The 232nd annual Diocesan Convention
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017
Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston
#DioMassCon17
Find video and text of Bishop Gates's address to the convention here.
Watch excerpts from the Mission Strategy Implementation Organizing Team's presentation here.
View a convention photo gallery here.
Read a summary here.
Actions of the 232nd Diocesan Convention:
Actions of the 232nd Diocesan Convention follow below and are also attached as a PDF at the bottom of this page.
Elections:
Lay Alternate Deputies to General Convention (listed in order of election):
Ms. Betsy Ridge Madsen, Church of the Advent, Boston
Ms. Susannah Perkinson, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Duxbury
Two lay alternate deputy positions remain open and will be filled by Diocesan Council.
Clerical Alternate Deputies to General Convention (listed in order of election):
The Rev. Dr. Karen Coleman, Acting Chaplain, Boston University
The Rev. Canon William C. Parnell, Canon to the Ordinary
The Rev. Debbie Phillips, Grace Church, Salem
One clerical alternate deputy position remains open and will be filled by Diocesan Council.
Lay Member of Cathedral Chapter:
Mr. Paddy Cavanaugh, Emmanuel Church, Boston
Clerical Member of the Disciplinary Board:
The Rev. Mary Scott Miller
Lay Alternate Deputy to Provincial Synod:
Position remains open and will be filled by Diocesan Council.
Uncontested Elections:
Alternate Clerical Deputy to Provincial Synod:
The Rev. Rebecca Black, Christ Church, Waltham
Members of the Board of Directors of the Barbara C. Harris Center:
The Rev. Michael Hodges, Christ Church, Andover
Mr. Jonathan “Dutch” Treat, Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester
Lay Member of Standing Committee:
Ms. Constance Perry, Trinity Church, Boston
Clerical Member of the Standing Committee:
The Rev. Julie Carson, St. Andrew’s Church, Framingham
Lay Members of the Disciplinary Board:
Ms. B. Judy Fenner, St. Peter’s Church, Osterville
Ms. Julie Shea, St. John’s Church, Winthrop
Clerical Member of the Cathedral Chapter:
The Rev. Debbie Phillips, Grace Church, Salem
Trustees of Donations:
The Rev. Margaret Schwarzer, St. Andrew’s Church, Wellesley
Treasurer of the Diocese:
Ms. Lisa Garcia, Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester
Secretary of the Diocese:
Mr. Leon A. Brathwaite II, St. Andrew’s Church, Edgartown
Appointments to the Commission on Ministry:
Through Convention 2020:
The Rev. Katherine Ekrem
The Rev. Miriam Gelfer
The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Gibson
The Rev. Edwin Johnson
Mr. Graeme Mills
Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments to the Diocesan Constitution to Clarify the Current Role and Structure of the Diocesan Youth Council (Second Reading)
Amend Article 8 as follows. Words to be added are underlined and words to be removed are stricken through.
There shall be a Diocesan Youth Council composed of twenty members who whose members are in high school grades 9 10 through 12, and are baptized communicants of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese. Membership on the Diocesan Youth Council is by application through the Office of Youth Ministry. Up to twenty members of the Diocesan Youth Council will be given vote at Diocesan Convention with The Diocesan Youth Council shall be composed of one voting member elected from each Deanery, as determined by the Deanery’s bylaws, and eight appointed by the Bishop. Each voting member shall be elected or appointed for a one-year term, which can be renewed by deanery vote or bishop appointment if the member continues to meet all eligibility requirements.
Amend Article 2 Section 2 as follows. Words to be added are underlined and words to be removed are stricken through.
(a) The Bishops shall each have a seat and vote in the Convention. Subject to Section 4 of this Article, every cleric who is canonically resident in the Diocese, all members of the Diocesan Council specified in Article 7, Section 1, (excepting clergy who are not canonically resident in this diocese) and voting members of the Diocesan Youth Council as outlined in Article 8 who are at least 16 years of age, shall be entitled to a seat and vote in the Convention.
(b) Officers of the Corporation, members of the Standing Committee, Presiding Officers of Diocesan Commissions and Committees and non-voting members of Diocesan Youth Council under the age of 16, who are not otherwise entitled to a seat and vote shall be entitled to all privileges of membership in the Convention, except the right to vote.
Amend Article 7 Section 1(e) as follows. Words to be added are underlined and words to be removed are stricken through.
Two youth members, who shall be between the ages of 16 and 18 inclusive at the time of their appointment, to be appointed by the Bishop of the Diocese from among members of the Diocesan Youth Council, for a term of one year which can be renewed by bishop appointment if the member continues to meet the eligibility requirements.
