The Acts of Convention

Resolved, That to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in this time of revolutionary technologies, the 72nd General Convention urge the comprehensive use of print, video, audio, digital, and other communications media to disseminate information and build community within the Church itself; and be it further

Resolved, That the 72nd General Convention direct the Executive Council to initiate the development, implementation and assessment of a unified, coordinated communications strategy for mission and ministry, to include:

-- Use of current and emerging tools of communications;

-- Initiatives to develop and implement this strategy in partnerships with the staff at the Church Center, Episcopal Communicators, Provincial and Diocesan staff communicators, other Church agencies involved in communications, and outside experts in the field;

-- Establishment of an accountable oversight team to include both Church employees and other Episcopalians who are nationally recognized in the field of new and emerging technologies, which is charged with managing the requirements and recommendations of this Resolution, establishing and monitoring benchmarks to assess the effectiveness of this strategy, and reporting to Executive Council within the revised structure of the Church;

-- Coordination of existing capital plans for information systems hardware and software at the Church Center;

-- Training for the effective utilization of these new technologies by Church Center personnel; and be it further

Resolved, That appropriate expenditures be made in the coming triennium to facilitate this strategy, including:

-- An amount not less than $60,000 to be allocated from funds budgeted for the communications area, to develop and distribute educational materials to assist Diocesan and Parish leadership understanding media in all forms;

-- An amount not less than $150,000 to be allocated from funds budgeted for the communications area, to provide consultants to assist in the implementation of this strategy, and guidance in the selection, purchase, and use of all the tools of communications at each level of our Church;

-- A matching grant pool, established by Executive Council and funded from existing trust, restricted, or reserve resources, for use by dioceses as demonstration or start-up grants consistent with this strategy; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention mandate that the Executive Council present a continuing contemporary communications vision to the 73rd General Convention, including provisions for implementation in the proposed budget for the next triennium.