A027 Increase recruitment, hiring, appointment, retention, and representation of People of Color in church positions
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church (“TEC”) hereby commit to developing greater representation and retention of PoC in all church positions; and be it further
Resolved, That, the 81st General Convention urges TEC staff in the Office of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, in partnership with the Executive Council Committee on Anti-Racism & Reconciliation and others, to complete the development of and dissemination of a set of guidelines and best practices to all parishes, dioceses, and institutions for the recruitment, hiring, appointment, retention, and representation of People of Color in hired and appointed church positions; and be it further
Resolved, That TEC strongly urges all parishes, dioceses, and institutions to follow these guidelines and best practices reporting the results of their efforts through the annual parochial report.
Explanation
Recent research into the membership of the church has confirmed that there is a significant percentage of our membership who are People of Color. Yet People of Color are not equitably represented in the governance and operations of the church. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us what is commonly known as The Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. This is repeated in both Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. Yet as a church, how can we do this if we as a church do not have appropriate visibility and representation in the leadership and operations of the church that would lead us to an understanding of ourselves? While there is a desire to rectify this situation and have equitable representation of People of Color, research also indicates that many members involved in calling or hiring for church positions do not know how to reach People of Color or truly engage them in candidacy for positions. While the Transition office has some guidelines, they are not as robust enough and those existing guidelines only apply to clergy transitions.
This resolution will provide the guidance necessary to help increase the numbers of People of Color toward a more appropriate representation in the church. It should, also, lead to more involvement and more membership of People of Color in the church.