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At the Regional Assemblies, each region elects one of the following: clerical regional Council representative, lay regional Council representative, or Regional Convener. In addition, the region votes on their nominees to the Convention for the Standing Committee, the Ecclesiastical Trial Court, and, depending on the year, Deputies and Alternate Deputies to General Convention, Deputies to Provincial Synod, at-large members of Diocesan Council. All terms of office begin following Convention and end with the appropriate next Convention. Clergy must be canonically resident, and lay must be communicants in good standing in one of our congregations.
The specific offices to be elected and nominated by each region this year are listed on a separate election schedule. Descriptions of these offices are listed below. Note that for At-Large Members of Council ONLY, you may nominate across regions. All other nominations must be from within your region.
Deputies and Alternate Deputies to General Convention
J Just as the Diocese has a regularly scheduled Convention to conduct business, the National Church holds the General Convention every three years to conduct business. The bishops form the House of Bishops, and the elected deputies (both clergy and lay) form the House of Deputies. The Deputies are assigned to cover various aspects of the Convention and serve on various committees. There are several meetings scheduled before each General Convention, and often just after. The year before General Convention, four clerical and four lay deputies are elected. An equal number of alternates are elected the next year.
What they do: Represent the diocese at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church every three years and work on committees and issues in between, vote on approximately 300 resolutions at the Convention.
Recommended background to include some of the following: being involved in a smaller part of the church – Diocesan Convention, Provincial Synod, Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, etc.; exposure beyond the parish level to politics, organizational structure and needs.
Desirable characteristics: ability to grasp, read about many topics and move from one to another quickly; physical, emotional and spiritual stamina for the long days at the convention itself; ability to communicate well with our own diocese about the experiences.
Also works with: the Bishop, other members of committees on a national basis, network with the other 15,000 people at the convention
Time Commitment: six meetings through the year before the convention, and then the 10 days of the actual convention; days at the convention are 6:30 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. for 10 days straight.
Deputies and Alternate Deputies to Provincial
Synod
Just as our Diocese is divided into regions, the National Church is divided into Provinces. The Provincial Synod generally meets once a year (May or June), does some committee work, and may send nominations and resolutions to the General Convention. Once every three years, 1 clerical and 2 lay deputies are elected, with the runners-up becoming alternates.
What they do: hold sessions on church programs, hold elections to the Executive Council, approve the budget for the Province, serve on committees on various program subjects.
Recommended background to include some of the following: being involved at some level in the parish and the diocese, some knowledge of at least the diocesan structure.
Desirable characteristics: ability to network, knowledge of the diocese in order to represent it.
Also works with: bishops and representatives of other neighboring dioceses and some members of the Executive Council; people on committees such as nursing, peace and justice, youth, campus ministry, Latino ministry, etc.
Time Commitment: meets annually for 3 days in June, other time needed for prep in General Convention year.
Diocesan Council
The Council is the governing board for the Diocese, which is empowered to act on behalf of the Convention while the Convention is not in session (the other 363 days of the year). It is responsible for the development of work of the Diocese between sessions of the Convention, and develops and promotes Church extension and management of aided parishes, college work, education, social services, missions, information services, ministry to the aging, and other work referred to it by the Convention. The Council is ultimately responsible for presenting a budget to Convention (with the assistance of the Finance Committee) and for the spending of monies.
The Council is composed of the Bishops, one clerical and one lay member elected from each of the six regions, two clerical and two lay at-large members elected by Convention, three members appointed by the Bishop, and several ex officio members. In the years not electing General Convention Deputies, one clergy and one lay as At-Large Members of Council are elected for a three-year term at Convention. Regional representatives are elected at the Regional Assemblies following the set schedule. They communicate with the Regional Convener and attend any steering committee meetings for their region. See Diocesan
Canon 11 for a full explanation of the Council. Diocesan Council generally meets second Tuesdays, 6-9 p.m. at various churches around the Diocese.
What they do : serve as a board of directors, responsible for the program committees, help direct and influence the mission and ministry of the Diocese.
Recommended background to include some of the following : vestry experience, delegate experience, experience on the board of a voluntary organization, financial background.
Desirable characteristics : ability to reach consensus, listening skills, absorb info rmation on many subjects, decision-making ability, discretion.
Also works with : the Bishop, representatives of various committees, missions and congregations.
Time Commitment : ten 3-hour meetings a year, extra time if on a working group, annual retreat the end of February.
Ecclesiastical Trial Court
The Ecclesiastical Trial Court tries charges that may be preferred against any Priest or Deacon of the Diocese. It is composed of four clergy and three lay members (not members of the Standing Committee), each of whom serve for a five-year term. See Diocesan Canon 43 for a full explanation.
What they do : serve on the Court in the event of a trial of a member of the clergy - similar to a grand jury or court martial.
Recommended background : history and inner workings of the Church; not necessary to be a lawyer — they are provided (lay assessors) to assist the court.
Desirable characteristics : fair, open, attentive listener, discretion, decide with spiritual guidance, ability to handle the emotional toll of having a person's life and future as well as the future of a church in your hands.
Time Commitment : usually none. However, if there is a trial, it can take a matter of weeks. There have been 2 trials in the Washington Diocese in the past 40 years.
Regional Convener
The Regional Convener calls and presides over meetings of the steering committee for each region. The Convener maintains contact with the two regional Council representatives, and meets several times each year with the Bishop and the Assistant for Convention for the purpose of communication and for planning of the annual Regional Assemblies. The Convener is responsible for making the arrangements and helping to plan the Regional Assembly, for coordinating the details of nomination, election and resolutions. The Convener may be either a member of the clergy or laity and serves for a three-year term.
Standing Committee
The Standing Committee serves as an advisory group to the Bishop, recommends candidates for Ordination, is involved in the issuing of presentments against the clergy, makes recommendations on requests from congregations concerning alienation of property, and consents to the elections of all bishops in this country. Two clergy and two lay members (half of the Committee) are being elected for a two-year term at Convention. Standing Committee generally meets fourth Mondays at 6:00 at Church House.
What they do: Council of advice to the Bishop; approval of various stages in the ordination process; approval of encumbering, buying or selling of property for congregations.
Recommended background to include some of the following : general knowledge of how congregations operate and what they are prepared to handle; ordination process; financial or legal background.
Desirable characteristics : discretion, common sense, pastoral care, ability to say no, ability to evaluate people and situations calmly and fairly.
Also works with : Commission on Ministry, people in the ordination process, the Bishop, the Council, congregations with building or property proposals, Finance Committee.
Time Commitment : Meets approximately 10 times a year; time commitments to work with postulants going through the ordination process; time commitments in time of crisis.
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