wfn.org | General Convention: changes in stru

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June 6, 1997
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

97-1792
General Convention: changes in structure proposed to streamline and
refocus church

by Nan Cobbey
   (ENS) Changes recommended for the national church and its top
leaders could bring a greater sharing of power with the church outside
the national headquarters in New York if they win approval at General
Convention this summer. 
   The Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church will
present 51 resolutions. They call for a less powerful and less hands-on
presiding bishop, a greater share of authority for the president of the
House of Deputies, enhanced responsibilities for the Executive Council,
the addition of an "executive director" at the Episcopal Church Center
and a revision and reduction of the plethora of commissions and
committees that oversee the church's work. 
   "It's a refocus on the diocese as the basic unit of the church," says
Judge George Shields, Executive Council liaison on the commission. "[It]
recognizes that there is a new way of doing business which is basically
networking and task forcing ... We are really trying to empower local
mission and ministry."
   Such a refocus had been the goal of many at General Convention in
1994 when a series of aggressive resolutions proposed moving the church
center out of New York, reducing the size of General Convention, re-
assessing the roles of presiding bishop, Executive Council and national
program staff and cutting back financial support for the national offices
and staff. 

A call for change
   Most of those proposals were defeated, but sentiment for change
remained high, leading General Convention to charge the Structure
Commission with evaluating national commissions and committees with
an eye to reorganization. A few months later, Presiding Bishop Edmond
Browning and House of Deputies President Pamela Chinnis expanded the
commission's charge, asking members to make proposals "as if we were
starting a new institution."
   That broadened charge allowed the commission to focus on the roles
of presiding bishop, House of Deputies president, Executive Council and
national staff. The final recommendations attempt to balance power and
authority at the top and redirect responsibility for program and ministry.
   In brief, the commission recommends:
   -- making the presiding bishop more pastor and prophet than CEO by
giving national program oversight responsibilities to a new "executive
director" nominated by the presidents of both houses and responsible to
Executive Council.
   -- increasing the responsibility and accountability of Executive
Council and making national program staff responsible, through it, to
General Convention rather than the presiding bishop.
   -- expanding the authority of the president of the House of Deputies
and giving that person, with the presiding bishop, the power of
appointing the chairs of all commissions and committees and nominating
the executive director and financial officer of the Executive Council.
   -- reducing and realigning national commissions, committees and
boards, and changing their membership, adding more lay members,
reducing the number of bishops. 
   Eight standing commissions would be eliminated--church in small
communities, health, human affairs, the church in metropolitan areas,
peace with justice, evangelism, church music and the liturgical
commission. The Board for Church Deployment, Board for Theological
Education and Council for the Development of Ministry would be
merged into a new Standing Commission on Ministry. The Committee on
the State of the Church would be eliminated. Added would be: Standing
Commission on Common Worship, Standing Commission on Domestic
Mission and Evangelism, Standing Commission on National Concerns,
Standing Commission on Anglican and International Concerns.
   -- shifting responsibility for program development and oversight to
agencies, networks and task forces. 

Emphasizing local ministry
   "We are putting the emphasis on local dioceses and congregations,"
said Shields. They would carry on the mission and ministry "with staff
assistance but not actually have the church center conducting programs." 
   "Local, diocesan, provincial and network activity... are to be
preferred over centralized and institutionalized activities and programs
and overhead expense," said the Structure Commission's report to
convention.
   Of all the commission's recommendations, those promoting
networking could have the most impact, predicts commission chair Betty
Gilmore of the Diocese of Northwest Texas. "The networking aspect
generates a great deal of enthusiasm," she says.
   And coupled with reduced expense because of the consolidations, a
less centralized, more local emphasis should please many in the church,
she believes. 
   "Some of the dioceses are responding with their pocketbooks to the
feeling that we can do this better and more cost-efficiently at home,"
Gilmore observed. "They're simply not sending in their money. I am one
that certainly thinks we must have a national church, but I think we also
need to look at what can be done [locally]. I believe some of the things
will naturally fall to the dioceses."

Concerns voiced about scope of restructure
   The commission's proposals do have critics. Browning has
commented that they "seem to divide program between the national
church and the local church ... that loses the partnership concept we have
been building."
   Diane Porter, senior executive for program until March, fears that
the proposed changes could undermine much of the work that has
originated at the national headquarters which she calls "an incubator" for
ideas and ministry.
   The Rev. Robert Sessum, chair of the to-be-eliminated Peace with
Justice Commission, expressed his concern that the church may lose an
important element of its international conscience. The commission
responded by charging the proposed Standing Commission on Anglican
and International Concerns to have "particular emphasis on issues of
international peace and justice."

--Nan Cobbey is features editor for Episcopal Life, the national
newspaper of the Episcopal Church.