Disciple: Preview: The 81st General Convention

The 81st General Convention is taking place June 23-28, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. It marks the first iteration of a new timeline, a compromise between the shortened, four-day 80th General Convention held in 2022, and the traditional 10-plus day gatherings of the past. The new, six-day format is made possible by legislative committees meeting online prior to General Convention. Though the 81st General Convention officially convenes on Sunday, June 23, there will be festivities and events of note to enjoy on Saturday.

FOLLOW CONVENTION

The Episcopal Church, the Diocese of North Carolina and Episcopal News Service will all be working to bring the 81st General Convention to you. While there will be many hands making that happen, there is only one place you need to go to access it all.

DIOCESAN HOMEPAGE
Throughout General Convention, the diocese will post daily schedule highlights, livestream links and the link to our in-depth coverage found on our General Convention page.

FROM THE OFFICE OF GENERAL CONVENTION

• Bookmark generalconvention.org, the site that houses all things General Convention.
• Bookmark and follow bit.ly/GC81VirtualBinder, the online virtual binder for access to everything deputies and bishops can view, including resolutions, committee reports, legislative committee meetings, calendars, agendas, daily journals, elections, floor amendments, communications, the constitution and canons, and when it is available, the budget. See what they see as they see it.

DON’T FORGET

• Follow on X (Twitter) for live updates throughout General Convention (#GC81).

A SPECIAL HONOR

The Episcopal Church Women will celebrate their 150th anniversary at their triennial meeting. Diocesan archivist Lynn Hoke will be the North Carolina recipient of the ECW “Distinguished Woman” award, bestowed as part of the June 25 luncheon.

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS

Among the highlights anticipated at General Convention are the election of the next Presiding Bishop, a revival, daily worship services and key conversations in both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Some key dates and times to tune in:

• Saturday, June 22
  • 2 p.m.: Presiding Bishop and President of House of Deputies presentation to General Convention
  • 7 p.m.: Revival!
• Sunday, June 23
  • 7 p.m.: Celebrating 150 Years of Episcopal Church Women.
• Monday, June 24
  • 10:30 a.m.: Joint session presentation of the triennial budget
• Tuesday, June 25
  • 10:30 a.m.: Joint session presentation of the Presiding Bishop nominees
• Wednesday, June 26
  • 10:30 a.m.: Presiding Bishop election begins

REPRESENTING THE DIOCESE OF NORTH CAROLINA

CLERGY ORDER

The Rev. Canon Kathy Walker
Canon Missioner for Black Ministries, Diocese of North Carolina
First-time deputy for the Diocese of North Carolina.

The Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough
Deacon, Christ the King, Charlotte
First-time deputy for the Diocese of North Carolina.

CLERGY ALTERNATES

• The Rev. Sara Ardrey-Graves, St. Paul’s, Winston-Salem (first alternate)
• The Rev. Jamie Edwards, St. Clement’s, Clemmons (second alternate)

Image: The Rev. Kevin Matthews, the Rev. Jacob Pierce, the Rev. Canon Kathy Walker, the Rev. Rebecca Yarbrough

LAY ORDER

Martha B. Alexander
Christ Church, Charlotte
Eight-time deputy; member of Governance and Structure Committee.

Alice Freeman
St. Mark’s, Wilson
Six-time deputy; member of the Accessibility & Inclusion Committee.

Megan Carlson
St. Stephen’s, Durham
Returning deputy; member of the Task Force on Mental Health; member of the Resolution Review Committee, serving this time as the committee’s secretary.

Bryan Dougan
Holy Family, Chapel Hill
Returning deputy; member of the Task Force for Household and Family Diversity, an interim body of General Convention.

There are no lay alternates; Dougan was originally elected to serve in the role, but was called to fulfill Chipper Long’s seat on the deputation. Long was elected to serve in the lay order; however, he will celebrate his ordination to the diaconate prior to the start of General Convention and become a member of the clergy.

Image: Martha Alexander, Alice Freeman, Megan Carlson, Bryan Dougan

CONVERSATION, RESOLUTIONS AND EVENTS OF INTEREST

There will be too much happening throughout General Convention to list it all here, but there are certainly conversations, resolutions and events expected to be “hot topics” of the 81st General Convention.

REVIVAL AT THE 81st GENERAL CONVENTION

Thousands of Episcopalians are expected at the final revival in Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s term. The event will be livestreamed by The Episcopal Church; look for the link on the diocesan homepage.

ELECTION OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP

It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since our own beloved Bishop Michael Curry was elected the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. But it has been just that, and the election of the 28th Presiding Bishop will take place on June 26. Elected by the House of Bishops, the House of Deputies will then accept or decline the election.

ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSE OF DEPUTIES

Those elected to the office of President of the House of Deputies are eligible for re-election for up to three, three-year terms. Though it is not common for incumbent presidents to be re-elected on a contested ballot, this year’s election will include President Julia Ayala-Harris and House of Deputies Vice President Rachel Taber-Hamilton.

