Jesus came proclaiming the good news of God’s reign. What did this good news look like? Freedom from oppression, renunciation of evil, healing of broken bodies and troubled souls, walking the way of love. As baptized Christians, our ministry is to follow the way of Jesus and to use the gifts God has given us to love others and be the good news in the world.
In the Episcopal Church, our Catechism, which is an outline of the faith, teaches us that part of the ministry of members of our church is to “take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.” (The Book of Common Prayer p. 855). Thus, Episcopalians consider governance a ministry. Good governance replaces oppression with justice, ensures a community cares for all its members, seeks to bring healing where there is brokenness, and provides stability so that the community flourishes. When we exercise the ministry of governance in the church, we strive to reflect the good news that Jesus brought to the world. We do not always succeed in this, and yet as a church we continue our efforts to walk in the way of love.
 |
| Deputy Kitch address the House of Deputies Photo credit: Cynthia Black 2024 |
The governing body of the Episcopal Church is the General Convention, which consists of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops and meets every three years to take up the business of the church. I attended my first General Convention in 1979 as part of the youth presence. Last week, I attended my 6th convention as an elected deputy from a diocese and served as chair of the House of Deputies Legislative Committee on Governance and Structure (LC03). I also completed my six-year term as a member of the Executive Council, the governing board of the Episcopal Church. I love the ministry of Church governance.
So, what did we do at the 81st General Convention? I want to highlight three actions of convention which make my heart glad. My deepest joy as chair of LC03 was facilitating the petition of the Navajoland Area Mission to become a missionary diocese. As a diocese rather than an area mission, Navajoland will be able to call its own bishop instead of having one appointed for them, and to choose someone who reflects the values, teachings, and traditions of the Diné.
I also helped draft a resolution concerning diocesan leadership in the diocese of Haiti. Many of you know that the Republic of Haiti is currently experiencing socioeconomic and political crisis. You may not know that the Episcopal Church in Haiti is our most populous diocese. They have been without a bishop since 2018. The resolution that LC03 perfected will give the diocese a way forward in solidifying diocesan leadership and electing its next bishop.
On the floor of convention, I participated in a unanimous vote (there were over 800 deputies present, so that is saying something) to change the language of our catechism concerning marriage so that it now states, “Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage, in which two people enter into a life-long union,” rather than specifying that marriage is between a woman and a man. This act ensures our teaching reflects our previous action from the 2015 General Convention where the Episcopal Church changed our canons to support same-sex marriage and the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the life of our church.
In the end, the 81st General Convention processed 394 resolutions covering topics such as Prayer Book and Hymnal revision, amendments to our canons, statements on Israel and Palestine, approval of the churchwide three-year budget, and reforms to our disciplinary canons. Significantly, the House of Bishops elected, with the House of Deputies confirming, Bishop Sean W. Rowe as our next presiding Bishop.
As with any human institution, our church is imperfect. Nevertheless, I remain firmly committed to my ministry in governance, adding my spiritual gifts to the work of reforming churchwide structures and systems to best reflect the way of love.
