Dow Jones ex Machina - Comments on the 2014 Draft Budget of the Diocese of Indianapolis

This article represents solely the opinions of its author and does not reflect the opinions of the Episcopal Church of All Saints or the Diocesan Reimagining Task Force.

2014 Diocese of Indianapolis Draft Budget
2014 Diocese of Indianapolis Draft Budget Narrative

“For to those who have, more will be given, and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.” Luke 8:18

I have been participating in the Diocese’s Bible Challenge since Lent began. With the encouragement of some hardy souls from around the diocese gathering on Facebook, and the peer pressure of a group of faithful readers in my own parish, I have been more or less keeping up with the reading.

That means that I have come across Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s formulations of one of Jesus’s hard, impenetrable teachings multiple times in rather short order. In the context of our faith, so rich with grace, what could this saying, which seems to confirm, not confront, avarice and self-dealing possibly mean?

As a professional in the investment industry, I work with

a number of endowed institutions, some religious, most secular. I am very familiar with the financial blessings and challenges they face. This experience also places me in sympathy with those who are very concerned about the current rate of spending from the endowment, though I am perhaps less concerned than some.

It is appropriate, for instance, that we overspend what is generally accepted as a sustainable spending policy for an endowment in the midst of economic crisis. The endowment can function as a cushion to prevent catastrophic withdrawal of services in response to what may be temporary circumstances. It also allows the church in particular to distinguish itself as a reliable bulwark of support for needs of the wider community. As the economic emergency recedes, the endowment is then able to resume a normal level of spending as the portfolio’s market value recovers.

That is the theory, at any rate. But it has its limits. First, even in the most soundly managed institution, this approach implies that on average, the organization will be spending slightly more than a sustainable rate. That means that periodically the endowment needs to be topped up with a capital campaign or a major gift. This is not a sign of failure. Rather it is a sign that the donor’s original gift has been successful in sustaining the institution and providing a strong foundation for a new generation to build on. The Diocese of Chicago has recently been the recipient of such a major gift. We should be asking ourselves whether our mission is oriented to inspire similar generosity.

Second, this strategy can be sustained for some time in an institution that is structurally financially sound. But an organization that has a significant structural mismatch between revenues and expenses will inevitably run into a wall. The Diocese of Indianapolis fits the latter description today. Our largest single expense, health care, is largely outside our control. Almost half of our parishes receive some form of direct diocesan aid. These two areas of the budget are among the few to receive a significant increase in the current draft of the 2014 budget. Meanwhile, in the areas that the diocese once truly mattered to the community around us, as the visionary organization that founded numerous organizations ministering to prisoners, victims of domestic violence, and the homeless, we are now reduced to a payroll and benefits administrator. It should be a point of pride for us that these organizations are more or less able to stand on their own as independent organizations. But it is to our shame that as we are managing our budget today our diocese looks like it will never do so much good again.

Third, our current approach to the budget, which focuses on keeping up appearances and maintaining the status quo despite our diminishment in finances and numbers, puts us at spiritual peril. Rather than transforming in response to new circumstances, we find ourselves looking for a miracle from that other god, a Dow Jones ex machina, to restore us to our former glory.

Here we are, in the enviable position of being one of the wealthiest dioceses in The Episcopal Church, and year after year we find ourselves entrapped in narrative of diminishment, arguing over what to cut. Do we have little, or do we have a lot? How we approach our resources may prefigure how God will deal with us. For to those who have, more will be given, and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.

We are Christians. By definition, we have hope. And we are blessed to have ample examples of hope within this diocese. We speak often of the struggles of many of our small town parishes. But the vitality and comparatively strong material footing of parishes in places like Lawrenceburg and Bean Blossom among others challenge the notion that demographics dictate a declining church in Indiana’s small communities. We are among the few dioceses left to vigorously fund campus ministries, raising new generations of leaders for the church. Many of our large and small parishes are passionately engaged in local and global mission. For whatever its technical flaws, our diocese’s plans, expressed in the will of the 2011 diocesan convention, to give $500,000 for recovery in the Diocese of Haiti, shows our generous spirit.

