The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops Committee on Environmental Stewardship and Care of Creation presented its Report #9 on Resolution D030 (Create a Task Force in Imagining a Church Grounded in Creation Healing as Christian Ministry) and moved adoption of a substitute.

Original Text of Resolution:

(D030)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,

That the 81st General Convention affirm:

1. That the work of creation healing is a primary ministry of the Church; it is our corporate, public witness to the Mission of God in Christ “to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” [Colossians 1:20];
2. That creation healing is about right relationships among and between all people and all creation, centering the voice and experience of the marginalized in both human society and all creation, and these are relationships that have been, and continue to be, harmed by systemic marginalization, unbounded pursuit of wealth, and unfounded claims of privilege;
3. That creation healing ministry includes acts of repentance and renewal of heart and mind, but must also include dismantling institutions, structures, and policies that cause harm and divide us from life on earth; and include repairing the breach by rebuilding systems of justice, restoration, and hospitality (Isaiah 58);
4. Over the past 300 years, continued ecological degradation, mass extinction and escalation of the climate crisis, as well as the spiritual weakness and institutional failures that these realities expose, demand we understand this to be a revolutionary moment of accountability, repentance, and renewed commitment to the mission of God. We are called to account for our failures to live into the whole gospel of God’s New Creation. We acknowledge that historical practices, policies, and structures of the institutional church have played a role in the persistence of environmental exploitation and call out for immediate, urgent and enduring redress;

And be it further

Resolved, That all dioceses and congregations be called upon to ground every planning or business meeting or convention with prayers inviting an examination of conscience regarding the specific impact of the decisions of such meetings upon our kindred creatures who are dispossessed, deprived, and disregarded, and to provide and model forms for such examination of conscience; and be it further

Resolved, That all dioceses be called upon to offer, at least once a year, a diocesan-wide event or program and liturgy to engage our congregations and members in listening to and understanding God’s love for all creation and our complicity in its wounding, with attention to our local opportunities for repentance and healing; and be it further 

Resolved, That this General Convention direct the creation of a Task Force on Imagining a Church Grounded in Creation Healing as Christian Ministry be formed as a diverse group to include 2 bishops, 2 priests, 2 deacons, and 10 laypersons, in order to a) consider what the church must look like if we put our vocation to love all our neighbors and to be repairers of the breach at the center of our work; b) to reach out to local and diocesan groups that are doing ecojustice and creation reconciliation work focused on systemic change, in order to understand what resources and gifts we already have in this work and where the gaps are;  c) to liaise with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and the Standing Commission on Governance, Structure, Constitution and Canons, and other relevant interim bodies on consideration of these questions and how to address the institutional barriers to change in the church; and d) be charged with making recommendations to the 82nd General Convention for institutional change to support creation healing as Christian ministry in the areas of governance and structure, prayer and liturgy, catechesis and lifelong formation for discipleship, especially with laypeople and consistent with ecojustice and right relationship to all creation; 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 $60,000 for the implementation of this resolution.

Committee Substitute:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,

Resolved, That in the event that this 81st General Convention approves the formation of a Standing Commission on environmental matters, the duties assigned to the Task Force created below shall be assumed by the Standing Commission and no Task Force shall be formed; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention direct the creation of a Task Force on Creation Healing as Christian Ministry with 16 members, to include 2 bishops, 2 priests, 2 deacons, and 10 laypersons, and shall include among the 16 members at least eight (8) people of color, including at least four (4) indigenous members in that number; and be it further

Resolved, That the Task Force so formed shall do the following work and report  the results by November 2026 to Executive Council and to the 82d General Convention:

1. in consultation with the staff of the General Convention Office, conduct a survey of diocesan efforts on creation care and compile the information needed, including contacts, to aid in the formation of networks of similar efforts;
2. Identify available program and teaching resources for use by dioceses and congregations to use in teaching about creation care and ecojustice ministry;
3. formulate detailed recommendations for changes in The Episcopal Church needed to support creation healing and ecojustice as Christian ministry, including changes in the areas of governance, structure, prayer, liturgy, catechesis and lifelong formation for discipleship, especially with laypeople;
4. consult with the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music and the Standing Commission on Governance, Structure, Constitution and Canons, and other relevant interim bodies in formulating appropriate recommendations for changes in liturgy, prayer, and governance to support this ministry; and be it further

Resolved, That the Task Force shall work with the Office of Government Relations and with program staff of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society to help assure the robust presentation of indigenous viewpoints in national and international forums addressing climate change, resource extraction, clean energy, biodiversity, and adaptation treaties, laws, and binding rules, as well as assuring that procedures for making such decisions expressly include presentation of indigenous viewpoints; and be it further

Resolved, That the Task Force shall also work to prepare and disseminate by December 2025:

1. Prayers and study materials for use by dioceses, congregations, and church institutions to use in their regular business meetings to help assure the reverent treatment of creation in their decisions, including steps to correct and amend past harmful uses of creation and sinful treatment of marginalized people in past decisions;
2. Appropriate liturgical and program materials for dioceses to offer in annual or more frequent diocesan-wide events, programs, and liturgies to engage their congregations and members in listening to and understanding God’s love for all creation and our complicity in its wounding, with attention to our local opportunities for repentance and healing; and be it further 

Resolved, That the General Convention request that the Executive Council Budget Committee consider a budget allocation of $60,000 for the implementation of this resolution.

Debate ensued.

Proposed Amendment:

The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook, Diocese of San Diego, proposed an amendment to the resolution (FA022) to change the allocation from $60,000 to $10,000 in the seventh Resolve clause.

Motion carried

Amendment adopted

A vote was taken on Resolution D030.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #15)