Resolution Number: 2018-A068
Title: Create a Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision
Legislative Action Taken: Concurred as Substituted
Final Text:

Resolved, That the 79th General Convention, pursuant to Article X of the Constitution, authorize the ongoing work of liturgical and Prayer Book revision for the future of God’s mission through the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement. And, that it do so upon the core theological work of loving, liberating, life-giving reconciliation and creation care; and be it further

Resolved, That our methodology be one of a dynamic process for discerning common worship, engaging all the baptized, while practicing accountability to The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the 79th General Convention create a Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision (TFLPBR), the membership of which will be jointly appointed by the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies, and will report to the appropriate legislative committee(s) of the 80th General Convention, ensuring that diverse voices of our church are active participants in this liturgical revision by constituting a group with leaders who represent the expertise, gender, age, theology, regional, and ethnic diversity of the church, to include, 10 laity, 10 priests or deacons, and 10 Bishops; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention memorialize the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as a Prayer Book of the church preserving the psalter, liturgies, The Lambeth Quadrilateral, Historic Documents, and Trinitarian Formularies ensuring its continued use; and be it further

Resolved, That this church continue to engage the deep Baptismal and Eucharistic theology and practice of the 1979 Prayer Book; and be it further

Resolved, That bishops engage worshiping communities in experimentation and the creation of alternative texts to offer to the wider church, and that each diocese be urged to create a liturgical commission to collect, reflect, teach and share these resources with the TFLPBR; and be it further

Resolved, That the TFLPBR in consultation with the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons is directed to propose to the 80th General Convention revisions to the Constitution and Canons to enable The Episcopal Church to be adaptive in its engagement of future generations of Episcopalians, multiplying, connecting, and disseminating new liturgies for mission, attending to prayer book revision in other provinces of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That liturgical and Prayer Book revision will continue in faithful adherence to the historic rites of the Church Universal as they have been received and interpreted within the Anglican tradition of 1979 Book of Common Prayer, mindful of our existing ecumenical commitments, while also providing space for, encouraging the submission of, and facilitating the perfection of rites that will arise from the continual movement of the Holy Spirit among us and growing insights of our Church; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize the riches of Holy Scripture and our Church’s liturgical, cultural, racial, generational, linguistic, gender, physical ability, class and ethnic diversity in order to share common worship; and be it further

Resolved, That our liturgical revision utilize inclusive and expansive language and imagery for humanity and divinity; and be it further

Resolved, That our liturgical revision shall incorporate and express understanding, appreciation, and care of God’s creation; and be it further

Resolved, That our liturgical revision take into consideration the use of emerging technologies which provide access to a broad range of liturgical resources; and be it further

Resolved, That the SCLM create a professional dynamic equivalence translation of the Book of Common Prayer 1979 and the Enriching Our Worship Series in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole; and that the SCLM diversify the publication formats of new resources, liturgies and rites to include online publishing; and be it further

Resolved, That this church ensure that, at each step of the revision process, all materials be professionally translated into English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, following the principles of dynamic equivalence and that no new rites or liturgical resources be approved by this church until such translations are secured; and be it further

Resolved, That the TFLPBR shall report to the 80th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That there being $201,000 in the proposed budget for the translation of liturgical materials, that the Executive Council be encouraged to identify additional funds in the amount of $200,000 to begin this liturgical revision.

Citation: General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of...The Episcopal Church, Austin, 2018 (New York: General Convention, 2018), pp. 480-481.

Legislative History

Author: Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music
Originating House: House of Deputies
Originating Committee: Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169

House of Deputies

The House of Deputies Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169 presented its Report #1 on Resolution A068 (Plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer) and moved adoption with amendment.

Original Text of Resolution:

(A068)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 79th General Convention approve the Option One plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979, which is included in the report to the 79th General Convention of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Subcommittee on Revision of The Book of Common Prayer; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music be directed to implement this plan; and be it further

Resolved, That the sum of $1,917,025 be appropriated the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the completion of this plan.

Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 79th General Convention approve authorize the Option One plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979, which is included in the report to the 79th General Convention of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music Subcommittee onto undertake comprehensive Rrevision of The Book of Common Prayer 1979; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music be directed to implement this plan; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision will continue in faithful adherence to the historic rites of the Church Universal as they have been received and interpreted within the Anglican tradition of Common Prayer while also providing space for, encouraging the submission of, and facilitating the perfection of rites that will arise from the continual movement of the Holy Spirit among us and growing insights of our Church; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize the riches of Holy Scripture and our Church’s liturgical, cultural, racial, generational, linguistic, gender and ethnic diversity in order to share common worship; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize inclusive and expansive language and imagery for humanity and divinity; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision shall incorporate and express understanding, appreciation, and care of God’s creation; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision take into consideration the use of current technologies which provide access to a broad range of liturgical resources; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music follow the “Guiding Assumptions” and “Plan for the revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979” from the SCLM Blue Book Report to the 79th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music shall report to the 80th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the sum of $1,917,025 be appropriated to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the 2019-2021 Triennium for this processthe completion of this plan.

Deputies asked questions of the committee during the time allotted by the special order.

When the time allotted for questions ended, debate ensued.

The Chair moved to postpone consideration in order to extend debate on the amended resolution.

Motion carried

Consideration postponed

The time for debate on Resolution A068 (Plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer) continued, as approved by the House in the previous legislative session.

The President announced that the lay deputations from Oklahoma, Long Island, and Georgia had requested that the vote on Resolution A068 be a vote by orders.

Deputy Valenta of Dallas moved to amend the resolution.

Proposed Amendment:

Add an additional resolve clause:

Resolved, That this church ensure that, at each step of the revision process, all materials be translated into English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, following the method commonly called dynamic equivalency; and be it further

Motion carried

Amendment adopted

Deputy Hill of Northern California moved to amend the resolution.

Proposed Amendment:

In the fourth resolve clause, following "gender", add ", physical ability".

Motion carried

Amendment adopted

Deputy Case of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe moved to amend the resolution.

Proposed Amendment:

In the third resolved, following "Common Prayer", add "and in accordance with our existing ecumenical commitments".

Deputy Holdorph of Eastern Oregon moved to amend the amendment to replace "in accordance with" with "mindful of".

Motion carried

Amendment adopted

A vote was taken on the amendment as amended.

Motion carried

Amendment adopted as amended

Deputy Mead moved to amend the resolution.

Proposed Amendment:

That an additional resolve clause be added between the fourth and fifth resolve clauses:

Resolved, That such revision will continue to adhere to the four tenets of "The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral", as enumerated under points "(a), "(b), "(c)", "(d)" on pages 877 and 878 in the Book of Common Prayer 1979 under the heading "Lambeth Conference of 1888, Resolution II"; and be it further

Motion carried

Amendment adopted

Deputy Aden of Tennessee moved to amend the resolution.

Proposed Amendment:

In the first resolve clause, following "Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music", add ", plus two members or representatives of Province IX of The Episcopal Church, one being a bishop of said province and one being a lay or clergy representative of said province".

An electronic vote was taken on the amendment, resulting in 542 yes votes and 287 no votes.

Motion carried

Amendment adopted

The President announced that the allotted time for debate on the resolution had expired.

Deputy Frazer of Alabama moved to suspend the rules to extend time for debate by an additional thirty minutes.

Motion defeated

Deputy Parish of Western Michigan moved to suspend the rules to extend time for debate by an additional ten minutes.

Motion defeated

The President called upon the Chair of the Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169 to read the resolution as amended to the House to allow for verbal translation.

Resolution as Amended

(A068)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 79th General Convention approve authorize the Option One plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979, which is included in the report to the 79th General Convention of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, plus two members or representatives from Province IX of The Episcopal Church, one being a bishop of said province and one being a clergy or lay representative of said province, Subcommittee on to undertake comprehensive R revision of The Book of Common Prayer 1979; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music be directed to implement this plan; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision will continue in faithful adherence to the historic rites of the Church Universal as they have been received and interpreted within the Anglican tradition of Common Prayer and mindful of our existing ecumenical commitments while also providing space for, encouraging the submission of, and facilitating the perfection of rites that will arise from the continual movement of the Holy Spirit among us and growing insights of our Church; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize the riches of Holy Scripture and our Church’s liturgical, cultural, racial, generational, linguistic, gender, physical ability, and ethnic diversity in order to share common worship; and be it further

Resolved, that this church ensure that, at each step of the revision process, all materials be translated into English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, following the method commonly called dynamic equivalency; and be it further