Given the available resources and the present set of circumstances, how then might we begin to take steps to reorient our budget toward becoming a more visionary diocese, one whose resources show a greater commitment to loving our neighborhood and faithfulness to the Great Commission? Here are a few specific proposals:

1) Build capacity for stewardship at the parish level. We should take full advantage of our affiliation with The Episcopal Network for Stewardship, an excellent resource provider. My own attendance at their 2010 conference in Indianapolis was transformative in my understanding of a model of stewardship based on generosity rather than guilt. Specifically: The Episcopal Network for Stewardship is having another conference in Salt Lake City in July. While attending the conference is beyond the resources of many, TENS is offering four of its sessions on stewardship basics via webcast at the modest fee of $75. The Executive Council and Mission Strategy should work immediately to identify and recruit current or potential stewardship leaders in parishes needing additional stewardship training, providing scholarships for webcast attendance where needed. It seems this would be a wise investment of the Leadership Development line item in the 2013 budget. A potential approach would be to gather these leaders in a common location by deanery to view the webcasts together, accompanied by one or more proven stewardship leaders from throughout the diocese to facilitate discussion.

The stewardship capacity building could be further supported by structuring a portion of the mission strategy funding as matching funds based on incremental improvement in stewardship results based on Fall 2013 pledge campaigns. Speaking from the experience of All Saints, the availability of matching funds as an incentive for new or increased pledges has been instrumental in a renewed culture of stewardship in a parish not historically known for its affluence.

2) Identify whether we have Mission Strategy parishes ready to take a transformative step. Over the coming triennium The Episcopal Church has budgeted for the creation of 50 Mission Enterprise Zones to fund ministry to underserved populations within the church, to the tune of $20,000 each, structured as a matching grant. Consulting with parishes committed to creative ministry, Mission Strategy should work with parishes to identify opportunities to restructure diocesan funding to qualify for a Mission Enterprise Zone grant. The most obvious candidates for this funding appear to be our parishes doing work with Latino populations and/or in rural areas.

3) Defer increased funding for communications until at least 2015. We must focus on maximizing the use of free or low-cost technologies before committing additional funds. Rather than identifying a way to get print media into parishioners’ hands, we should instead maximize the reach of the Gathered Community, which presently reaches only 400 or so people due to the diocese’s lack of e-mail addresses. Given the historic ability of the diocese to procure mailing addresses for its print communications, devoting similar effort to obtain e-mail addresses would be a worthy project. The weekly mailbag should be opened to a broader audience and should use Constant Contact or a similar tool for distribution. This can be done for under $500 annually. This would dramatically improve this communication’s readability, and also provides the ability to archive the mailbag’s contents. The problems of our web site are well known, and probably do require additional funding at some point. But it is now reasonably functional and not a top priority.

The diocese must comply with the resolution passed at last year’s diocesan convention and engage seriously with social media. Our Facebook group is reasonably active, but functions more like a classic e-mail listserv than an official voice for our diocese. Effective use of social media gives the diocese and other church bodies the unique ability to intrude, for lack of a better term, into where a great many people today are spending a great amount of their time. And in the proliferation of feel-good “spiritual” quotes one may perceive the Athenians’ grasping for their unknown god. Many of our parishes are active and effective users, but by using Facebook ineffectively at the diocesan level, the official voice of our diocese is silent.

4) Reduce the scale of diocesan convention. Our almost-neighbor, the Diocese of Western Michigan, completed their 2013 diocesan convention a few weeks ago within the space of six hours or so on a Saturday. This not only reduces costs, but also broadens the potential base of participation, including to young people and those in professions such as teaching that find taking a Thursday afternoon and Friday off untenable. The legislative calendar could be cut down considerably by recognizing the fact that we are already bound by, not required to assent to, most General Convention legislation, allowing social and workshop time to be available, as well as cutting down the workload of our General Convention deputation. The costly symbolism of holding the convention in various locations throughout the diocese should be dispensed with in favor of using existing diocesan properties with capacity to host a group of our convention’s size.

