D070 Amend Canon I.2.(n)
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That Canon 1.1.2.n is hereby amended to read as follows:
(n) There shall be the following Standing Commissions:
(1) A Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons. It shall be the duty of the Commission to:
(i) Review such proposed amendments to the Constitution and Canons as may be submitted to the Commission, placing each such proposed amendment in proper Constitutional or Canonical form, including all amendments necessary to effect the proposed change. For amendments not in proper form, the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons may direct the submitting Commission to the canonical and Rules of Order requirements for amendments to the Constitution and Canons so the submitting Commission may revise its amendment to proper form. The Commission shall express its views with respect to the substance of any such proposal only to the proponent thereof; provided, however, that no member of the Commission shall, by reason of membership, be deemed to be disabled from expressing, before a Legislative Committee or on the floor of the General Convention, personal views with respect to the substance of any such proposed amendment.
(ii) Conduct a continuing comprehensive review of the Constitution and Canons with respect to their internal consistency and clarity, and on the basis of such a review, propose to the General Convention such technical amendments to the Constitution and Canons as in the opinion of the Commission are necessary or desirable in order to achieve such consistency and clarity without altering the substance of any Constitutional and Canonical provisions; provided, however, that the Commission shall propose, for the consideration of the appropriate Legislative Committees of the General Convention, such amendments to the Constitution and Canons as in the opinion of the Commission are technically desirable but involve a substantive alteration of a Constitutional or Canonical provision.
(iii) On the basis of such review, suggest to the Executive Council and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society such amendments to its their respective By-laws as in the opinion of the Commission are necessary or desirable in order to conform the same to the Constitution and Canons.
(iv) Conduct a continuing and comprehensive review and update of the authorized “Annotated Constitution and Canons for the Government of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America otherwise known as The Episcopal Church” to reflect actions of General Convention which amend the Constitution and Canons and, in the discretion of the Commission, develop other materials which are appropriate to the purpose of the “Annotated Constitution and Canons,” and facilitate the publication of this document and related materials. The Commission may provide or support forums to promote commentary, discussion, and understanding of the Constitution and Canons.
(v) Discharge such other duties as shall from time to time be assigned by the General Convention.
(vi) Study and make recommendations concerning the structure of the General Convention and of The Episcopal Church. It shall, from time to time, review the operation of the several Committees, Commissions, and Boards to determine the necessity for their continuance and the effectiveness of their functions and to bring about a coordination of their efforts. Whenever a proposal is made for the creation of a new Committee, Commission, Board or Agency, it shall, wherever feasible, be referred to this Standing Commission for its consideration and advice
(2) A Standing Commission on Structure and Governance. It shall be the duty of the Commission to study and make recommendations concerning the structure of the General Convention and of The Episcopal Church. It shall, from time to time, review the operation of the several Committees, Commissions, and Boards to determine the necessity for their continuance and the effectiveness of their functions and to bring about a coordination of their efforts. Whenever a proposal is made for the creation of a new Committee, Commission, Board or Agency, it shall, wherever feasible, be referred to this Standing Commission for its consideration and advice.
(3) A Standing Commission on World Mission, whose members shall include persons broadly representative of jurisdictions outside the United States of America, as well as persons having direct engagement with and experience in world mission. It shall be the duty of the Commission, to review and evaluate policies, priorities, and strategies for global mission, and to make recommendations regarding global mission to General Convention.
And be it further
Resolved, That the present subsection (2) be renumbered accordingly;
And be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention request the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $ 60,000 for the implementation of this resolution.
Explanation
At the 2015 General Convention, all but two Standing Commissions were eliminated, leaving only the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and a combined Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons. We have now had three years of experience with this structure and are able to see its many weaknesses. The work that normally would have been sent to Standing Commissions was either shunted to the Executive Council, already dealing with a full agenda, or taken up by task forces, which are not meant to be permanent committees, but rather short lived, single focus entities. From 14 Standing Commissions and three task forces in 2015, we went to two Standing Commissions and twelve new task forces. Most of the topics assigned to task forces over the last triennium would have benefitted from being considered in the broader context that previous Standing Commissions would have provided, rather than being treated as isolated issues. At least two other resolutions have been introduced to bring back other Standing Commissions because their absence has created obvious gaps in the Church’s ability to discern appropriate responses to the needs of the church and the world. The report of the current omnibus Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons demonstrates that its mandate is clearly too broad. It has strained to complete its assignments from the last General Convention; it has had to put off several issues until the next triennium; it has continued to process resolutions after the filing of its Blue Book report (see A179-184). Having served on both the previous Standing Commissions, I can attest that the skills and mindset needed to maintain the Constitution and Canons are different from those relevant to an evaluation of Structure and Governance in the context of the polity of TEC. Although the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, having two separate bodies will facilitate a return to appropriate and timely focus on the details of the two different tasks. In particular, it will free the Standing Commission on Structure and Governance to have, and include the wider church in, the necessary conversations about what we want, need and can support in the form of structural support for increasing ministry demands. World mission is an evolving area which needs deep discernment of new vision and strategies in the face of today’s difficult questions, rooted in history and facing the challenges of the future. A Standing Commission on World Mission is the appropriate entity to gather experience and expertise and engage the wider church in developing the most appropriate responses to the question of TEC’s future role and responsibility. The Executive Council’s Joint Standing Committee on World Mission is not an adequate substitute, as its report reveals. The agenda of the Joint Standing Committee is dominated by urgent challenges and it was necessarily “focused on the committee members’ determination at the start of the triennium to responsibly manage its fiduciary purposes.” leaving it inadequate time for the reflection needed to chart new paths. Some of the pressure on the Executive Council could be relieved by directing longer view issues to the restored Standing Commission with the same mandate as previously set out.