Much of the leadership of the Episcopal Church heads to Philadelphia this week for the 72nd General Convention. The bishops and deputies will arrive accompanied by the prayers of thousands who have been involved in a well-organized cycle of prayer in every diocese.

During the past several months, we have tried to focus on the major issues to be addressed by this convention. In many cases we have commented in editorials about those issues, and a plenitude of Viewpoint articles has put into perspective many of the aspects of those issues. As we head into the final days before General Convention, some of the resolutions are deserving of further brief comment:

Concordat of Agreement: The move to full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is worthy of support, even though we may be made uncomfortable by the temporary suspension of the preface to the ordination rites.

As long as scripture fails to support such innovations, we believe it would be a great mistake for the church to permit such blessings to take place. The ordination of non-celibate homosexual persons falls into the same category.

While there seems to be great support for the resolutions on this topic, we are hopeful that convention will decide there ought to be a better way. The rest of the Anglican Communion will be watching.

Many of the 50 resolutions proposed by the Standing Commission on the Structure of the Church are sensible and should have been proposed long ago. The idea of the church having an executive officer who would enable the Presiding Bishop to have a more pastoral ministry is particularly appealing.

For the most part, the proposed revisions of Title IV add consistency to the current system. But the proposal to add lay persons and clergy to the trial courts of bishops seems unnecessary, and the addition of a process of disassociation makes doctrinal charges against bishops nearly impossible.

This is an important convention, one which has the potential to have great effect on the future of the church. We ask all our readers to pray for the deputies and bishops, that their decisions may be made prayerfully and for the good of the entire church, and that, above all, God's will may be done.