How do the Churches of the Anglican Communion practice their governance? Despite the notable differences in governance among the thirty-eight Provinces of the Communion, there remains a simple answer, though with a rarified word: Anglican governance is by synod. That is to say, Anglican governance includes laypeople, priests and deacons, and bishops, all meeting together in a decision-making body. Typically, and historically, representative laypeople together with priests and deacons constitute a synod, with a bishop serving as president of the assembly. Our tradition invests substantive authority in its bishops, but properly, bishops exercise no authority apart from the whole People of God. The term “bishop-in-synod” best describes the seat of episcopal authority within Anglicanism.

This collaborative style marks the Episcopal Church at every level of governance. Parish meetings, required by canon, gather at least once per year. The rector—not a bishop, in this case—presides, and all adult confirmed laypeople of the parish receive seat, voice and vote in this key parish body. Diocesan Conventions include all active clergy canonically resident in a Diocese, along with representative laypeople from the various parishes, missions, and other faith communities. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church meets every three years and has a distinctive synodical style, in that it is bicameral. The bishops meet in one House, while the representative laity and clergy (deputies) from the 108 dioceses meet simultaneously in another House. Resolutions must pass both Houses to be binding. The Lambeth Conference, an assembly of all active bishops in the Anglican Communion who meet once each decade, though important, is not a synod, since it excludes laypeople and the other orders of ministry from its deliberations.

These musings are pertinent, coming on the heels of a very fine Diocesan Convention in November, and with the anticipation of Parish Meetings almost everywhere in January. Plus the General Convention meets in July 2012, this time in Indianapolis.

The synodical style of governance looks to Acts 15 for inspiration, and a glance at Galatians 2 gives an interesting and alternative slant on the Acts account. Reflection on these passages makes good preparation for any Church meeting.

Synods are by no means unique to the Anglican way, but they characterize our method of governance at every level. They find their roots in scripture, and they take into account the insight of everyone involved. At its best, synodical governance results in decisions transcending the mere sum of the individual insights. Here is Spirit-inspired collaboration at its best.

-Bishop Wayne Smith
January 2012

The Bishop’s Column is published monthly in parish bulletins and newsletters. You can download a PDF version to print here, or view previous bishop’s columns here.

UPDATED 12/20/11-9 PM, appending info from AFRECS e-blast at end of page.

With a joy and fellowship filled 4 weeks time with the Diocese of Lui’s new bishop Stephen Dokolo and his wife Lillian just concluded, diocesan members were stunned to read this past weekend’s letter from Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, primate of the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

In the letter he writes to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, “It is with a heavy heart that I write you informing you of our decision as a House of Bishops to withdraw your invitation to the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS). We acknowledge your personal efforts to spearhead prayer and support campaigns on behalf of the ECS and remain very grateful for this attention you and your church have paid to Sudan and South Sudan. However, it remains difficult for us to invite you when elements of your church continue to flagrantly disregard biblical teaching on human sexuality.”

An attached statement from the House of Bishops of ECS recognizes the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) as the “true faithful Orthodox Church” and continues,  ”we will work with them to expand the Kingdom of God in the world. Also we will work with those Parishes and Dioceses in TEC who are Evangelical Orthodox Churches and faithful to God.”

“What we know right now,” said Wayne Smith, Bishop of the Diocese of Missouri, “is just the contents of this letter. I would encourage the people of this diocese to avoid the rush to judgment until all facts are in, especially since the inner workings of ECS are often complex.” Smith has calls in to the Presiding Bishop’s office; to Suffragan Bishop David Jones of Virginia, president of AFRECS (American Friends of the Episcopal Church in Sudan) and who was at the November meeting of the ECS Bishops; and Bishop Stephen Dokolo of Lui Diocese– and will advise this diocese as more is learned.

UPDATED 2:05 PM:  Neva Rae Fox, TEC public affairs officer confirms receipt of the letter.

UPDATED 12/20/11 9 PM:

http://afrecs.org/E-Blast_12.20.11.pdf

Several blogs have published a letter from Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul, disinviting Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from a hypothetical visit to the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. Both ECS and TEC have confirmed that the letter was sent and received. Neither the Episcopal Church of Sudan nor the office of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has commented definitively on its implications. Honoring all our ecclesial relationships, the members of the AFRECS board are seeking further conversations with both parties before responding, but initial communications with the Archbishop’s office suggest that the letter was not meant to end partnerships between the ECS and the Episcopal Church but rather to reiterate the stance of the ECS against certain actions and beliefs in TEC, and to affirm additional partners. The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Lee of Chicago posted a moving statement about the letter and Chicago’s partnership with the Diocese of Renk, which has been cross-posted on the websites of Episcopal Cafe and several other dioceses with partners in the ECS.

