A094 Communion Across Difference
Resolved, the House of ________________ concurring,
That the 81st General Convention directs the Presiding Bishop and President of the House of Deputies to appoint a third Task Force on Communion Across Difference consisting of not more than 12 people, who represent the cultural, generational, racial, ethnic and theological diversity in the Church, including especially members from dioceses outside the United States; and be it further
Resolved, That half of the members appointed hold that marriage is a “covenant between a man and a woman” (BCP, 422), half hold that marriage is a “covenant between two people” in the presence of God (Resolution 2018-A085), and that all of those appointed seek a pathway toward mutual flourishing in The Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, That the Task Force will seek to build on the Blue Book reports of the previous two triennia, continuing to seek a lasting path forward for mutual flourishing consistent with this Church’s polity and the 2015 “Communion across Difference” statement of the House of Bishops, affirming (1) the clear decision of General Convention that Christian marriage is a covenant open to two people of the same sex or of the opposite sex, (2) General Convention’s firm commitment to make provision for all couples asking to be married in this Church to have access to authorized liturgies; and also affirming (3) the indispensable place that the minority who hold to this Church’s historic teaching on marriage have in our common life, whose witness our Church needs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Task Force consult widely with members of this Church who represent its diversity of cultural background, age, race, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation, particularly its members in countries other than the United States; and also with representatives from the Anglican Communion, our full-communion ecumenical partners, and those churches with whom we carry on ecumenical dialogues; and be it further
Resolved, That the Task Force report and make recommendations to the 82nd General Convention, ending its term at that time except by further action of General Convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention request the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $75,000 for the implementation of this resolution.
Explanation
In light of the serious constraints placed upon the first Task Force on Communion across Difference by the Coronavirus pandemic, the 80th General Convention directed the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies to appoint a second iteration of that task force to continue its important work. In its explanation for its proposed resolution seeking another triennium in which to work, the original task force reported that “[m]embers of the current Task Force believe that building the kind of relationships needed to take this work further were severely hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic and our inability to meet face to face.” That observation proved to be correct. With the benefit of two in-person gatherings the Task Force on Communion across Difference was able to make remarkable headway on the issues implicated in its mandate – and its members were able to build collegial and respectful relationships of trust and goodwill with each other.
Nevertheless, the shortened time frame available for committee work between the 80th and 81st General Conventions presented a constraint of its own. The liturgical and canonical concerns raised by this task force are unlikely to be permanently resolved by a single General Convention. The principles for a sustainable path forward that have been articulated in our Blue Book Report to this Convention will need to be fleshed out and applied to new situations. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the work of building relationships across difference remains crucial, and it requires more time and the contributions of more voices. The members of the second Task Force on Communion Across Difference believe that this crucial work calls for a task force to have a full triennium in which to work and pray together in person, collaborate with other interim bodies, consult with Anglicans from around the world, and reflect on all that unites us – without papering over or discounting the reality of our differences.