Full Legislative History
Resolution Number: 1988-C030
Title: Establish and Fund a Ministry of Community Investment and Economic Justice
Legislative Action Taken: Concurred As Amended
Final Text:

Resolved, That the Episcopal Church hereby establish a ministry of community investment and economic justice directed to community-controlled economic development programs of the disadvantaged, with a special focus on land trusts, housing cooperatives, worker-owned businesses and community development credit unions by:

A. Urging the Church at every level to utilize, where possible, its buildings, properties, personnel, financial resources and moral power in support of this ministry;

B. Urging each diocese to appoint a Commission on Community Investment and Economic Justice for the local implementation of this ministry;

C. Urging each diocese to provide for the financial support necessary for the local implementation of this ministry;

D. Authorizing the appointment jointly by the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies, of an implementation committee to oversee the project for the coming triennium. Membership on this committee should include theologically sensitive people with expertise in land trusts, housing cooperatives, worker-owned businesses and community development credit unions. Members should also be drawn from those national Episcopal organizations which focus on economic development. The implementation committee shall be accountable to the Executive Council. The Executive Council, with the advice of the Committee, shall determine the criteria for grants and loans from the National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Economic Justice.

The effort at the national level will be funded in the amount of $250,000 per year from the National Church Program Budget.

A working group on community reinvestment and economic justice will be established with appropriate representation from Church Center units on National Mission in Church and Society, Education for Mission and Ministry and Stewardship and Development, which will work in close collaboration with dioceses to facilitate training, support and guidance to local efforts.

E. Establishing a National Episcopal Fund for Community Investment and Justice, to be administered by the Coalition for Human Needs, with goals of:

  1. Providing $4,000,000 per year for six years for the economic empowerment of the disadvantaged;
  2. Providing up to 10% of its annual receipts as matching grants to participating dioceses for the local administrative costs of the program;

F. Urging the church at every level to work in conjunction with other bodies for public policies at the municipal, state and federal levels, which are supportive of Community Economic Development.

Citation: General Convention, Journal of the General Convention of...The Episcopal Church, Detroit, 1988 (New York: General Convention, 1989), p. 233.