The Acts of Convention

Resolved, That the 72nd General Convention of the Episcopal Church, having affirmed in the Concordat of Agreement the full authenticity of existing ordained ministries in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, having reached fundamental agreement in faith with the same Church, and having agreed that the threefold ministry of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons in historic succession will be the future pattern of the one ordained ministry shared corporately within the two Churches in full communion, hereby enact a temporary suspension, in this case only, of the seventeenth-century restriction that "no persons are allowed to exercise the offices of Bishop, Priest, or Deacon in this Church unless they are so ordained, or have already received such ordination with the laying on of hands by Bishops who are themselves duly qualified to confer Holy Orders," as set forth in the Preface to the Ordination Rites (Book of Common Prayer 510; and be it further

Resolved, That this resolution shall take effect on January 1, 2001, after adoption on second reading at the 73 General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That this resolution be sent within six months to the Secretary of the Convention of every diocese, to be made known to the Diocesan Convention at its next meeting.