5) Restore the funding to our cooperating ministries. I understand that it is the desire of some for the diocese to move away from the checkbook philanthropy it has historically practiced with regard to the cooperating ministries. It is true enough that what we have been doing in recent years falls far short of “transforming unjust structures of society”, as we are called in the Five Marks of Mission. This today is the only material way in which our diocese, as a household, contributes to the well-being of the community around us. We misinterpret the message of Jesus if we think that the insufficiency of our actions justifies taking no action at all. As a diocesan household, one of our most exciting possibilities is the ability to do mission on a scale no parish can do alone. We are also shortsighted if we neglect the power of visible service as a tool for evangelism. In the present day, the CROSSWalk initiative against gun violence taken on by the Diocese of Chicago is a prime example. Funding the cooperating ministries the way we have historically may not be the long term way forward for the Diocese of Indianapolis, but until we discern a longer term strategy (and we must), there is no excuse for turning our backs on local mission opportunities. The restoration of this line item can be funded by deferring the funding increase for communications, reduced funding for diocesan convention, and by reductions in Mission Strategy that I have every faith will be obtainable through an intentional focus on stewardship.

This is not a plan for the long term. But this is a nudge to move our diocesan budget back on the right track, a track that reflects the call of Jesus to make disciples and to love our neighbor. A track, that with careful planning and sincere discernment, may cause us to be an apostolic institution worthy of future financial gifts. Through the generosity of today’s stewards and history’s benefactors, God has seen to bless this diocese richly with financial resources. But the attitude with which we view what we have has everything to do with what will happen to it. For to those who have, more will be given, and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.

Episcopal Vocabulary Lessons - A Report from the Executive Council Listening Session

Betty White, the Episcopal Church, and Why You Belong on IndyDio's Restructuring Task Force

The Golden Girls went off the air in 1992. After that, Betty White appeared in occasional TV and movie roles and did some Vaseline-lensed ads for animal-related causes. In a sign that she was riding off into the pop-cultural sunset, she received a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and racked up lifetime achievement honors at the American Comedy Awards, TV Land Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was also named a Disney Legend, whatever that is.

If you didn't follow Betty White's career that closely, it could be hard to know whether to refer to her in the past or present tense. One saw Betty White around more often than Sasquatch, but not much more. For some reason I have a vivid memory of her as a foul-mouthed widow in 1999's Lake Placid, an otherwise unmemorable movie about giant man-eating crocodiles.

The situation of the Episcopal Church today resembles what seemed to be the twilight of Betty White's career. We've got gorgeous buildings that make excellent settings for awkward encounters in Six Feet Under or official mourning for Gerald Ford. We have a beautiful prayer book that makes a cameo appearance in Rachel Held Evans' excellent new book, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, and polite notice for its cultural significance in The Atlantic. But we're pretty short on actual influence in the national conversation these days.

The last 10 years have been particularly bruising. Our average Sunday attendance has fallen by about 20% through the strains of schism and death's inevitable toll on an institution whose average member is 62 years old. The popular metaphor among hopeful observers and participants is that we have been pruned for future growth. Fair enough.

Our church's numbers have been declining for decades, but the fact that many parts of the church are supported by endowments from generous members past have meant that until the last decade's economic and market disasters, our institutional structures could get by without adapting all that much. Maybe pruning is the right metaphor for this experience, but it feels a lot more like we've been knocked down. But we don't have to be down for the count.

The renaissance of Betty White's career began in early 2010 with a famous Super Bowl commercial for Snickers, depicting her getting knocked into the mud while playing football. The commercial inspired a social media campaign that soon had her hosting Saturday Night Live. Today Betty White is everywhere.

White's return to the cultural mainstream isn't just because of the commercial, though it was clearly a turning point. White is back because we have rediscovered that she has something to offer us: a sharp wit, openness, honesty about ugly truths (especially about aging), iconoclasm, and compassion. But her new career doesn't resemble her old career much. There's been no return to sweet-natured Rose Nylund, but an adventurous engagement with where pop culture is now.

The Episcopal Church also will not be the church we used to be. We were the church of the Roosevelts and the Vanderbilts, but we're about as likely to go back to that as Betty White is to have a reunion special with Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan. We will be the church God calls us to be, or we will wither away, cutting budgets and keeping up appearances the best that we can.

In the face of a public Christianity that devalues women and villifies gays, the Episcopal Church stands for the breadth of God's love. In a country obsessed with consumer goods, we share the simple materials of bread, wine, and oil as signs of God's presence. "Unfriend" is now an accepted verb; we offer real relationships. Instead of severing connections in the quest for the new, the Episcopal Church values the thread of history and tradition that connects us to the eternal. But outside our church, who even knows about us?