RESOLUTIONS as passed by the
172nd Annual Meeting of the Diocese of Missouri
November 18-19, 2011, in St. Louis

A-172 Implementation of Health Plan
Submitted by Diocesan Council
1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri require Congregations within the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and the Offices of the Bishop to pay 100% of the cost of individual health insurance coverage (selected from the offerings included in the Denominational Health Plan and administered by the Episcopal Church Medical Trust) for all lay and ordained employees working 1,500 or more hours annually, in accordance with Title I, Canon 8 of the Episcopal Church and to be implemented no later than January 1, 2013;
2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Lay and ordained employees of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and the Offices of the Bishop eligible for required individual health insurance coverage under Section 1 of this resolution may elect not to participate in the Denominational Health Plan if they have access to coverage through other approved sources, e.g. Medicare, Tricare, a former employer, or a spouse’s or domestic partner’s health insurance plan;
3. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congregations within the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and the Offices of the Bishop shall not reduce existing coverage or increase the cost of existing coverage to employees to comply with A177 or this resolution;
4. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that benefit design and premium support parity is required within each congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and the Offices of the Bishop in the provision of health insurance coverage for lay and ordained employees;
5. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED each congregation and the Offices of the Bishop may impose a monthly premium surcharge or incentive to lay and ordained employees who elect coverage for a spouse, domestic partner, or dependent who is eligible for comparable employer-sponsored health insurance (other than the Denominational Health Plan) through an alternate source;
6. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congregations within the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and the Offices of the Bishop are encouraged, if financially possible, to exceed the minimum standard of health insurance coverage for their lay and ordained employees; and
7. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that schools, day care facilities and other congregational and diocesan institutions, regardless of the independence of their incorporation or tax status, are encouraged to adopt the principles articulated in this resolution.
Resolutions passed by the 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, meeting Nov. 18-19, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri

B-172 Companion Diocese
Submitted by the Companion Diocese Committee
1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri renews the commitment of the Diocese to the ongoing companion relationship with the Diocese of Lui in the Episcopal Church of Sudan for a second five-year period;
2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention encourages the bishops of Lui and Missouri to review the existing companion relationship agreement and make any needed adjustments or revisions in consultation with the Companion Diocese Relationship Committee and other stakeholders in each diocese; and
3. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Diocese of Missouri will continue to partner with Blackmore Vale Deanery in Salisbury Diocese of the Church of England and the Diocese of Lund in the Lutheran Church of Sweden in their mutual relationship with the people of Lui Diocese through transparency, accountability, and communications, and whenever possible, through joint travels to South Sudan.

C-172 HIV/AIDS Awareness Sunday
Submitted by Metro IV Convocation
1. BE IT RESOLVED by this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri that each congregation be encouraged to annually designate a Sunday for HIV/AIDS Awareness;
2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each congregation be encouraged to have this HIV/AIDS Awareness Sunday on the Sunday closest to World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 each year; and
3. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that congregations may elect to recognize HIV/AIDS Awareness Sunday in one or more of the following ways:
• By asking a speaker from an agency that serves people infected with HIV/AIDS to address the congregation. Examples of such agencies include, but are not limited to: Doorways, which provides housing; Food Outreach, which provides meals; and St. Louis Effort for AIDS.
• By thoughtfully and intentionally preaching the good news of Jesus Christ in the shadow of the theological, ethical, and pastoral dilemmas raised by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
• By providing an educational program to parents/grandparents on how to discuss the risks of transmission of HIV/AIDS with their children.
• By directly referencing those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS in the liturgy; for example, in the Prayers of the People or with a Litany, such as the one created by the ELCA for World AIDS Day.

D-172 Letters of Agreement
Submitted by the Venerable Mark D. Sluss, Archdeacon
Substitute D-172 submitted by Resolutions Committee
1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri encourages rectors, vicars, vestries and bishop’s committees, as appropriate, to create or review letters of agreement with active, non-stipendiary clergy (presbyters and deacons) and presbyters in part-time cures;
2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention encourages such letters of agreement to include provisions addressing:
• Clear guidelines about time commitment, including time off
• Necessary expenses for engagement with the diocese (e.g. diocesan convention and clergy days),
• Membership expenses (e.g. MOCA, Association of Episcopal Deacons)
• Budget for required continuing education
• Mileage reimbursement
3. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention requests the Commission on Ministry, in consultation with the bishop, Canon to the Ordinary, and Finance Committee of Diocesan Council, to study the work conditions and expense allowances for active non-stipendiary deacons and presbyters and for presbyters in part-time cures and to develop a diocesan standard and model letters of agreement for adoption at the 2012 convention.

E-172 The Rev. Whiting Griswold
Submitted by St. John’s Church-Tower Grove (St. Louis) and Metro II Convocation
BE IT RESOLVED that this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri recognize and uphold the Reverend Whiting Griswold as an example of Christian sainthood, and encourage his recognition within the wider church, passing along this Resolution and Rationale to the Standing Liturgical Commission of the Episcopal Church, to consider adding the Rev. Whiting Griswold to the commemorations in Holy Women, Holy Men.

