East Tennessee Initiative Reorganizes
Episcopal News Service. November 23, 1993 [93210]
Alice Clayton, Director of Communication for the Diocese of East Tennessee.
The board of directors of the East Tennessee Initiative (ETI) recently answered the question that has been bubbling since the Shaping Our Future Symposium concluded in St. Louis: "Where do we go from here?"
At its November 17 meeting, the ETI board, which sponsored the August 12-15 symposium, voted to change its name to Shaping Our Future, Inc., and to change its structure from a nonprofit corporation with no members to a nonprofit corporation with members. The action by the ETI board separates Shaping Our Future from the Diocese of East Tennessee. The board also named the Rev. Jon Shuler president of the restructured organization.
Initiated by the Diocese of East Tennessee in response to a diocesan convention resolution on church structure, the Shaping Our Future Symposium drew a thousand Episcopalians from across the country to discuss the structure of the Episcopal Church.
Shuler, who served as symposium director, resigned after 10 years as rector of the Church of the Ascension, Knoxville, Tennessee, in October to pursue the work of the symposium on a national scope. "I'm eager for the work of Shaping Our Future to continue. I hope God will prosper it for the benefit of us all," Shuler said in an interview following the meeting.
Wasting little time in bringing Shaping Our Future to national attention, Shuler has scheduled a series of weekend workshops in major metropolitan areas across the country regarding the possibilities for positive structural change. "In the workshops I will be trying to facilitate conversation about what happened in St. Louis, what that means for the future, and how people see the future. I hope to lift up the vision of the Great Commission [Matthew 28:18-20] as a unifying mission for us to move toward," Shuler said.
Bishop Robert Tharp of East Tennessee said he will step down as chair of the organization at its next meeting. "I welcome the change. It will give Father Shuler the ability to respond to his overwhelming call of God to continue work on the mission and structure of the church. It will also give me an opportunity to dedicate my time and energy to my call, which is to be the bishop of East Tennessee," Tharp said.
Under the new structure, Shaping Our Future, Inc., will invite members in four categories. Diocesan Members will be composed of bishops whose dioceses have joined the organization for $10,000. Parish Members will be composed of clergy whose congregations have joined the organization for $5,000. Individual Members will be Episcopal lay persons and clergy who pay $2,000 to join, and Companion Members, also composed of Episcopal lay persons and clergy, will pay $1,000 to join.
The first three membership categories will have voting rights and will elect a 15-member board of trustees. The board of trustees will, in turn, elect the corporate officers and members of the executive committee. The current officers and board members will remain in place until February when the new board of trustees is elected.