We as a church have resolved to change, but we have not yet resolved how to do it. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church voted to establish a task force to restructure our national institutions. The Acts 8 Moment, a grassroots movement for church renewal, is gathering steam.

Today the Diocese of Indianapolis is collecting nominations for the task force for restructuring the diocese. It is unfortunate that the task force has such a wonky title. But the fundamental issue is this: it is time for the Episcopal Church to stop clinging to its past and managing decline. It is time for us to actively engage with the culture around us, where going to church is not a social expectation and Biblical illiteracy is the norm. It is time for us to manage our ample financial resources in a way that grows and serves the message of Jesus, not our self-image. It is time for us to change ourselves without losing the core that makes us Christians.

If you want to engage with these challenges, you may well be called to serve on the diocesan task force. But you have to let the the Executive Council know you are willing to serve. Nominate yourself or someone else with passion for the future of the church. Find everything you need to make that happen here. You have until December 22.

Betty White's 2010 revival began with her lying in the mud. We're there today, on the margins of American culture. And as the Rev. Suzanne Wille of All Saints, Indianapolis reflects in a recent sermon (also available in audio), that may be right where we belong:

As so often happens in the Gospels, truth and faith and Good News are found at the margins. It is the outcasts, the poor, the sick, who understand Jesus, the ones who help US see Him better, understand the Gospel better.

We reach this point with the ample resources of our liturgy, our plentiful real estate, and our objectively enviable finances, to say nothing of the grace of God. Our challenge is to focus less on ourselves and more on what has happened around us, to hang out on the margins, and to listen for what we are called to do next.

Draft text of the substitute structure resolution

Formatting may be a bit rough, but in my prior post I mentioned that my resolution and the diminishing resources resolution were being combined into a substitute resolution to be submitted from the floor. Here's that draft as it stands today.

Structure of the Episcopal Church and Diocese of Indianapolis

Resolved, that the 175th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis affirms Resolution C095, Structural Reform, adopted by the 77th General Convention of the Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention urge all members of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis to pray regularly for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be upon the task force so established for the duration of its work, commending the Prayer for the Church found on page 816 of the Book of Common Prayer as a useful example; and be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis commit itself and its officers to open and prompt sharing of information and expertise with the task force if and when so called; and be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis believes that just as the Holy Spirit is urging the Episcopal Church to re-imagine itself, so the Holy Spirit is also urging all of the constituent members of the church to re-imagine themselves, through the conversion of individual hearts, parishes, and dioceses to more faithfully
• proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• teach, baptize, and nurture new believers
• respond to human need by loving service
• seek to transform unjust structures of society
• strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth;
and be it further

Resolved, that this Convention, under the legislative powers vested in it by the Constitution of the Diocese of Indianapolis IV.4.(c) create a committee whose purpose is to
• study scripture and pray for God’s continual blessing upon the whole church and especially God’s people in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
• engage in theological and historical reflection on the diocese as the organizing unit of
​Christ’s Church
• make itself available to the task force established by C095 as fellow travelers in
​discernment of the will of God for the Church
• engage in appreciative inquiry of the programs, activities, and outreach of the Episcopal
Diocese of Indianapolis, obtaining the wisdom, perspectives, and expertise of others throughout the diocese, including those not often heard from
• discern a shared vision for the mission and ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of
Indianapolis, and the relationship among the diocese and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies that reflects the love of Jesus Christ and the theology and polity of the Episcopal Church calling upon any and all members of the diocese and the broader community of faith to assist in their discernment and examination,
• develop recommendations for the diocese and its constituent missions, parishes, and
​other bodies to achieve that vision together, with God’s help



• meet by Easter to establish the working structure for the committee and beginning the work, that the committee delivers an interim report to the 176th Convention and a final report to the
177th Convention, the latter to be published no later than August 6, 2014, (the Feast of the Transfiguration), on its discernment findings and recommendations, with such reports also to be published freely and made contemporaneously available online, along with such resolutions as may be necessary to implement those recommendations;
and be it further

Resolved, that the committee be composed of at least nine and no more than fifteen members, to be selected by the Executive Council through an open nominations process assuring that the members represent the diversity of the diocese in geography, demographics, talents, and order of ministry, including those at a critical distance from the power structures of the diocese, that the members of the committee be named no later than January 18, 2013, (the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter the Apostle ), that the committee select its own chair and other officers, and be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council, using the powers granted to it by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, make such resources available to the committee as are necessary to enable this resolution to be implemented energetically and successfully, “…for surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

