Report To The 76th General Convention

This document includes the reports of the Committees, Commissions, Agencies and Boards of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to the 76th General Convention, in Anaheim, California, July 8-17, 2009.

The dioceses of San Joaquin, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, and Quincy voted to secede from the Episcopal Church. The bishop of Pittsburgh was deposed for abandonment of communion, with several other bishops removed from ministry in the Episcopal Church after declaring their alignment with other provinces of the Anglican Communion. The diocese of Virginia is in the midst of protracted legal battles with parishes seeking to leave with property, with Virginia lower courts issuing rulings reflecting minority interpretation of The Episcopal Church governance. What's going on, who's in charge, and what about real-property assets? In order to determine the locus of authority within the Episcopal Church, political scientist James Dator carefully analyzed the three main styles of constitutional government —confederal, federal, and unitary — and applied them to the Episcopal Church in his 1959 dissertation. Now, working with religious journalist Jan Nunley, who added current legal cases and canonical updates, Dr. Dator’s research offers newfound currency and prescient applicability. Topics include a thorough examination of the Episcopal Church’s Constitution and Canons, 1782 to present, plus the structure, executive powers, and governing roles of its various parts.

On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, the world has faced its biggest shared test since the Second World War in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet while our welfare, and indeed the permanence of human life, depend on us working together, international cooperation has never been harder to achieve. This report answers a call from UN Member States to provide recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges. Its proposals are grounded in a renewal of the social contract, adapted to the challenges of this century, taking into account younger and future generations, complemented by a new global deal to better protect the global commons and deliver global public goods. Through a deepening of solidarity—at the national level, between generations, and in the multilateral system—Our Common Agenda provides a path forward to a greener, safer and better future.

The most comprehensive survey of church governance in the Episcopal Church. Ten essays on all aspects of church governance, focusing in particular on the national level, by prominent experts on the polity of the Episcopal Church. This study was commissioned by House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson after the 2009 General Convention. Chapters: Introduction To Govern and to Lead Some Thoughts on History and Theology The House of Deputies in the Episcopal Church The Work of the house of Bishops The Provincial Structure of the Episcopal Church The Development and Role of Executive Council The Presiding Officers Committees, Commissions, Agencies and Boards How to Participate: A Word to Deputies One Step Beyond: The wider church Some Closing Reflections Bibliography