F-172 Restructuring the Episcopal Church
Submitted by Ms. Lynette Ballard, St. Matthew’s-Warson Woods; the Very Rev. Ronald Clingenpeel, Trinity-CWE, St. Louis; Ms. Kathryn Dyer, St. Timothy’s-Creve Coeur; Mr. Donald W. Fisher, Christ Church Cathedral; Ms. Lisa Fox, Grace-Jefferson City; the Rev. Jason Samuel, Transfiguration-Lake St. Louis, the Rev. Doris Westfall, St. Matthew’s-Warson Woods; the Rev. Tamsen Whistler, Trinity-St. Charles
BE IT RESOLVED that this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri affirms the following resolution and hereby submits it for consideration by the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church:

Resolved, the House of ____________ concurring, there shall be a Special Commission on Missional Structure and Strategy, the composition of which shall be at the discretion of the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies and the members of which shall be appointed jointly thereby not later than thirty days following the adjournment of this 77th General Convention. The Special Commission shall be charged with presenting a plan to the Church for reforming its structures, governance, administration, and staff to facilitate this Church’s faithful engagement in Christ’s mission to proclaim Good News to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, and the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18) in a way that maximizes the resources available for that mission at all levels of this Church.
Resolved, the Special Commission shall endeavor to issue its report and recommendations along with resolutions necessary to implement them, including proposed amendments to the Constitution and Canons of this Church, so that they might be considered by a special General Convention prior to the convening of the 78th General Convention in 2015, in any event, not later than February 1, 2015.
Resolved, The General Convention requests the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget, and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $100,000 for the implementation of this resolution.

G-172 Minimum Clergy Compensation
Submitted on behalf of the Diocesan Council
1. BE IT RESOLVED that this 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri set the annual standard base compensation for full-time clergy in 2012 as follows:
CASH SALARY $40,700 HOUSING ALLOWANCE $14,670 [The actual compensation should be determined by Resolution of the Vestry/Bishop’s Committee, in consultation with the clergy.]
2. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Church Pension Fund assessment will be paid by the congregation;
Resolutions passed by the 172nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, meeting Nov. 18-19, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri
3. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that $50,000 group life will be paid by the congregation;
4. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that medical coverage for clergy and eligible dependents, will be paid by the congregation;
5. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a standard of ten days per calendar year and $500 will be provided for continuing education;
6. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the standard auto allowance will be $2,000 per year;
7. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all parishes and missions encourage their full-time clergy to set aside the equivalent of two days each week for personal time, 24 hours of which must be consecutive; and
8. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all parishes and missions be strongly encouraged to provide dental insurance for clergy and eligible dependents, or be assured they already have such coverage.

H-172
Submitted by the Rev. Daniel Appleyard, the Very Rev. Ronald Clingenpeel, the Rev. Jason Samuel
Eliminated by consent and referred back to the Constitution and Canons Committee.

I-172 Old North St. Louis Initiative
Submitted from the floor by the Standing Committee
1. Be it resolved that this 172nd Convention of the Diocese of Missouri concur with Bishop Smith that he create and appoint a task force to investigate the possibilities for mission and ministry in the Old North neighborhood of the City of St. Louis, and that this task force conduct its work in collaboration with the Bishop and the Standing Committee, and make regular reports on its work to that body and to future conventions of the Diocese of Missouri; and
2. Be it further resolved that this Convention of the Diocese of Missouri encourage Bishop Smith and the task force of his appointment to explore the possibility of establishing a residential site on the model of Episcopal Service Corps internship programs; and
3. Be it further resolved that this Convention of the Diocese of Missouri ask the task force to keep in view as a goal for the program opportunities for the congregations and the people of the Diocese of Missouri to cooperate in the program’s mission and ministry.

PDF copy of resolutions passed by the 172nd Convention, for posting in parishes, available online.

Courtesy Resolutions
November 2011
172nd Convention

The Presiding Bishop – The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori

• Whereas the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori has called us since 2006 to be attentive to the church’s heartbeat of mission and
• Whereas her calm and centered leadership in changing times is a blessing to the church and
• Whereas she invites us leave our tents to venture with faith into uncertain times in the church trusting in God’s love,
• Be it resolved that this 172nd convention of the Diocese of Missouri extends a warm welcome to our Presiding Bishop and is grateful for her visit among us. I move this resolution.

The Rt. Rev. Wayne Smith – Diocesan Bishop

• Whereas the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith has called us to renewed commitment to making disciples, building congregations, for the life of the world and
• Whereas he has suggested that these times call us to live within our means, to right-size our common life and to be nimble in responding to God’s mission, and
• Whereas he reminds us that mission, at home or in the Sudan, is difficult work and
• Whereas he has held up for us a vision of an old fangled idea made new, inviting us into establishing an Intentional Community engaged in mission in North St Louis, returning to a neighborhood where we have been in mission since the founding of Grace Settlement House, and
• Whereas he hopes to support the startup of this new ministry from the Thompson Fund, in order to draw all the baptized into the satisfying work of ministry, and
• Whereas he has served our diocese diligently and faithfully, as chief pastor and teacher for 9 years,
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd convention of the diocese of Missouri expresses its deep gratitude to our bishop for his ministries of care, inspiration and encouragement and assures him of our continued prayers and support. I move this resolution.