REVISIONS TO THE TITLE V PROCESS

There has been much discussion in the last couple of years around the Title IV disciplinary process of The Episcopal Church, most notably how it is applied when a complaint involves a bishop. Among the elements to be discussed will be any necessary revisions to the process.

NAVAJOLAND SEEKING TO BECOME A MISSIONARY DIOCESE

The mission area known as Navajoland is working to become a missionary diocese, which would allow it to elect its own bishop while continuing to receive support from the wider church. The Governance & Structure Committee voted unanimously in support of this on April 30.

BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER REVISION

This is a conversation that has been at the forefront for the last several General Conventions. Most of the discussion has focused on inclusive language and rites. Two key resolutions to watch:

• A116, which seeks to put the inclusive marriage services into the Book of Common Prayer rather than being only authorized supplemental material.
• A059, which would define the Book of Common Prayer as any liturgy approved by General Convention in the same manner as required to amend it, which means the future edition may not be a bound resource, but a collection of liturgies given the same authority as the Book of Common Prayer throughout the church. Second reading.

COMMUNION BEFORE BAPTISM

Recent conversation on this topic has mainly focused on whether language requiring baptism before communion belongs in the church canons. Opinions on this differ; as Episcopal News Service reported, “In a May 15 meeting, bishops and deputies on the Prayer Book, Liturgy & Music committees split in their actions taken on a proposed resolution about the canonical requirement that a person be baptized before receiving Holy Communion. Deputies wanted to recommend adopting the resolution with amendments, while the bishops wanted to take no action on it.”

FULL COMMUNION WITH THE METHODIST CHURCH

Look for conversation around furthering engagement with the United Methodist Church with a goal of being in full communion. Conversations about local sharing of ministries with the Presbyterian Church (USA) are also expected.

OTHER TOPICS TO WATCH

• Title III updates
• Mental health and general health-related topics, especially denominational health care changes
• Making the environment/Creation Care more of a funding priority
• Publishing and sharing resources for disability access and inclusion
• Establishing a task force for the study of fair hiring policies within The Episcopal Church
• Access to prison ministries
• Task Force on AI in The Episcopal Church

ABOUT GENERAL CONVENTION

For those new to The Episcopal Church, or those who wonder every three years what all the fuss is about, here are a few things to know about General Convention, by Melodie Woerman and Cynde Bimbi.

WHAT IS GENERAL CONVENTION?

General Convention is the highest authority in The Episcopal Church. In 2024, it will meet for six legislative days, although other activities take place before the convention officially gets underway.

It has two houses, like Congress—the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops—and members of both houses have been elected by their diocesan conventions. Not every denomination elects the people who serve at the highest legislative level, but The Episcopal Church does. Each house meets separately and has its own officers, and legislation must pass both houses with the same language for it to take effect.

The House of Deputies includes four lay people and four clergy from each diocese—and there are 108 dioceses. So, its membership exceeds 900 people with alternates. It also will include 18 young people who make up the Official Youth Presence. They will have seat and voice but cannot vote; nevertheless, they play an important role in sharing ideas with deputies.

The House of Bishops is made up of all active and retired bishops, although many retired bishops don’t attend—those who regularly participate currently are about 200 bishops.

But General Convention is more than just legislation. It also includes official worship services, a large exhibit hall where groups around the church can show people who they are and offer items for sale, and a special day camp for children. Other groups around the church—like organizations and seminaries—have their own events, and it often feels like a big reunion.

WHAT DOES GENERAL CONVENTION DO?

Its purpose is to pass legislation that affects the church—everything from stating the church’s position on things like immigration and the death penalty, to changing canons on clergy conduct and what Bible translations are authorized for use in public worship. Proposed legislation, called resolutions, can come from bishops, deputies, diocesan conventions or from the task forces and commissions that meet between conventions.

All resolutions are referred to one of the convention legislative committees. Deputies and bishops have their own committees on various topics but meet together. Again this year, legislative committees have been meeting online before the start of General Convention to consider proposed resolutions. Committees are required to conduct an open hearing on every resolution assigned to them. People can sign up to speak on those topics, and the public is welcome to be present.

After being considered by a committee, every resolution then starts in one of the two houses where it is voted on, either individually or, in the case of resolutions that appear to be non-controversial, grouped into a consent calendar. If a resolution passes both houses with the same language, it then takes effect.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Some crucial elements of the life of  The Episcopal Church and Episcopalians come from the actions of General Convention. This year there is a major one—the election of a new presiding bishop. The House of Deputies also will elect its president, to serve for the next three years.

General Convention is responsible for many actions that affect all Episcopalians.

GET CAUGHT UP

“House of Deputies Blue Book Podcast with Julia Ayala Harris” - explores resolutions and topics that will shape the direction of GC81. Listen at bit.ly/HODPodcast.

• Office of the General Convention newsletter: bit.ly/GCONews.
• House of Deputies newsletter: bit.ly/HODNewsletter.

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