Resolution A:
Amend Article VI Sec. 6.4
of the Constitution 

Lay members of Executive Council and Standing Committee as Delegates of Convention

(FIRST READING)

 

Status

The 174th Convention postponed this constitutional amendment indefinitely. 

Resolved, That Article VI of the Constitution of the Diocese of California be amended as follows:

(deletions in bold strikethrough text and insertions in bold italic text):

Sec. 6.4. The delegates and alternates, who shall must be members of The Episcopal Church as defined by its Canons, shall be elected annually by the Cathedral congregation and by each parish and mission congregation in union with the Convention in accordance with the Canons of the Diocese. Each such delegate and alternate shall must be a member of the congregation from which elected.  Additionally, all duly elected and appointed lay members of the Standing Committee and the Executive Council will be delegates until the adjournment of every Convention held during their terms. 

​​Explanation:

This constitutional amendment will be presented to the Convention in 2023 for a first reading and vote. If adopted, it will only come into effect following a second reading and adoption at the regular meeting of Convention in 2024.

Article VI.4 is also clarified by replacing several of the ambiguous “shall” verbs with the more precise “must”.

FAQ’s:

Q: Why make this change?  

A:  The bigger question is why have we not made this change?  Today, lay Convention reps to the Executive Council and the Standing Committee are excluded from voting in Convention unless they have taken the extra step to be elected in any given year as Convention delegates by their congregations.  Members of Executive Council and Standing Committee are arguably particularly well-informed on Diocesan issues and serve for, respectively, three and four-year terms.  They are elected to those positions specifically by Convention delegates.  In some cases, lay Convention reps are senior officers in the Executive Council and the Standing Committee, but are still not allowed to vote at Convention, while clergy Convention reps are allowed to vote in all cases.  The proposed change creates fairness and parity in voting between lay and clergy serving in senior leadership positions.  Other Dioceses have made this update, particularly those who have newer canons. One example in California is the Diocese of El Camino Real.

Q:  Will lay members of the Standing Committee and the Executive Council count as part of their congregational delegation?

A: No. Unless otherwise elected as delegates to represent their congregations, lay members of the Executive Council and the Standing Committee would represent their respective governance bodies as delegates. Their congregations will remain eligible to send an elected delegation whose size is determined under Section 6.6 of the Constitution.

Q: Why does it read, “through the adjournment of every Convention held during their terms”?

A: To make clear that lay Standing Committee members terming out at the election of their successors during Convention continue serving as delegates until that Convention adjourns. Executive Council members’ terms, under the current canons, begin in January of the year following their election.  To be more specific, this change is being sought because of long-term fairness and to fully utilize expertise in Convention. The maximum number of lay votes added would be no more than six and as few as three and the change wouldn’t be effective until the 2024 Convention. 

Q: Will adopting this change affect the voting delegates for the bishop’s election this December?

No. Convention must adopt this constitutional amendment with a majority vote at two conventions in order for it to come into effect, so the earliest it could become effective would be during the next regular meeting of the Convention in the autumn of 2024.