The Diocese of Lui – Special Guest Anne Powell

• Whereas missioners from the Diocese of Missouri traveled to Lui as early as 2003 and entered into a 5 year covenant with the Diocese of Lui in 2006 and
• Whereas the Diocese of Missouri has enjoyed a growing relationship with the Diocese of Lui
• Whereas we have expanded our relationship to include both the Blackmore Vale Deanery in the Diocese Salisbury in the Church of England and the Diocese of Lund in the Church of Sweden
• Whereas Anne Powell, a member of the mission team from Blackmore Vale Deanery is a special guest at our convention this year,
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd Convention sends its condolences on the death of Bishop Bullen Dolli to his family and diocese and extends warm greetings to our sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Lui and to newly elected Bishop Stephen Dokolo, and our mission partners in Blackmore Vale Deanery and the Diocese of Lund. I move this resolution.

Convention Hosts & Worship Service

• Whereas the Rev. Canon D. John Kilgore has served as Master of Ceremony for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the 172nd Convention, with assistance from Verger Shug Goodlow, Altar Guild member Myrna Wacker and
• Whereas the members of Christ Church Cathedral have graciously opened their doors and staffed them with competent and compassionate hosts, and
• Whereas the staff of the Offices of the Bishop has given weeks and days and hours to provide for our comfort and dispatch of business, greatly aided by cathedral staff Annette Carr, Rick Edwards, Robert Buckley, Jr. and Dwight Minor,
• Therefore be it resolved that this 172nd Convention express its thanks for service to this convention. I move this resolution.

Anniversary of Parishes

• Whereas in 2011, Trinity Church, St. Charles celebrated 175 years since its foundation and both St. Timothy’s (Creve Coeur) and St. Alban’s (Fulton) celebrated 50 years since their foundation,
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd Convention extends to them its congratulations and looks forward to celebrating their ministries for decades to come. I move this resolution.

Closing Columbia Hope

• Whereas we live in changing and challenging times for the church in our culture and
• Whereas we are called to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ to those who have not heard it and
• Whereas our experiments in church planting do not always bear the fruit we might have hoped for
• Be it resolved that the 172nd convention of the Diocese of Missouri gives thanks to God for the bold experiment which was Columbia Hope Church and expresses regret at its closing. I move this resolution.

Celebrating Mothers

• Whereas the ordination of women to the priesthood is still a relatively new phenomenon in the Episcopal Church and
• Whereas for some of our clergy “birth pangs” is not just a metaphor and
• Whereas giving birth to or adopting children while serving a congregation complicates and enriches the lives of women clergy
• Be it resolved that this 172nd Convention of the Diocese of Missouri salutes those women priests who have become mothers while serving Missouri congregations: Susan Nanny, Tamsen Whistler, Chris Cobb, Amy Cortright Chambers, Mari Chollet and Teresa Mithen Danieley and any others and gives thanks for the ways they have made “Mother” much more than a respectful clergy title and have challenged and expanded our vision of priesthood. I move this resolution.

Donated Parking

• Whereas parking for this convention has been graciously donated by Steve Smith of the Lawrence Group, which owns the garage and the Park Pacific and
• Whereas Steve and Park Pacific are wonderful friends and neighbors of Christ Church Cathedral and an important part of the revitalization of the neighborhood and
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri expresses its deep gratitude to Steve Smith and the Lawrence Group for their generosity and support. I move this resolution.

Cathedral Bookstore

• Whereas in one form or another, the Cathedral bookstore has provided books, gifts and a warm welcome to all who have visited the cathedral for decades
• Whereas it’s paid and volunteer staff have tirelessly brought the bookstore to congregations throughout the diocese offering a visible sign of the connection of our cathedral with congregations far and near, large and small
• And whereas the whole face of publishing and bookselling is changing dramatically and new occasions teach new duties, and whereas the cathedral chapter has prayerfully and regretfully voted to close the bookstore as of Dec. 31 and
• Be it resolved that this 172nd convention of the diocese of Missouri gives thanks to Deborah Wheeler and to all at the cathedral who have made this ministry possible and looks forward to new ways of connecting with our cathedral. I move this resolution.

Diocesan Staff

• Whereas the staff of the offices of the Bishop labor tirelessly to assist the congregations of the diocese and
• Whereas they offer support to congregations in search or in crisis and to all congregations in their financial and other day to day business and
• Whereas they strive to communicate effectively the lives of congregations to the whole diocese and keep us all up to date on diocesan events and
• Whereas they are in the front line when Missouri Episcopalians are frustrated or disgruntled,
• Be it resolved that this 172nd Convention of the Diocese of Missouri expresses its profound gratitude to the staff of the diocese of Missouri: Tracy Grigsby, Emily McNeil (who has moved to LA) Rita Benson, Desiree Villioco, Beth Felice, Robin Weisenborn, Susan Wegner and the Rev. Canon Dan Smith.