Resolved, that such revision will continue to adhere to the four tenets of "The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral", as enumerated under points "(a), "(b), "(c)", "(d)" on pages 877 and 878 in the Book of Common Prayer 1979 under the heading "Lambeth Conference of 1888, Resolution II"; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize inclusive and expansive language and imagery for humanity and divinity; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision shall incorporate and express understanding, appreciation, and care of God’s creation; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision take into consideration the use of current technologies which provide access to a broad range of liturgical resources; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music follow the “Guiding Assumptions” and “Plan for the revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979” from the SCLM Blue Book Report to the 79th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music shall report to the 80th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the sum of $1,917,025 be appropriated to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the 2019-2021 Triennium for this process the completion of this plan.

Ballot #2 - Vote by Orders

A Vote by Orders was taken on Resolution A068 as amended.

Ballot #2 taken by orders

Results of Ballot #2: Vote By Orders of Resolution A068

The President read the results of Ballot #2.

TypeTotalNecessaryYesNoDividedNo+DividedResult
Lay:1105670261440Yes
Clergy:1105664301646Yes

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #39)

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169 presented its Report #1 on HD Message #39 on Resolution A068 (Plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer) and moved adoption with amendment.

Committee Amendment

(A068)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention authorize the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, plus two members or representatives from Province IX of The Episcopal Church, one being a bishop of said province and one being a clergy or lay representative of said province, to undertake comprehensive revision of The Book of Common Prayer 1979; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision will continue in faithful adherence to the historic rites of the Church Universal as they have been received and interpreted within the Anglican tradition of Common Prayer and mindful of our existing ecumenical commitments while also providing space for, encouraging the submission of, and facilitating the perfection of rites that will arise from the continual movement of the Holy Spirit among us and growing insights of our Church; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize the riches of Holy Scripture and our Church’s liturgical, cultural, racial, generational, linguistic, gender, physical ability, and ethnic diversity in order to share common worship; and be it further

Resolved, that this church ensure that, at each step of the revision process, all materials be translated into English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, following the method commonly called dynamic equivalency; and be it further

Resolved, that such revision will continue to adhere to the four tenets of "The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral", as enumerated under points "(a), "(b), "(c)", "(d)" on pages 877 and 878 in the Book of Common Prayer 1979 under the heading "Lambeth Conference of 1888, Resolution II"; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize inclusive and expansive language and imagery for humanity and divinity; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision shall incorporate and express understanding, appreciation, and care of God’s creation; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision take into consideration the use of current technologies which provide access to a broad range of liturgical resources; and be it further

Resolved, that all materials in Rite I and the Historical Documents of the Church, and also the Lord’s Prayer, be exempted from this revision; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music follow the “Guiding Assumptions” and “Plan for the revision of the Book of Common Prayer 1979” from the SCLM Blue Book Report to the 79th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music shall report to the 80th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the sum of $1,917,025 be appropriated to the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the 2019-2021 Triennium for this process.

Special Order: Table Discussion before Plenary Discussion

The Presiding Bishop asked for ten minutes of table discussion before plenary discussion.

The Chair of The House of Bishops Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169 described the amended Resolution.

The Parliamentarian explained that Dispatch will move to create a Committee of the Whole to facilitate discussion. Dispatched moved for a 10 minute Committee of the Whole to facilitate the discussion around of Resolution A068.

Motion carried

Announcement from the Chair

The Chair of the House of Bishops announced that there would be three more speakers and voting on the Resolution would be moved to the next day.

The Chair moved to rise from the Committee of the Whole.

Motion carried

Committee of the Whole terminated

The House resumed debated on Resolution A068 (Plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer).

Dispatch asked the Chair to call on The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop of Texas to offer his remarks.

The Bishop of Texas presented pre-filed Floor Amendment 0084 and moved adoption of a substitute.

