An Introduction to General Convention

The 79th General Convention in Austin, TX

What is General Convention?!

General Convention is the body of the Episcopal Church which gathers every three years to conduct the business of the Church. It first met in Philadelphia in 1785, and its founding principles were modeled after the same kind of democratic process and shared authority envisioned in the young and burgeoning American democracy. The first General Convention established the House of Deputies, made up of both lay and clergy representatives from across the early Church; the House of Bishops was established in 1789. The founding principles of General Convention remain in place today, as authority is shared between the houses, and each house must work in agreement with the other to pass resolutions.

The work of General Convention is vast. It's responsible for addressing matters regarding the Episcopal Church's Constitution and Canons, our worship and The Book of Common Prayer, how we understand our theology and practice regarding societal issues and current events, and the finances and budget of the Episcopal Church. This is by no means an exhaustive list, as General Convention regularly considers hundreds of resolutions over a wide variety of topics at each meeting. In addition, General Convention has interim bodies and Standing Committees that meet in between meetings of General Convention to continue the work that General Convention has approved. For example, the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music meets throughout the three years between General Conventions to fulfill the work given them -- this can range from creating new liturgies to writing in depth reports about the theology of our prayer book. 

Looking back at our history of resolutions, General Convention serves as a record of where we've come from as a church and where we're going. Some notable moments in "recent" history:

1952: Voted to "consistently oppose and combat discrimination based on color or race in every form, both within the church and without.”  For General Convention in 1955, the Episcopal Church changed venues from Texas to Hawaii in protest of segregation laws.

1976: Voted to approve women's ordination

1979: Approved most recent update of The Book of Common Prayer

2003: Approved the ordination of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church

2015: First approval of trial rite for same-sex marriage

Who goes to General Convention?

The House of Deputies is composed of representatives from each diocese. Dioceses hold elections for up to four lay deputies and four clergy deputies as well as alternates for each order. The House of Bishops is composed of all active and retired bishops of the Church. The Diocese of Idaho will be represented by the Rt. Rev. Jos Tharakan in the House of Bishops and the following deputies and alternates in the House of Deputies:

What does a typical day look like at General Convention?

General Convention lasts for six days this year, with the majority of the time dedicated to legislative sessions, worship, and committee hearings. Many deputies and bishops will be in Louisville a few days longer, though, because the committees they serve may require additional attention before the first legislative day on Sunday the 23rd. General Convention kicks off on the evening of Saturday the 22nd with a Revival event at the YUM Center (home of the University of Louisville's home basketball games).

In between legislative sessions, worship, and other official events, guests at General Convention look forward to strolling through the marketplace area which is full of every Episcopal thing you can imagine. There are places to buy books, vestments, and souvenirs, larger organizations like seminaries and Forward Movement will have their own booths, and there are lots of places to learn about ministry and the latest happenings across the Episcopal Church.

Here's the unofficial schedule for GC81, with pink legislative sessions, green worship blocks, and blue legislative hearings.

What are the big topics at this year's General Convention?

There are always a number of resolutions that stir up convention and get a lot of attention. That's definitely still true this year, but the headline topic is the election of a new Presiding Bishop. Presiding Bishops are only elected once every nine years, and Michael Curry's term is set to expire. Presiding Bishop Curry has been a revelation for the Church; his preaching prowess, his deep and robust faith, and his leadership in matters of racial reconciliation and justice have been a breath of fresh air during his tenure, and his successor will have large shoes to fill!

There are five nominees for the 28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church:

The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker, Diocese of Nebraska

The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutierrez, Diocese of Pennsylvania

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York

The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, Diocese of Atlanta

The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Diocese of Central New York

The Nominees for the 28th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

You may visit this website for more information about each of the candidates and their visions for the Church for the next decade.

Elsewhere, there are many other pressing matters before the 81st General Convention. We have big questions to answer about clarity and processes of Title IV of our canons, which dictate how the Church responds to matters of clergy misconduct. There are over a dozen resolutions concerning the Church's position and response to the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine. We'll be looking at new additions to the Episcopal Church's calendar of saints and if we need to reconsider how new feasts are added to that calendar. And we'll consider how we interpret or even change our constitution to redefine what "The Book of Common Prayer" means: is it just the book we have come to know from 1979 onwards? Does it include rites that have been approved by General Convention (like same-sex marriage) but aren't printed in current copies? Do any and all approved or supplemental liturgies carry the same weight as the liturgies printed on the pages? We hope to find out!

You can follow along with what convention looks at each day and even read every resolution if you'd like! Click here to access the Virtual Binder of resolutions.

I'll look forward to writing more each day with updates from votes on important resolutions as well as pictures, videos, and thoughts from each of our deputies! Thank you for your prayers for our deputation, for safe travel for all of those heading to Louisville, and for God' Church, that we might faithfully discern God's will through our common life and gatherings.

Grace to you and peace,

Dennis