Retired Bishops – The Rt. Rev. Jones & The Rt. Rev. Rockwell

• Whereas the Diocese of Missouri has been served from generation to generation by faithful and wise bishops and
• Whereas each in his turn has brought distinctive gifts for leadership in the mission and ministry of the diocese,
• Be it resolved that this 172nd convention of the Diocese of Missouri gives thanks for the ministry of the Rt. Rev. Hays and Linda Rockwell and the Rt. Rev. William and Maggie Jones, wishing them a long and happy retirement. I move this resolution.

Retirement — Priests – The Rev. John Musgrave & The Rev. James Purdy

• Whereas The Rev. John Musgrave has served on Diocesan Council and Commission on the Ministry, and as an Associate at St. Peter’s (Ladue), and Rector of Church of the Good Shepherd (Town & Country),
• Whereas The Rev. James Purdy has served as an active and faithful member of the Commission on Dismantling Racism of the Diocese of Missouri, and as Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ladue, Missouri,
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd Convention extends to them well wishes and an enjoyable retirement. I move this resolution.

Retirement – Deacons — Marylen Stansbery

• Whereas, the diocese has benefited from the renewal of the order of Deacons and;
• Whereas, the second vocational Deacon ordained in Missouri the Rev. Marylen Stansbery has been a great example of diakonia in our diocese and our congregations, and
• Whereas the Community of Deacons, revel in her mentorship and sage advice,
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd Convention congratulates her on her retirement from active ministry, and bids her our best wishes. I move this resolution.

Margery Gantt

• Whereas for over 50 of her 90 years, Margery Gantt exercised leadership, in countless ways, in the congregation of St. Matthew’s Church, Mexico and
• Whereas she was an active leader in her community esp. in support of health care and mental health ministries, and whereas her leadership was recognized by the Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for her work in dismantling racism, and by the Missouri Hospital Association for Trustee leadership and
• Whereas she served the diocese as President of the ECW and as a three time deputy to General Convention, as a member of several diocesan committees including the Nigerian Task Force and Diocesan Council and
• Whereas in 1974 she was recognized for extraordinary service to the diocese by the Rt. Rev. William Jones and again in 1995 by the Right Rev. Hays H. Rockwell who awarded her the Bishop’s Medal
• Be it therefore resolved that this 172nd Convention of the Diocese of Missouri gives thanks to God for the life and witness of Margery Noyes Gantt. I move this resolution.

The Rev. Anne Scharon-Glaser

• Whereas the Rev. Anne Scharon-Glaser was among the first women ordained in the diocese of Missouri and whereas she served on the Chaplaincy staff at St. Luke’s Hospital, as vicar of Prince of Peace (St. Louis), Chaplain at Beauvais Manor (St. Louis) and assisted with pastoral care at St. Stephen’s, Ferguson, and whereas she died this week at the age of 92,
• Be it resolved that this 172nd convention of the Diocese of Missouri thanks God for the life and ministry of Anne Scharon-Glaser and extends its condolences to her children, grand children and great grandchildren and gives thanks to God for her life and ministry. I move this resolution.

With several special guests in attendance the 172nd annual meeting of the Diocese of Missouri concluded this afternoon. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, visited convention and preached at this morning’s Eucharist held at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis. She noted that she was struck “by the parallels between the Occupy movement and Jesus’ band of homeless wanderers.” The full text of her sermon is available online.  Bishop Katharine travels to Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau tomorrow morning to preside at a 10:15 a.m. Sunday service.

On the agenda for the 172nd, was a resolution on renewing the companion relationship with the Diocese of Lui in the Episcopal Church of Sudan, in the new country of South Sudan. Arriving from Sudan Friday afternoon were the Rt. Rev. Stephen Dokolo and his wife Lillian. Also attending convention was Ms. Anne Powell, bringing greetings from the Blackmore Vale Deaneries, Diocese of Salisbury, Church of England. The Diocese of Salisbury has been a companion of the Episcopal Church of Sudan for the past 40 years, and recently the Blackmore Vale deaneries, mostly smaller, rural parishes in south England, have also  begun a partnership with Lui Diocese. The convention voted to renew the diocesan relationship for another five years.

Bishop Wayne Smith, the tenth bishop of Missouri, addressed the convention late in the day on Friday. He spoke on themes of living within one’s means, and how that had led to some unexpected consequences of being “nimble and right-sized.” He also presented an idea for the diocese to begin discerning a presence in Old North St. Louis–an intentional community on property the diocese owns. Full text of his speech is online.

Elected to
Disciplinary Board: Lay- Jay Kloecker; Clergy- Brooke Myers (2 yr term), Susan Skinner (3 yr term)
Standing Committee: Lay-Harry Goff; Clergy- Renee Fenner and Anne Kelsey
Diocesan Council: Michael Calvin; Jeffrey Klieve
Cathedral Chapter: Lay-James Berger; Clergy-Catherine Hillquist

The proposed budget for 2012 was adopted by convention.

Resolutions: exact language of amended resolution and substituted resolution will be published when certified by the Secretary of Convention, Dr. James Hood.

