for using the legislative machine this way. We could all do other things in this time. But on this one, I vote yes. Michael Curry has given so much to our church, and this seems like an important moment to thank him as we elect a new PB and as he prepares to conclude his ministry leading our church.

D001 Commend the Episcopal Communicators Organization and Celebrate their 50th Anniversary. Full text. Likely vote: MEH.

This resolution expresses thanks for the Episcopal Communicators. It’s a great organization for those who do communications ministry in the church, and they’re celebrating 50 years. I’ve been on the board of EC; I’m a fan. But still, if we thank every group or person, we could be here all day. I can’t quite bring myself to vote yes or no here. I’ll most likely mumble something or other as the vote happens on this one and others. And I’ll try to find Episcopal Communicators at General Convention to thank. They deserve gratitude.