The General Convention Code
By Tony Clark
What do you get when you combine the buzz about The DaVinci Code and the approach of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention? “The General Convention Code,” of course. With apologies to my mathematician wife, I offer this code or formula to all those anticipating General Convention - bishops, deputies, parish clergy and parishioners – and awaiting the outcome: PGC = J(P1 + I1 + P2 + I2).
PGC represents “Preparation for General Convention” and I contrast that with Planning for General Convention. Reggie McNeal, a nationwide speaker and teacher on leadership development (A Work of Heart) and church development (The Present Future), spoke recently to a group of clergy in Central Florida and reminded us that Isaiah and John the Baptist encouraged the people of God to “Plan the Way of the Lord.” Not. The people of God were called to “Prepare the Way of the Lord.”
Jeremiah reminds us “the Lord knows the plans that he has for us” (Jeremiah 29.11) and with that in mind, our work is preparation for what the Lord may unfold for us in General Convention. The first factor in our preparation, P1, focuses on prayer. The Prayer Ministries in my parish, for example, have been coordinating and leading various opportunities for General Convention prayer since January of this year. The Presiding Bishop and General Convention Office have called the Episcopal Church to an “Octave of Prayer” from Pentecost (June 4) to Trinity Sunday (June 11) in anticipation of General Convention. Perhaps P1 reminds each of us to offer General Convention, with all its issues, to the Lord first through prayer. Perhaps the Lord calls you, through P1, to rally your mission or parish for a short-term commitment of praying for General Convention.
(As a deputy to General Convention, I ask your intercessory prayers for myself and other deputies for physical endurance, mental clarity, and spiritual insight.) Prepare with prayer.
Our preparation for General Convention continues with I1, information gathering. All the background documents, resolutions, and previous General Convention legislation and decisions are available through the World Wide Web. Updates will be available, many in real time, from the upcoming General Convention in Columbus, OH. We have access to more information than we can ever read and have no excuse for not being informed about developing events. The deputation from Central Florida, for example, will provide updates on the General Convention while in Columbus on a regular basis and the deputies and bishop will update the Diocese on Sunday, June 25 at 2 PM in the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando. Prepare with information gathering.
Human nature being what it is, we tend to look into the future and wonder “What if?” This look into the future often produces undue anxiety and worry, emotional states our Lord encourages believers to avoid. (see Matthew 6.25-34) P2, the present, reminds us to remain in the present as we prepare for General Convention. My mind often produces numerous “What if?” scenarios about the future of the Episcopal Church and the Worldwide Anglican Communion and distracts me from productive preparation in the present to speculative planning about the future. I struggle to remain in the present, but I know the present is where the Lord needs me as the rector of my parish and deputy for my diocese. Prepare in the present.
The penultimate factor in “The General Convention Code” is I2, involvement. Be involved in the decisions of your parish and diocese, especially as they relate to General Convention. Know your vestry members and delegates to diocesan convention. Participate in the decision-making processes of your congregation. Writing about involvement and our preparation for General Convention reminds me of a sign at my son’s baseball park: “If you don’t like what you see, volunteer.” Prepare with involvement.
The final and most important factor for General Convention preparation is J, Jesus. We offer our prayer, information gathering, present focus, and involvement to Jesus and he provides the multiplying power. He also reminds us that he is the Head of the Church with plans - plans we often do not fully comprehend - “for good and not for disaster, to give [us] a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29.11, NLT) I confess my trust in the Lord’s plan for our church has been profoundly tested by the recent decisions and direction of our national leaders and governing bodies. Despite my human nature to doubt and second guess, I will continue my preparation for General Convention through prayer, information gathering, a present focus, and involvement, asking Jesus to multiply my preparation to His glory and honor. I hope you will do likewise. Above all, prepare with Jesus.
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 515)
–The Rev. Tony Clark is rector, Church of the Holy Spirit, Apopka, Florida
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