A-172 Implementation of Health Plan: passes, but not unanimously
B-172 Companion Diocese: passes unanimously
C-172 HIV/AIDS Awareness Sunday: passes, but not unanimously
D-172 Letters of Agreement: passes with substituted language
E-172 The Rev. Whiting Griswold: passes, but not unanimously
F-172 Restructuring the Episcopal Church: passes, but not unanimously
G-172 Minimum Clergy Compensation: passes with an additional amendment
H-172 Change to Constitution and Canons: referred to Standing Ctte of Constitution and Canons for report to next year’s convention, convention agrees

From the Floor: I-172, submitted by the Standing Committee of the Diocese

Be it Resolved that this 172nd Convention of the Diocese of Missouri concur with Bishop Smith that he create and appoint a task force to investigate the possibilities for mission and ministry in the Old North neighborhood of the City of St. Louis, and that this task force conduct its work in collaboration with the Bishop and the Standing Committee, and make regular reports on its work to that body and to future conventions of the Diocese of Missouri; and
Be it further resolved that this Convention of the Diocese of Missouri encourage Bishop Smith and the task force of his appointment to explore the possibility of establishing a resedential site on the model of Episcopal Service Corps internship programs; and
Be it further resolved that this Convention of the Diocese of Missouri ask the task force to keep in view as a goal for the program opportunities for the congregations and the people of the Diocese of Missouri to cooperate in the program’s mission and ministry.

This resolution passed.

Expect the minutes with certified resolution language to follow next week.

Photos from convention are available online.
Convention booklet with resolutions as proposed, biographies of nominees, agenda, budget, and reports is available online.

Convention Address

November 18, 2011

Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I think that I am in the middle of a years-long conversation with you about Church and Mission, a conversation worth having. And not just any Church but this Episcopal Church– especially the Episcopal Church in this Diocese, set within the population and geography here in the eastern half of Missouri. This conversation needs to be as specific as possible, undertaken with the twelve thousand five hundred Christians who are the Diocese of Missouri.

The conversation takes place within two important contexts–this middle-American context where we live, and a larger context of religious life in western culture. In the American context, Churches are having a hard go of it. Only two Churches, in fact, are currently showing growth: The Assemblies of God and the Mormons. Every other Church shows decline in varying degrees. Even the Church of my childhood, the Southern Baptist Church, is caught in this decline despite a lingering and false myth that they are growing.

The Episcopal Church is experiencing this decline. The Diocese of Missouri is experiencing this decline.

I say these words, not to bring about panic, or increase anxiety, or cause shame. I say these words just to tell the truth. That’s how things are. No more. No less. The truth is no reason for self-pity and still less for despair. In fact, I find a very enlivening question to follow onto this truth, and it is this: What is God asking from a Church in decline? It is not our lot to sit down under a castor bean plant like Jonah did, in a world-class pout, just because things did not go the way Jonah wanted. But they did go the way God wanted.

Dear friends, we still have enormous resources. There are still twelve thousand five hundred of us in this diocese, just under two million in the USA. We have energy and creativity. Episcopalians are the smartest people I know. We have real assets church-wide, somewhere between seven and nine billion dollars in investments alone. What is God asking from us?

I have three answers, two of which are provisional, but one of which is clear.

• To live within our means.
• To organize our life together to be right-sized and nimble. (These two are the provisional answers.)
• To engage in God’s mission. (This one I am sure about.)

First of all: living within our means. The leaders in this diocese, especially the Treasurer and Diocesan Council, understand the power of this principle, and they have exercised it responsibly. For the first time in recent memory, the draft budget for 2012 has been balanced at every point of its development. For the first three steps of review, it was balanced. The fourth step, your deliberation on the final draft tomorrow, will consider a draft in balance.

Living within our means is sensible and it is responsible. It makes possible a sustainable future for the life of this diocese. It does these things, and two more. First, a balanced budget is a morale boost for everyone involved. It takes anxiety about money out of the system, and it increases creativity. If we do not have the money for an important ministry, or to participate in mission, then we have to find other ways to do what needs to be done. The future of our Church lies more in the networking of resources than in the hiring of staff. The future of our Church also lies in hands-on mission and ministry. And by that I mean your hands and mine. Second, living within our means, in our circumstances, has some unintended and desirable financial consequences. How odd that must sound, but more about it later. Unintended and desirable consequences are rare.

These matters also apply to the whole of the Episcopal Church, whose financial future, following current trends of funding and spending, will become unsustainable by 2020. Something must be done, and a resolution asking the General Convention to consider a strategy to this end will come before you tomorrow. We are at a point in our common life when we cannot simply replicate practices from an earlier era. The words of James Lowell’s great hymn text say it aptly: New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth.

A final word about finances: the anecdotal evidence I have gathered in the last couple of rounds of visitations tells me that more and more parishes and missions are living close to the edge. Let me be clear that this is not a statistical analysis, but it is evidence nonetheless. Our forty-six communities continue to have the resources to do what needs to be done. But the economic situation in these communities and in our diocesan life bears close monitoring. I intend to do so, and I ask our treasurer and Diocesan Council to exercise vigilance also.

