Episcopal Press and News

Council Responds to Bishop Allin's Message

Diocesan Press Service. May 15, 1975 [75188]

DENVER, Colo. -- The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has expressed its "desire to share with the Presiding Bishop the responsibility of difficult and complex decisions " and has adopted a resolution asking Presiding Bishop John M. Allin to appoint a committee of Council members with whom he may "consult whenever he deems appropriate."

The Council, holding its quarterly meeting here May 14-15, recognized that the Presiding Bishop's office includes many responsibilities -- sacramental, ceremonial, pastoral, prophetic, program initiative, and administrative. The Council offered Bishop Allin, who is president of the Council, "support, leadership, initiative, special expertise and counsel for some of these functions."

The 41-member Executive Council is the elected body responsible for the national program of the Episcopal Church between the meetings of the General Convention, which are held every three years. The next meeting will be September 11-23, 1976, in Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minn.

The resolution came in response to Bishop Allin's Message from the Chair on "sharing the good life."

"The good life," he said, "has been, is being shared with us. Can we live the good life if we do not share the good life?" he asked the Council.

"Our Lord's imperative to all who have received the Good News, the good life," he said, "is to go into all the world and share and experience His presence in the sharing."

The Council, Bishop Allin said, must find "how" to share the good life. He asked the members to "discuss the 'how' question with reference to our communications, our development, education, grant programs, our missionary networks, our ministry coordination, our social services, our ecumenism."

Following the recommendation of the Council's steering committee, the Council spent most of the first day following Bishop Allin's message discussing in groups of eight "the place and role of the Executive Council in Church life today."

The purpose, according to the steering committee which designed the exercise, was "to think and talk " and to share "priorities and philosophy . . in order that all of the separate programs of the Council can be seen as enabling the total mission of the Church."

As a further response to Bishop Allin's message, the Council approved a resolution authorizing the Presiding Bishop to send to each diocese an invitation to participate in a diocesan visitation plan. The resolution provided for "the form and timing of each visit to be worked out individually with each diocese from which an expression of interest may be received. "

Executive Council members and/or staff would participate in dioceses where the invitation is accepted.

The Council referred to its structure committee a number of "recommendations for process and structure changes" which had surfaced during the small group discussions and later in the day when the Council convened as a committee of the whole.

[For the attached Message from the Chair and the Report of the Committee to Respond to the Message of the Chair, please contact the Archives. --Ed.]