EXPLANATION

The 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church meeting in Indianapolis unanimously passed Resolution C095, Structural Reform, to re-imagine the structure of the Episcopal Church, noting:
The administrative and governance structures of The Episcopal Church have grown over the years so that they now comprise approximately 47% of the church-wide budget and sometimes hinder rather than further this Church’s engagement in God’s mission. Reform is urgently needed to facilitate this Church’s strategic engagement in mission and allow it to more fully live into its identity as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society in a world that has changed dramatically over the years but that also presents extraordinary missional opportunity.

The 77th General Convention chartered a task force to develop a vision to restructure the high level structures of the Episcopal Church for a changed environment, to be presented at the 78th General Convention in 2015.

This resolution establishes a similar committee in the Diocese of Indianapolis.

The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, along with many other dioceses of the church, faces a challenge. Our parishes are committed to engaging in mission and ministry to the communities around them and to people in need far away. But not everything is working – from 2000 to 2010, average Sunday attendance in the diocese fell by 19.8%. Our diocesan structures are little changed in response.

As ever, the Holy Spirit calls us to be a missional church, spreading the Good News of Jesus and doing God’s work in the world. A process of prayer, self-examination and discernment is necessary to hear God’s call to us for how we must change to empower our parishes, missions, and members to boldly, energetically, and creatively proclaim the Gospel in the world through word and deeds.

OMG I've got to finish blogging these resolutions!

Ok, there are only two resolutions left, but I've been on the road and just haven't been able to get to them. But the convention's coming up!

So, here's one: the Confronting Diminishing Resources resolution. You can read this one if you'd like, but I'm not going to spend any time on it. The sponsoring group on this resolution and I have teamed up and we're planning on introducing a substitute resolution, closely modeled on the resolution I proposed, from the convention floor. So, don't vote for this resolution, don't vote for my resolution, vote for the substitute. Unless the substitute fails - then you can vote for mine.

The last one is to Recommit to the Work of Anti-Racism. I commend the church for taking this so seriously. One of the saddest things over the situation in the Diocese of South Carolina right now is that they were one of the last dioceses in this church to embrace desegregation, but when they did, they really did, by most reports. We could have, and still could, learn something from them. And however odious Stand Firm in Faith's #thingswhiterthantheepiscopalchurch hashtag was during the General Convention was, it at least had some sting of truth to it for many congregations. I'm not convinced that forming committees to bring about a conversion of what I am sure are already well-intentioned hearts in our parishes is the best way to achieve the goal, but we work with the tools we have.

Plus I like any resolution that starts out with an acknowledgment that the church has sinned. Indeed it has.

So, to the score:

1) Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Yes, -1
2) Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? Yes, +1. But the resolution should be amended to say who, exactly, is called to do these things (right now it calls upon "the diocese" to appoint a committee and identify individuals as anti-racism trainers).
3) Might the resolution call upon the person who sponsored it to do something concrete? Yes, +1. The resolution was sponsored by members of the General Convention deputation, some of whom I know to be very interested in this topic.
4) Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? No, +1. But, I believe the work (or was it the appointment?) of the anti-racism committee has appeared on the unfinished business report before. It's all in the execution, y'all.
5) Budget miscellany: +1 - the resolution requests a budgetary allocation from the Executive Council. Given the quite small costs associated with this, I think it's appropriate that the resolution not demand a specific dollar amount or line item.

So, add it all up, and you get a +3 resolution. Pretty good. Go ahead and vote for it. And think about how we as a diocese are going to keep this from landing on the unfinished business report this time.

There are also some amendments to the constitution and canons of the diocese. These bring the constitution and canons with regard to the participation of transgendered individuals in the church in line with the resolutions adopted mandating full inclusion, including in the ordination process. You should vote for these wholeheartedly.

And that's it! See you all on Thursday! I'll be blogging under the #indydio175 hashtag.

Blogging the Resolutions: Website and Social Media Challenge

Does every church need a web site or a Facebook page? The General Convention certainly seemed to think so, and a mirror resolution, the Website and Social Media Challenge, has made its way to the diocesan convention. There's not a lot of substance to this resolution beyond its name: it "challenge[s] every congregation or other ministry in the diocese to have an effective, dynamic, and current website [and]... to actively engage social media in its current and future manifestations", and that's pretty much it.