Second answer to the question, What is God asking from this Church in decline: Organize our life together to be right-sized and nimble. The truth is that financial straits can force us to do what we probably should have been doing all along. When I became Bishop, there were over 150 committees, commissions, taskforces, and ministries in this Diocese. That’s too many. There can hardly be any focus in an organization so structured, especially in an organization the size of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri. And then there is the financial cost for such an organization.

I have not counted the committees, commissions, taskforces, and ministries recently. I do know that there are fewer than 150. Over the years, you may have noticed my preference for appointing work groups, set to a specific task, which then disappear once the task is completed. This, I believe, helps us to be that nimble organization which the times require of us.

You no doubt have noticed that over the past years the staff in my office has grown smaller— incrementally, painfully, and out of necessity. I bring you glad tidings: the draft budget before this Convention contains no proposed reductions in staff. But the incremental, painful, and necessary reductions in the years past may have brought with them a paradoxical result. A smaller staff may in fact be right-sized for this Diocese.

A smaller staff may be more nimble. A smaller staff may be more responsive. No one in my office can assume that someone else will take care of the matter that comes to his or her attention. I am very proud of the people who work in my office. They work hard and ably. They serve me well, and they serve the Church well.This reduction in staff necessarily forces a reimagining of ministry. That is to say, we will need to become ever more adept in the pooling and networking of resources, and generally doing what needs to be done by other means.

Here’s the challenge that I put before all 46 of our communities of faith: discern what you are really good at, and find some way to share it, network it, or collaborate in that ministry with others. Often we think about such sharing as a responsive reflex only. Someone needs to ask for help, and then maybe we will think about it. What if we learn to take the initiative in setting forward what we are good at—instead of waiting for someone to ask? This approach sets up an entirely different dynamic. So what if you have a decent youth group? Or you sense that the next parish over, like your own parish, lacks a critical mass for ministry with youth? What if you took the initiative? What if you didn’t wait for someone to organize it for you? What if all of us learn to work from our strengths, as well as our needs? Deliberate collaboration provides a way forward for the Church.

As I said earlier, and by the grace of God, ministry in the years ahead will depend more and more on the work of our own hands in accomplishing it. There will be more doing and less hiring—which in the final assessment is a good thing. This notion builds a church which looks more like Romans 12 and like Ephesians 4, an organic body with many members each fulfilling a function, with Christ Jesus the head. This robust organic model of the Church has the ability to draw all the baptized into what clergy already know, that mission and ministry are deeply satisfying. Shared ministry is not simply a matter of getting a job done, you see. It is for the well-being of everyone involved.

Answer number three to the question, What does God ask from a church in decline? Engage in God’s mission. I find brilliant examples of mission in places around our diocese, small places and big, city and not the city. People in our parishes and missions are responding and using that missional template: context, text, action. They are interpreting their neighborhoods. They are looking to scripture to make sense out of the context. They are taking action. This is a good thing, the local expressions of mission. May they grow in number and power.

All of us also share in God’s mission with Lui Diocese in South Sudan. Lui lies in a distant place, twenty hours by air, requiring at least two days’ travel. Being there is hard for Westerners, with few of the customary amenities available. The climate is hard. The living conditions are hard. Travel within the diocese is hard. In the aftermath of the long civil war, very occasionally, the situation turns dangerous.

Everyone can participate in this work with Lui, but not everyone can go there. Digging wells, buying bicycles, supporting education—we have all had a part in these things.

This fact that not everyone can go to Lui forces travelers and pilgrims on their return, to reclaim the diminishing art of storytelling. What is it like to be among these, some of God’s other children? How can we retell their stories, and add those of our own? I believe that we need to have a presence in a place that is distant, and hard, and where God is so evidently at work. I believe that at this juncture we need to be in Lui Diocese, and I hope that we will continue our partnership with them. This is a crucial time, with the emergence of a new nation called South Sudan. This is a crucial time also, with the death of Bishop Bullen Dolli and his succession by Bishop Stephen Dokolo. God willing, Bishop Stephen and his wife Lillian will join us tomorrow. Getting travel documents in a nation trying to invent itself has been a challenge, and we will know that the challenge has been met in the event that they are here tomorrow.

But when it comes time for Missouri to find a new partnership in God’s mission, and that time will come, I hope that we will not draw back from finding another place that is distant and hard. A Church like ours needs nothing less, to shape us into the faithful people whom God has in mind.

But a church like ours also needs a venue close by, still difficult, a place requiring no crossing of oceans, a place no more than three-hour drive from the farthest reaches of the Diocese of Missouri. Many of us have dreamt of such a place for all of us to have a share in; I have dreamt of such a place. I think that a venue and a mission strategy are becoming clear.

Let me begin with a strategy for engaging God’s mission in a neighborhood in St. Louis City. It is not a new strategy. It is an ancient one recovered and adapted. It is the strategy of intentional Christian community, the practices of which find their roots in monasticism.

Mindful of the necessary closing of Columbia Hope earlier this year, what I have in mind is not a traditional Church plant.