Proposed Substitute PFA0084:

(A068)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention, pursuant to Article X of the Constitution, authorize the ongoing work of liturgical and Prayer Book revision for the future of God’s mission through the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement. And, that it do so upon the core theological work of loving, liberating, life-giving reconciliation and creation care; and be it further

Resolved, that our methodology be one of a dynamic process for discerning common worship, engaging all the baptized, while practicing accountability to The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the 79th General Convention create a Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision (TFLPBR), the membership of which will be jointly appointed by the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies, and will report to the appropriate legislative committee(s) of the 80th General Convention, ensuring that diverse voices of our church are active participants in this liturgical revision by constituting a group with leaders who represent the expertise, gender, age, theology, regional, and ethnic diversity of the church, to include, 10 laity, 10 priests or deacons, and 10 Bishops; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention memorialize the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as a Prayer Book of the church preserving the psalter, liturgies, The Lambeth Quadrilateral, Historic Documents, and Trinitarian Formularies ensuring its continued use; and be it further

Resolved, That this church continue to engage the deep Baptismal and Eucharistic theology and practice of the 1979 Prayer Book; and be it further

Resolved, That bishops engage worshiping communities in experimentation and the creation of alternative texts to offer to the wider church, and that each diocese be urged to create a liturgical commission to collect, reflect, teach and share these resources with the TFLPBR; and be it further

Resolved, That the TFLPBR in consultation with the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons is directed to propose to the 80th General Convention revisions to the Constitution and Canons to enable The Episcopal Church to be adaptive in its engagement of future generations of Episcopalians, multiplying, connecting, and disseminating new liturgies for mission, attending to prayer book revision in other provinces of the Anglican Communion; and be it further

Resolved, That liturgical and Prayer Book revision will continue in faithful adherence to the historic rites of the Church Universal as they have been received and interpreted within the Anglican tradition of 1979 Book of Common Prayer, mindful of our existing ecumenical commitments, while also providing space for, encouraging the submission of, and facilitating the perfection of rites that will arise from the continual movement of the Holy Spirit among us and growing insights of our Church; and be it further

Resolved, That such revision utilize the riches of Holy Scripture and our Church’s liturgical, cultural, racial, generational, linguistic, gender, physical ability, class and ethnic diversity in order to share common worship; and be it further

Resolved, That our liturgical revision utilize inclusive and expansive language and imagery for humanity and divinity; and be it further

Resolved, That our liturgical revision shall incorporate and express understanding, appreciation, and care of God’s creation; and be it further

Resolved, That our liturgical revision take into consideration the use of emerging technologies which provide access to a broad range of liturgical resources; and be it further

Resolved, That the SCLM create a professional dynamic equivalence translation of The Book of Common Prayer 1979 and the Enriching Our Worship Series in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole; and that the SCLM diversify the publication formats of new resources, liturgies and rites to include online publishing; and be it further

Resolved, That this church ensure that, at each step of the revision process, all materials be professionally translated into English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, following the principles of dynamic equivalence and that no new rites or liturgical resources be approved by this church until such translations are secured; and be it further

Resolved, That the TFLPBR shall report to the 80th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That there being $201,000 in the proposed budget for the translation of liturgical materials, that the Executive Council be encouraged to identify additional funds in the amount of $200,000 to begin this liturgical revision.

Chair of The House of Bishops Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169 confirmed his support for the floor substitute.

Special Order of the Chair

The Chair gave five minutes to read through the proposed substitute before debate.

Debate ensued.

The Rt. Rev. Mary Glasspool, Bishop of New York, moved the question.

Motion carried

Debate terminated

A vote was taken on substitute PFA0084

Motion carried

Substitute adopted

The Rt. Rev. Edward Konieczny, Bishop of Oklahoma, moved the previous question.

Motion defeated

Debate continued

The Rt. Rev. Brian Thom, Bishop of Los Angeles, moved the question.

Motion carried

Debate terminated

A vote was taken on resolution A068 as substituted.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #174)

House of Deputies

The House of Deputies Committee to Receive the Report of Resolution A169 presented its Report #10 on HB Message #174 on Resolution A068 (Plan for the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer) and moved concurrence.

Motion carried

The House concurred

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #278)

Resolution Concurred by Both Houses, July 11.

Report Reference:   SCLM Sub-committee on Revision of The Book of Common Prayer, Reports to the 79th General Convention, 2018, pp. 193-368.
Abstract:   The 79th General Convention authorizes a Task Force on Liturgical and Prayer Book Revision and sets out a number of historical, methodological, and theological traditions that should be observed as it utilizes inclusive and expansive language, care of God’s creation, and technology in a liturgical revision process that draws on local experimentation.