(Although this was offered one week ago it remains useful for beginning to set the scene and get a feel for General Convention 2012–KSH).
The issues confronting this Convention are different in my experience than the ones we’ve been facing. For the last two decades, the primary energy of General Convention has been focused on issues of marriage equality and inclusion. Those questions have been settled for a significant majority of the Episcopal Church, and I don’t think they will occupy much of our time next month, though there will be some important votes taken regarding them. What I think will occupy our time is our response to a broad recognition in mainline churches that our existing governance structures no longer serve the needs of the 21st century church. The Diocese of Arizona joined more than 30 other dioceses in calling for a special General Convention to deal with the issue. I know we will deal with the question somehow, but I couldn’t predict at the moment what we will end up doing. There are many different voices and ideas right now, but there’s no sense of consensus. Given that most of our work as Convention for the past decades has been centered on balancing the desire to speak prophetically and minimize the attendant conflict, arriving at consensus on matters of financial and structural reform is unfamiliar territory for most of the deputies. We know something needs to be done. But we’re not sure, as a body, what that ought to be yet.
Finally, there’s an ongoing broad change in the leadership of the Episcopal Church….
[blockquote] “This Convention will be the shortest yet, it is facing significant financial, theological and structural issues, and I anticipate that it will be forced to rush through its work at an even faster pace than in previous conventions.” [/blockquote]
Whinger. The best way to deal with “significant financial issues” is to ignore them. Then they just go away :o)
[blockquote] “Finally, there’s an ongoing broad change in the leadership of the Episcopal Church. The President of the House of Deputies has announced that she will not seek reelection, we don’t have a Vice President at the moment, and many among the rest of the leadership are beginning to retire and step-down. As the House of Deputies considers the election of its next president and vice president, it will be making decisions about leadership style, the nature of the relationship between itself and the House of Bishops, and how the next generation of leaders will be formed.” [/blockquote]
Or, teh HOD will be confronting the truth that its “leadership style” doesn’t matter, because all power that matters is concentrated in the HOB, which in turn are under the PB and her politburo.