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Diocesan Convention

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The Diocesan Convention is made up of active clergy canonically resident in the Diocese and lay delegates elected by each congregation. The Diocesan Convention meets annually (or more often in special circumstances) to:

  • Approve the program budget
  • Hear reports on the activities of the diocese
  • Vote on resolutions that set the tone and direction of the Diocese
  • Elect at-large members of the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, Disciplinary Board, and Cathedral Chapter; and every three years, elect lay and clergy deputies to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church
  • Elect a bishop when necessary

2024 Convention

The 185th Convention of The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri will be held November 15-16 at the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center in Chesterfield. 

Visit the 2024 Diocesan Convention Webpage

 

Convention Committees

The nominations committee meets by June 1 of each year with appropriate representatives of the Offices of the Bishop to determine the vacancies to be filled by election at the following convention of the Diocese of Missouri.

By June 30, the committee will contact the president/chair of each convocation, president of the Standing Committee, the vice-chair of the Diocesan Council and the bishop to solicit suggestions for potential candidates.

The committee will publish the vacancies to be filled by election. The committee is encouraged to promote new potential leaders to each position. The committee's goal is to nominate three (3) candidates for each position. (Canonical requirement.)

The committee collects written consents and biographical information from all candidates. (Canonical.) The committee then forwards the nominations with appropriate documentation to the Secretary of Convention no fewer than fifty (50) days prior to convention. (Canonical.)

The committee conducts elections under the direction of the presiding officer. (Canonical.)

The committee will meet a minimum of once a month in June, July, and August to discuss progress towards meeting the obligations of the committee.

Nominations Committee Members

  • The Rev. Tamsen Whistler, Chair - Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Charles
  • The Rev. Nancy Emmel Gunn - St. John's Episcopal Church, Tower Grove / St. Louis
  • The Rev. Meg Goldstein - Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St. Louis
  • Lisann Backsmeyer - Trinity Episcopal Church, Hannibal
  • Vicki Myers - Grace, Episcopal Church, Jefferson City
  • Mike Fowlkes - Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, University City

The resolutions committee will publish a call by July 1 for resolutions to be submitted for consideration by the Diocesan Convention. (The committee will contact the president/chair of each convocation, president of the Standing Committee, the vice-chair of the Diocesan Council, and the chair of the General Convention deputation.) The committee collects all resolutions submitted at least 50 days prior to convention.

They then meet to review submitted resolutions, combine similar resolutions if appropriate, make sure submitted resolutions are in line with the National and Diocesan Canons, if desired check with appropriate diocesan bodies for input, standardize language, and then accept, reject or modify resolutions.

The committee will submit accepted and modified resolutions for the second diocesan convention mailing, and meet to draft courtesy resolutions. Under the direction of the presiding officer, the committee will propose resolutions to convention.

Resolutions Committee Members

(Appointed by the bishop at the 2022 Diocesan Convention)

  • Dr. Michael Booker - St. Francis Episcopal Church, Eureka
  • Betty Bowersox - Grace Episcopal Church, Kirkwood
  • The Rev. Earl Mahan - The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, University City
  • Michael Fowlkes - Trinity Episcopal Church, Central West End/St. Louis
  • The Rev. Jessica Wachter - The Journey Episcopal Church, Fulton

Convention History

Click these links for details from recent conventions:

Resolutions Library

The 170th Convention called for a Resolutions Library to be published on the diocesan website, to present approved resolutions not only in the official Journals of the Convention, but as a separate web page. Here is a collection of passed resolutions, as amended, from the minutes of diocesan convention.

The adopted resolutions are released by the Secretary of Convention in their official minutes of convention, and are posted online after receipt.

Convention Journals

Click the links below to download the journals for past conventions.

Digitized versions of our convention journals are also available on the Archives page of this website.

* Journals from 2015-2020 not available