SHARED GOVERNANCE
EXAMINES THEOLOGY, HISTORY of EPISCOPAL POLITY
Essays are tools for
“education, reflection” on how Church’s governance evolved
Shared Governance: The Polity of The
Episcopal Church, a
collection of essays on the history and theology of church governance by the
House of Deputies Special Study Committee on Church Governance and Polity is
now available from Church Publishing.
“The collection
is intended specifically as an educational and reflection tool for Deputies to
the General Convention, and offers a number of insights particularly geared to
their work,” said the Rev. Tobias Haller, who chaired the committee, which was
appointed by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, after the
2009 General Convention. “However, any Episcopalian wanting to be better
informed about how and why our church came to function in the way it does will
find the essays helpful.”
The book focuses
particular attention on the history and structure of the two Houses of the
General Convention and how they interact; the role of the Presiding Bishop and
the President of the House of Deputies and how their offices have evolved; and
the role of the Executive Council, which carries out the work of the church
between sessions of General Convention.
Haller said the
collection dispels “some of the prevailing mythology concerning the origins and
practice of our shared governance.”
"I want to
thank the House of Deputies special committee for creating this remarkable
resource," said Anderson, who is serving her second term as President of
the House of Deputies. "Our polity distributes authority among all church
members, whether lay or ordained, at every level, in the parish, the diocese,
the provinces and at General Convention. It is a great gift, and one I hope the
church will always safeguard and treasure.”
A copy of the
book has been mailed to every deputy to next month’s General Convention, and to
every diocesan bishop. It is also available through Church Publishing’s website.
“One of the things I am most committed to for Church
Publishing is our role in facilitating the dialog within the Episcopal Church,”
said Nancy Bryan, editorial director of Church Publishing. “How do we help
people talk to each other, share ideas and collaborate and come to a clearer
sense of the church’s call and mission and vocation? For me Shared Governance is a piece of that
dialog.”
H/T to Jim Naughton
Canticle Communications
NOTE: Although I am not a deputy to GC, nor will I be attending the convention this year, I plan to purchase a copy of the book simply to help me understand how The Episcopal Church functions beyond the level of the parish.
