Via the Office of Public Affairs
The Episcopal Church is accepting nominations through April 10 for its lay representative on the Anglican Consultative Council. The ACC is one of the four instruments of communion in the Anglican Communion. Its members represent the Anglican Communion’s 38 provinces, including the Episcopal Church. The ACC is the only instrument of communion that includes laity.
The role of the ACC is to “facilitate the cooperative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion, exchange information between the provinces and churches, and help to coordinate common action,” its webpage says. “It advises on the organization and structures of the Communion, and seeks to develop common policies with respect to the world mission of the Church, including ecumenical matters.”
Potential nominees should be lay members of Executive Council or lay deputies to General Convention. The role requires a thorough knowledge of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church, as well as familiarity with governance structures.
The term is for three meetings of the ACC, which is generally nine years. The triennial meetings require a two-week commitment. ACC will next meet in 2016 in Central Africa, two years before the next Lambeth Conference.
Nominations must include the nominee’s permission to stand for election, a one-page explanation of the nominee’s qualifications, and a digital photo. These materials should be sent via email to the Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Barlowe, executive officer of General Convention.
The Executive Committee of Executive Council will review the nominations and choose a slate of two to five names. Members of Executive Council may also make nominations. The election will occur at Executive Council’s meeting in June. The term will take effect immediately.
The Episcopal Church’s current members of the ACC are Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (as a member of the ACC Standing Committee), the Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas of the Diocese of Connecticut (as a bishop), and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies (as a member of the clergy).
Image: Members the Anglican Consultative Council attended Holy Eucharist at Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral Oct. 28, 2012. ENS photo/Mary Frances Schjonberg
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