Let's score this, then discuss:

• Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Yes. There's nothing about this that's a bad idea, and it doesn't commit anyone to any really hard work (though maintaining an effective, dynamic, and current websits is harder than it sounds). -1
• Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? Yes. These are concrete actions. +1
• Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? Probably not. This was put forth by the General Convention Deputation. I believe most if not all of the members of the deputation come from parishes that have already done this. -1
• Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? Oh, yes. But I think this is as it should be, for reasons I'll get to below. Nonetheless the scoring system calls for me to give this a -1
• If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? Creating a website doesn't necessarily cost money, but creating an "effective, dynamic. and current" website? That's a tall order to do on the cheap. But for the escape hatches above, this could be viewed as an unfunded mandate. Still, we've got the escape hatches and this doesn't call for anything from the diocesan budget, so it gets +1

In sum, we've got a -1 resolution here.

In general: every diocesan ministry should have a decent website, and a social media presence is also a good thing. But I do wonder a bit about where this should fall in the order of priorities for any given ministry. As I observed in my earlier post on the Diocese of East Carolina, the three parishes that account for the most growth in that diocese are markedly lacking on the digital front.

What is most important, I think, is the various ministries and bodies of the church being attentive to the best ways to communicate with the communities around them, and for the diocese to offer guidance, where required, to identify those ways. In most cases, that will include, but not be limited to, the web and social media. But we focus too much on these tools at our peril, as they offer only the beginning phases of relationship. As we engage or improve our use of these tools, our communities would do well to consider what kind of welcome people who walk in the doors will receive.

Blogging the Resolutions - Gun Free Zones

The General Convention passed a resolution asking all Episcopal Churches to declare themselves "Gun Free Zones". There's a resolution coming before diocesan convention doing just that. But there's considerable debate about whether we can even legally do this.

Controversy around this revolves around Indiana's gun laws, particularly the so-called "Take your gun to work" laws, which permit any employee to carry a gun in the glove box or trunk of his or her locked vehicle, and prohibit an employer from asking about it.

I've done a little research on this, and I don't think we have much to worry about. But I'm not a lawyer. A FAQ from the Indiana State Police notes that "the right to carry a firearm may be restricted on private property and businesses by the owners. Be attentive for signs warning of restricted areas when carrying firearms into public places." So it looks like any church is within its rights to forbid guns on its property, with the possible exception of its parking lot.

Additionally, there are strict prohibitions on carrying firearms on school property. The law leaves "school" undefined, but at least one Indiana gun owners' association interprets it to include "places like preschools (and churches that have a preschool), head start, or similar programs – even when 'school' is not in session, like at Sunday services." If correct, that would suggest that it is already illegal under state law to possess a firearm on the property of Trinity Indianapolis (St. Richard's School), and any Episcopal church that has a pre-school.

A question was raised on the floor of General Convention inquiring whether a church declaring itself a gun-free zone might face liability if a shooting occurred on its property, since the zone turned out not to be gun-free after all. I have no idea about the merits of such a claim, but it seems that one could deal with it by using the phrase "firearms prohibited" rather than "gun-free zone" as the text of any proposed sign.

All right, on to the score:

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? No. I think there are some people who will view this as a waste of time, and you can vote against this without looking like a jerk. +1
2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? Yes. Hanging up a sign is a concrete action. +1
3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? Yes. The resolution is proposed by the General Convention deputation, which includes a few rectors who will have to decide what to do with this request. +1
4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? Yes. The resolution is framed as a request, not an order. -1
5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? No budget requirements. +1

So the final score is +4. Pretty high for what I think is not a very important resolution. Yet another indictment of my scoring system, I guess. I don't have much of an opinion either way on this one. Vote how you want.

Guest-blogging the Resolutions - Church Structure

Hello.  I’m John.  Brendan has asked me to write a guest post regarding the church structure resolution he is sponsoring, since he’s clearly biased.  He assures me that my general familiarity with his scoring system (from reading the blog) and my possibly passable knowledge of Episcopal affairs are the only requirements.  Still, I’m going to keep this brief so I don’t make a fool out of myself.