Resolutions (Final form)
Clergy Compensation and Benefits
Resolved, that the diocesan Total Clergy Compensation (TCC) be defined as the total of cash stipend, utilities allowance, housing, SECA (Self Employment Contribution Act) allowance, if any, and all other cash compensation paid to an individual clergyperson. TCC does not include benefits (e.g. pension, health or dental insurance, etc.) or reimbursements for job-related expenses as described in the 2018 Guidelines.
Resolved, that the TCC Standard be defined as the minimum TCC for active full-time parochial clergy and, for the calendar year 2018, is determined by the following formula:
TCC Standard = $71,035 + (146.02 x Points) + $500 x [years of service* within congregation]
Provided that the minimum TCC Standard for full-time parochial clergy is $75,416.
Points are determined as the sum of three factors, calculated from data taken from the most recent Parochial Report:
Total Current Operating Revenues (000s) x .30
+ Number of Current Adult Pledging Units x .40
+ Average Current Sunday-Attendance x .30
= Total Points
The TCC applicable to a full-time rector, vicar, priest-in-charge or interim shall not be less than 100% of the TCC Standard for the congregation.
The TCC applicable to a full-time curate shall not be less than:
TCC Standard (curate) = [$71,035 + (146.02 x Points)] x 0.60
The TCC applicable to a full-time assistant rector shall not be less than:
TCC Standard (assistant) = [$71,035 + (146.02 x Points)] x 0.65
+ $350 x [years of service within the congregation]
The TCC applicable to a full-time associate rector shall not be less than:
TCC Standard (associate) = [$71,035 + (146.02 x Points)] x 0.75
+ $375 x [years of service within the congregation]
*Provided that in each case no more than 10 years of service will be considered in this calculation.
2018 Diocesan Budget
Resolved, that the 232nd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts approve the budget of revenue and expenses for 2018 as summarized on [budget book] page 15, including the individual parish and mission assessments and approved adjustments for 2018 listed on [budget book] pages 16-21.
We Are Still In: A Resolution to Fight Climate Change
Resolved, that the 232nd Annual Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts send the following memorial to the deputies and bishops of the Episcopal Church assembled at the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church; and be it further
Resolved, that the 232nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts affirms the leadership of Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, in his June 1, 2017, response to President Trump’s decision to pull out of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord; and be it further
Resolved, that the 232nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts praises the “We Are Still In” declaration in which hundreds of signatories pledge support of the goals of the Paris Climate Accord; and be it further
Resolved, that the 232nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts joins with the United Church of Christ in living out the principles of the Paris Climate Accord by committing our time, financial resources and prayers to:
•call on our congregations and every person of faith to set a moral example by making decisions of integrity in our energy choices and holding our leaders accountable to likewise reduce carbon emissions;
•call on our clergy and lay leaders to speak from the pulpit about our moral obligation to protect God’s creation; and
•call on our communities of faith to be bold and courageous in proclaiming the urgency of the climate crisis in the public square and at the local, state and federal levels.
A Resolution to Encourage the Formation of a Network of Congregations and Individuals Engaged in Elder Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Resolved, that the 232nd Diocesan Convention, in the spirit of a resolution passed at the 2011 Diocesan Convention urging congregations to identify and share the needs and services of elders in their community, and in accordance with the Christian imperative to uphold the value of every life through the continuum of life and to continually seek to extend the love of Christ to those who are at risk of disenfranchisement, encourages the formation of a network of congregations and individuals to:
1. meet the growing and diverse needs of aging adults
2. reframe negative stereotypes of aging
3. promote avenues for meaningful engagement and spiritual sustenance throughout life; and be it further
Resolved, that this network be dedicated to offering practical support to aging individuals and caregivers regarding issues such as: transitions in housing and family life, age-specific spiritual care and adult faith formation, grief and loss, caregiver support, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, elder rights advocacy, end-of-life conversations, hospice and palliative care, and isolation; and be it further
Resolved, that this network develop resources and training to support clergy and lay leaders in addressing the needs of their aging congregants.
Response to the Bishop’s Address:
Whereas, called by “@MassBishopXVI,” as we restructure and “de-staffify,” as we live into the vision of our mission strategy, we draw upon the vitality of our strong shared resources, stretching toward new dreams of God, drawing upon the gift of being a tapestry of cultures—a microcosm of the Anglican Communion—accompanying each other as we create a diocese-wide Episcopalian learning community, therefore be it
Resolved, that we rededicate ourselves to the work of radical reconnecting, groping our way toward becoming militant saints, knitting the parts together where every ligament promotes the Body’s building itself up in love. Through it all, may the fire be in our hearts and not on our slippers!