Convocation administration
Convocation ConventionOur business of governance, our time to come together for connection and fellowship.
The Convention is an annual meeting that brings together representatives of all the parishes, missions, and affiliated communities of the Convocation. These representatives—both clergy and lay—make decisions and policy for all Episcopalians in the Convocation and, with the Bishop, help us to maintain our connection to the wider Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and beyond.
The Festival of Gathering is a part of the annual Convention of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. A time of study, reflection, prayer, and connection, each year’s Festival focuses on a topic linking the commitments of our faith to the work God calls us to do in the world. Centered on the commitment of our baptismal covenant to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being,” the Festival is a forum open to all people interested in connecting more deeply their moral commitments to their actions in the world.
About Convention
The principal business of the Annual Convention is to address legislation and resolutions. The Convention receives reports from the Bishop and various committees and commissions, hears the financial report and votes on the budget.
In the past, most Conventions included a program on a theme, with presentations and discussions. These were designed to engage the participants in looking ahead, or in deepening and learning more about our mission and ministry, and may result in guidelines for the future.
Now, our Conventions include The Festival of Gathering, which are similarily themed but autonomous events in order to open attendance to a wider audience beyond Convention delegates. Everyone is invited to attend the Festival with no obligation to attend Convention.
Near the end of the Convocation Convention, the Assemblée générale of the Association 1901 of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, the French legal entity of the Convocation, convenes briefly to approve of newly elected Bureau (Council of Advice ) and the financial report.
Above all, the Convention is a gathering of our community. It is a weekend of listening, learning, worship and prayer. Everyone in the Convocation, as well as friends from beyond the Episcopal Church, are welcome to attend any annual convention.
When is it?
The Convocation Convention normally meets in the middle of October, from Thursday afternoon through Sunday morning Eucharist. The location of convention rotates around the nine parishes and, occasionally, other locations. The Call to Convention is usually sent sometime in June.
Process & Procedure
The Bishop is the President of Convention.
The Convention elects the Secretary of Convention who is responsible for keeping records of all actions of the Convention, and for assembling the annual Journal of the Annual Convention of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. The Secretary records the resolutions considered by the Convocation Convention, including any votes and actions taken on those resolutions.
The Secretary is responsible for informing the Convention of resolutions adopted by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church which call for action on the part of the Convocation or of its leadership. The Secretary also transmits any resolutions directed to General Convention and the names of the people elected as Deputies and Alternates to GC.
Who attends?
Each parish and organized mission sends two elected delegates designated by their vestry or Bishop’s council. These delegates, the four lay members of the Council of Advice, and the canonically-resident clergy of the Convocation all have the right to vote. A representative from each of the Convocation’s other mission congregations is also seated and accorded full voice in the business of the Convention. Guests and other participants, along with anyone interested in attending, are generally accorded voice.
Voting
We will again vote electronically using Election Runner. In order to vote, all delegates must bring a mobile device or laptop (and charger) that has access to the email address which you provided in your registration. Read instructions on How to Vote Using Election Runner (English) (Spanish).
Rules of Order
Delegates should familiarize themselves with the 2023 Rules of Order (English) The Rules of Order are also available in Spanish. The 2023 Rules of Order are the same as the version used for the 2022 Annual Convention.
Business at Convention
Convocation Boards
Council of Advice: The Council of Advice is a canonical committee that advises the Bishop in Charge
Disciplinary Board: The Disciplinary Board exists to help in cases where clergy have been presented with charges under the Ecclesiastical Disciplinary Canons (Title IV) of the Canons of The Episcopal Church.
Officers of Convention
Secretary of Convention: elected for a three-year term, the clergy or lay person who serves as Secretary of Convention, in coordination with the Bishop, Canon for Programming and Communication and Council of Advice, is responsible for the organization and smooth running of Convention.
Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer:
Safeguarding Officer: The Safeguarding Officer of the Convocation is a lay or clergy person elected for a three-year term. Their primary task is to ensure compliance by all congregations of the Convocation with the safeguarding policies adopted by Convention in 2019. This involves in particular liaising with each congregation’s own Safeguarding Officer and verifying that all clergy and all laypeople involved in any way with children and young people have completed the on-line safeguarding modules required for their particular position.
Other elected positions
Once every three years, the Convention elects the four lay and four clergy deputies, plus up to four lay and four clergy alternates to represent the Convocation at the next General Convention, two calendar years before the next GC (see Episcopal Church Canon I.15).
Every three years, the Convention also elects one lay and one clergy observer to the Synod of the Diocese in Europe of the Church of England for three-year terms. The Synod may also send two observers to the Convocation Convention. As guests, they are given seat and voice, but no vote.
Nominations
The Nominations Committee is made up of the outgoing Council of Advice members, both Clergy and Lay, of that year’s term. All members of the Convocation are invited and encouraged to nominate persons or themselves they believe would be suitable for the role. The Nominations Committee receives the list of names and adds their own suggestions, to create a final slate for voting.
Nominations are done via online form and submitted anonymously. The form opens approximately 2 months before Convention.
Proposed resolutions must be submitted to the Secretary of Convention via email. All resolutions will be reviewed by the Committee on Resolutions and presented to Convention for consideration, action and approval. The deadline for submission of resolutions for consideration is generally 2-3 weeks before Convention.
Courtesy resolutions are also presented and considered at Convention by the Committee to Respond (appointed by the Bishop before Convention).
The Convocation Budget is created by the Finance Committee, Council of Advice and the Bishop in Charge, with input and requests from our Canonical Institutions and Ministry Initiatives. This work generally takes place between April and June each year.
The Budget and Narrative Budget will be sent to Clergy and Delegates as part of the overall Delegate’s Packet once it is approved by Council. Included in the packet will also be the previous year’s Financial Audit. There will be an open Zoom Town Hall on the Budget on the Saturday before Convention at 10am, at which point comments and explanations will be heard.
Every Committee, Canonical Institution, Ministry Initiative, and other affiliated organizations with the Convocation are required to submit Annual Reports to the Secretary of Convention. Included in these reports should be highlighted events undertaken since the previous Convention, grants received, change in membership, and other pertinent information related to the business of that Committee.
These reports are included in the Delegate’s Packet.
Past Conventions
Collected below are documents and webpages made available from past Conventions.
2025
The 114th Convention was held October 17th in Wiesbaden, Germany.
A Convention How To: Rules for Speaking in Debate
Mark Eastham, Secretary of the Diocese’s Annual Convention, provides a brief animation on the rules for discussing proposed Resolutions and Budget Amendments.
Annual Convention Delegate and Church Forms
All forms must be submitted to Bill Martin in the Office of the Secretary. The due date for submitting the Parish COE/CCGS and Youth COE form was April 15, 2023. The voting privileges of delegates at Convention cannot be certified until the parish’s Confirmed Communicants in Good Standing (CCGS)/Certificate of Election (COE) form has been received by the Convention Registrar. If you have missed the deadline or are unsure if those forms have been submitted for your church, contact Bill Martin.
NOTE: Each of these documents is a fillable form PDF file. In order to complete the form on your computer, you must first save the file on your computer. Once it is saved, you can open and complete the form.