Peripatetikos

Clergy and congregations (parishes and missions) may hold membership and vote in a diocesan convention only if they accede to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of ECUSA. Numerous such "members" of the recent 173d Diocesan Convention have openly denied this accession through membership in organizations that renounce such commitments to ECUSA (eg AAC, Network, AMiA, et al). Therefore, they might be expected to recuse themselves from participating in elections and other diocesan policy-making activities such as the Convention itself, the Council, the Standing Committee, the Episcopate Search Committee.

When asked concerning this, the Chancellor said no action could be taken unless the question is raised by a Convention delegate or by the Chair. When the Chair was asked about this, he did not deny the errancy, but simply replied that such exclusion would seem too "punitive."

Shall the duly qualified lay and clergy Convention delegates continue to allow these apparently deliberate oversights as we enjoin the 174th Convention in January 2006 and the Episcopal Election Convention in March 2006 and thus let our Diocese be shaped in this way?

"Servanthood: leadership for the third millennium" by Bishop Bennett Sims is a superb resource helping to inform our judgment in choosing a new bishop for Tennessee.

When asked at a recent clergy gathering who set the date for the March 18, 2006, episcopal election, the chair of the Episcopal Search Committee was at a sudden and momentary loss for words. When asked if it was the Standing Committee, he readily said, No. When asked if the Standing Committee had been consulted at all, he said, No. Finally, when asked if it had been the Bishop, he said, Yes.

It is our understanding that this election is to provide a Bishop Coadjutor. It is also our understanding under ECUSA Canon III.19 that the Standing Committee shall be involved at the very outset in such procedures and throughout the election. Further under this Canon, the diocesan bishop shall "state the duties to be assigned to the Bishop Coadjutor when ordained." (Sec 1[c]) We are not aware whether there has been any compliance with this requirement. The Diocese should be told how the proposed coadjutor will be employed.

Under the guidelines laid down by the House of Bishops in March  2004, Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) is a voluntary system in which parishes in disagreement with  their  bishop can request episcopal presence, such as  annual  visitations, from another bishop of their choice.  The DEPO system grew out of a direction  from  the leadership of the Anglican Communion. This resource is readily available and accessible to parishes in the Diocese of Tennessee through Bishop Clayton Matthews, Office of Pastoral Development.

You may find these websites useful in implementing Covenant's cover article, "Anglicanism 101."

anglicancommunion.org/tour/index.cfm
anglicancommunion.org/commission/index.cfm
anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/39/00/acns3948.cfm
episcopalchurch.org/3577_60016_ENG_HTM.htm

[COVENANT, Number 20, April 2005]