Intentional Christian community: people who live together, eat together, pray together, and work together. Residents commit to a rule of common life, so much so that this strategy is often called “the new monasticism.” The model has found great success in cities around the USA and in the United Kingdom. People do not literally become monks and nuns with the goal of making life vows, but they do live an avowed life for a time certain, usually for a year.

The establishment of intentional Christian communities has historically been a most effective long-term strategy for evangelization, an old-fangled idea made new. It is commonplace knowledge that the Celtic monasteries in Britain formed the bedrock of what it means to be Christian in our own heritage. But not Celtic only, for the arrival of Latin Christianity in England came with Benedictine monks, whose first foundation was at Canterbury. Our culture has an untapped hunger for genuine community, and this strategy draws on that hunger. And the classic place for Christians to plant genuine community is in a neighborhood of material need.

So. I am imagining a house for such an intentional community in an impoverished, changing neighborhood in St. Louis City. Residents would commit to live there for a year. They would number fewer than ten, and they would commit to work in or near the neighborhood where they live. They would live simply, and they would first of all learn the neighborhood, and from the neighbors.

A fatal temptation for Christians who are relatively well-off is to assume that we can enter such a neighborhood with answers. No. We can only enter such a neighborhood with humility and a desire to meet some of God’s other children who live there.

Pilgrimage is a key metaphor for this work. Those who go there will encounter holy ground and the holy people who live there.

Bishop Graham Cray, a Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of Canterbury writes this: “There is no quick fix strategy for work among those who have no experience of church and little knowledge of the Christian story. It calls for a long-term incarnational ministry.” Showing up and offering generous hospitality are key practices in this model. And it has proved enormously attractive for young adults, who might crave an honest community, who might be themselves be seekers, who might wonder about God’s call in their life (and I am not just talking about ordination).

This approach to mission in the city would require a house for the community to inhabit; it would seek out internships and places for the residents to work; and it would stake a claim for the rest of us to engage in God’s mission. It could give all of us a venue.

Imagine a weekend-long urban plunge for youth groups. Imagine a place for after-school tutoring, and your participating in it (this is already an expressed need from the neighborhood). Imagine spending sweat equity in helping to rehab an old house. Imagine a place for pilgrimage, for all of us. Imagine even more.

A likely neighborhood for this work is Old North St. Louis, about a mile and a half north of here. Old North is a neighborhood of significant impoverishment but also with significant redevelopment at its core. The new Mississippi River Bridge, completion date in 2015 or so, will open the neighborhood for traffic-flow south to downtown. The two great landmarks are Grace Hill Settlement House, and Crown Candy Kitchen, that place with a heart attack in every bite.

Old North started as separate incorporated village in 1816 before becoming part of St. Louis City in 1841. Its elegant brick houses later turned into rooms and apartments for newcomers to the city, and it was densely urban. Late in the nineteenth century Old North was a destination for immigrants from Eastern Europe and Italy in particular. It was also a first home for people moving into St. Louis from the Missouri countryside. Grace Episcopal Church was in the neighborhood, and the parish saw what was happening all around them. In 1903 the parish and the diocese responded by building a settlement house, a safe place and a first place for these newcomers to call home as they settled into the neighborhood.

Grace Church closed in 1976, but Grace Hill continues in existence, a major provider of social services in St. Louis City. The Diocese of Missouri still owns the property of Grace Church, including the parish’s rectory. We need a venue for mission in the Diocese of Missouri and in St. Louis City. Old North St. Louis is a place where we have been before and it looks like a place for us to be again.

Let me backtrack to my earlier words about living within our means and some unintended and desirable financial consequences doing so. Our careful economy of money these past years leaves the Thompson fund with what looks like enough for the launching of this work.

The Thompson Fund, you will remember, is that generous gift to the Diocese of Missouri from the estates of Frank and Mattie Thompson, with the bishop as sole trustee. I have devoted most of the income of the fund to the Diocesan Budget for many years, and I am still putting in $465,000 this year. There is still money left over. An unintended, and good, consequence of living within our means: we can afford to undertake this exciting new possibility.

I have big dreams about mission. I dream that we might understand the work of mission as part of the curriculum for discipleship, that Scripture provides not simplistically a handbook for better living but a guidebook and a map for what God is doing in the world. And how we might join in with that.

Mission changes the missioner and the pilgrim. Mission is very important for every church in every time. Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple wrote: “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” The Church is not the only place where God is acting in the world, and John 3:16 does not read “for God so loved the Church.” No, it reads “for God so loved the World.” And yet the church is the irreducible servant of God’s mission in the world.

Mission is very important for every church in every time. It is nonnegotiable in times like ours. So whether in the neighborhoods around our 46 communities of faith, or in Lui Diocese, or in Old North St. Louis, we have to be about this work for the good of our souls and for the life of the world. Making disciples, building congregations, for the life of the world. I still think this is what we’re about.

I ask you to join me in this pilgrimage deeper into what God is accomplishing through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit for the transformation of an entire universe.

What a grand adventure it is!