Rector’s Rambling – June 27, 2024

Attending the General Convention is not for everyone, but I have always appreciated and enjoyed it. This 81st General Convention, meeting in Louisville, KY, is my eighthconvention. I have served as an alternate deputy or deputy at five of those (the last fourfor the Diocese of Georgia). The other three I attended in an unofficial, or at least non-legislative capacity. As I’ve shared before, The General Convention of the EpiscopalChurch is one of the biggest legislative bodies in the United States when it is in sessionwith a lot of serious work to do. It is also a bit like an Episcopal theme park of sorts, too.There are thousands of Episcopalians here for the week, and between the sessions, themeetings, the worship, and the groups that attend, it’s unlike anything else.

There have been approximately 830 Deputies in the House of Deputies for each

session. 109 Dioceses are represented by four lay and four clergy deputies in our

house. We also have a gallery with alternates and guests in it, so that when we are in

session, adding up all the people, we might have 1200 people “in the room” (it’s a big

room)! The House of Bishops had nearly 160 bishops in it this year – higher than years

that don’t include the Presiding Bishop election, and they also have their own guests and

gallery. With groups like the ECW and Daughter’s of the King meeting “alongside” the

General Convention, and the exhibit hall with dozens of organizations promoting their

work or their wares, there are simply thousands of people here for one reason: a deep

love of the Episcopal Church.

For those who have forgotten their confirmation class, a quick overview: The General Convention IS the Episcopal Church in one sense. We don’t have a pope or a college of cardinals. What we have is this bi-cameral system that functions almost like the US Congress to pray and deliberate over what the Church believes, decide how it worships, and establish priorities. The two houses assign people to legislative committees that do a lot of work at and in between Conventions, and their work shapes what comes before the Convention for decision. For example, we pray the way we do because a series of previous Conventions approved trial liturgies, amended and shaped them, and then elected to include them in the Book of Common Prayer. Although we inherited a great deal of our ethos and identity from our roots in the Church of England prior to the Revolutionary War, since that time we have gathered every three years to continue to define and shape our identity in a model that is now used in various Anglican provinces around the world.

Some of what we do at General Convention has very little impact on individual congregations. Other decisions end up having tremendous influence over what happens in our churches. Many things are somewhere in between. At this Convention, there are no monumental decisions before us that will make huge headlines in the culture. That doesn’t mean there isn’t important work going on. For example, the Convention always struggles to figure out what it’s voice is on a myriad of topics and issues. Some argue that what “The Episcopal Church” says to the wider world doesn’t really make a difference – so why waste our time passing resolutions

 about things that live in the world of Empire and politics? Others are adamant that the Church’s voice is still important – when it speaks and when it doesn’t – even if it is only to encourage the faithful to a thoughtful and faithful response.

For example, so far, the most moving and passionate discussion has been around how

we might offer something to the Church and the world in response to the tragic violence in Israel. As one

might have expected, there are overlapping theological and political matters to navigate

in this regard. In both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies significant

discussion centered on the inclusion or omission of language in resolutions such as

“apartheid” and “genocide”. What we sometimes fail to remember in the midst of

legislative wrangling is that we’re generally all pulling in the same direction, which is to

respond with both horror and care to the violence and terror that has gripped that region, costing the

lives of tens of thousands of innocent human beings, many of them children. It is

unlikely that anything we have to say as a body will bring an immediate end to the

conflict, and yet, there is power in our words, crafted through prayer, reminding us all

that we follow the Prince of Peace who grieves over such costly human strife.

Let me return to the role of prayer now. These meetings and sessions are not

undertaken in a vacuum of legislative process. We start every day with corporate

prayer. Thousands of Episcopalians from around the world, praying together, is more

powerful than words can easily convey. Legislative committees pray. Both Houses pray

regularly before and after votes. We invite the Holy Spirit into our deliberations, trusting

in God’s ability to shape and mold this Church we love so dearly. That was on full

display yesterday. Our morning eucharist was built upon the invocation of the Holy Spirit

through our readings, our music, and the sermon we heard. This was to set the stage

for the Bishops to walk a couple of blocks over to the Diocese of Kentucky’s Cathedral

for the election of the next Presiding Bishop. The Spirit was with them as they also

prayed together there, before ultimately electing their “first among equals” on the first

ballot.

Our next Presiding Bishop will be Bishop Sean Rowe, who is my age, but has been

serving as the Bishop of Northwest Pennsylvania since 2007. He is also the Bishop of

Western New York and had previously also helped oversee the Diocese of Bethlehem

(PA). Bishop Rowe is not as outwardly inspiring as Presiding Bishop Curry, whose

flamboyant preaching has gripped our attention these last nine years, and called the

Church to revival based on the love of Jesus. Nonetheless, Bishop Rowe is a powerful

leader in his own right, and the Spirit is up to something in his election. In the ways that

Bishop Curry helped us refocus on the center of the faith – the reconciling love of Jesus

Christ, I suspect Bishop Rowe will help us refocus on the center of the Church – our

purpose and mission. The Episcopal Church is in need of some restructuring, in terms

of our corporate life and functioning, and there is a sense among many that the most

important things we can be addressing revolve around church growth, discipleship,

formation, and evangelism. These are the things that make the Church what it is, after

all.

Mainline Christianity – Western Christianity – is changing (not dying). Our mission is not.

We exist to proclaim the Good News of God’s love – the reconciliation of people to one

another and God through our Savior, Jesus Christ. The world needs this message. The Church does many things, but

all of it should serve that purpose above all else. We have a lot of work to do to get that message out and shape the hearts and minds of those who are drawn to take up their cross and follow Jesus. What we do here at this triennial meeting with its sometimes-

tedious sessions may seem to be a strange use of time and energy that may appear to

be a distraction from the Gospel; Jesus didn’t call for committees, after all. I assure you,

though, that if the Spirit has indeed shown up (and I believe she has), all of this work

sets the stage for our Church to be more faithful and more effective as we respond to

God’s call. As we continue our work, please keep the General Convention and our

Church in your prayers.