I’m not going to try to go into the resolution’s intentions too much, as I imagine its sponsor might have a few words to say about it himself.  But very briefly, General Convention this year passed a resolution to establish a task force to create a plan to reform the Church’s structure and governance and present it to the next General Convention.  It’s my understanding that the resolution passed unanimously.  The resolution to be put before the Diocese of Indianapolis at its convention is a resolution to support that effort, and to establish a similar task force for the diocese.

Of course, the guy who wrote the scoring system, wasn’t going to sponsor a resolution that failed the test, right?  Well, let’s see.

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Well, I might have guessed not, but if the similar resolution passed unanimously in GC, I’m gonna have to lean yes here. -1

2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? Yes. It calls for the creation of a committee, and for the committee to deliver reports at both the 176^th and 177^th convention of the diocese. +1

3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? I’m not sure it does in itself.  However, I am sure Brendan, as its sponsor, will be engaging enthusiastically with the task force’s work (whether or not he is on it himself).  So this gets a yes. +1

4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? Not that I can see.  +1

5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? The resolution does call for the Executive Council to “make such resources available to the committee as necessary to enable this resolution to be implemented energetically and successfully.”  It does not specify how much resources that would take nor where it would come from, so I’m going to have to say no. -1

So, our final score is 1, and would be a 2 if C095 didn’t pass General Convention unanimously.  I proclaim that you can vote for this resolution with a clear conscience.  I look forward to Brendan clarifying anything I got wrong on this one, and learning more about his vision for the future.

Blogging the Resolutions - Threefer!

Today I'm going to illustrate how you can take two resolutions that identify legitimate problems but don't go all the way in finding how the church can be part of the solution and combine them with one totally awesome resolution to maybe come up with something incredible. Let's get scoring.

First up, Condemn the Practice of Wage Theft. This resolution commits the diocese to saying that denying laborers the wages and benefits they are due is a bad thing, and then "encourages" and "urges" parishes to educate themselves and partner with government agencies, etc. Real problem, dissatisfying solution.

Second, Deter Blacklisting of Workers. This is an obscure enough problem that I wasn't aware of it until just recently, and it's complicated enough that it will take a little more time to explain than wage theft. The idea goes like this. Occupancy is up and down in hotels, so rather than keep staff on its payrolls when demand for their services is so variable, hotels keep some base staff but then hire the rest through temporary agencies. So far, so good - totally legit business practice. But then, some hotels and temp agencies agree that the temporary employees can never be employees of the hotel (this is the blacklist), and remain long-term employees of the temp agency, even if they work at the same hotel for years. The impact on the worker is that they have no job security (because they're temps), no benefits (because they're temps), and no ability to improve their working conditions, through, say, collective bargaining, because they're not employees of the hotel they work for.

This one is stronger than the Wage Theft resolution in that it does call for more decisive action in the form of the church using its purchasing power (chiefly in the form of the Bishop's travel budget and the negotiation of room blocks for diocesan convention) to avoid institutions that participate in the practice.

One thing it lacks, though, is that phrase I griped about earlier, "stand in solidarity with". How might we actually do that with the many people in central and southern Indiana who have been victims of wage theft or blacklisting? These resolutions just encourage us to talk to their bosses and regulators.

That's why I'm really excited about the Establish Diocesan Mission Enterprise Zones resolution. One of the really exciting things that came out of the budget passed at the recent General Convention was the establishment of matching grants for Mission Enterprise Zones, which are meant to engage in innovative ministry with under-represented groups in the Episcopal Church, and which may use non-traditional forms of liturgy and leadership structures. The problem with this kind of ministry is that it tends not to be self-funding, certainly not at the start and maybe not for a long time. The matching grant helps address that problem. Think of it as venture capital funding for mission.

So let's score, and come back to how these resolutions might work together:

	Condemn Wage Theft	Condemn Blacklisting	Mission Enterprise Zones
Pass unanimously?	-1	-1	-1
Commit the church to doing something?	-3	+1	+1
Potentially commit the author to doing something?	-1	-1	-1
Escape hatch?	-1	+1	-1
Budget?	+1	+1	+1
Total	-5	+1	-1

Ok, not so hot, right? But if you've gotten through this far in the Blogging the Resolutions series with me, you might be coming to the conclusion that resolutions to diocesan convention are a pretty crude way of doing active mission. Where the diocese can be a real plus is as a channel to facilitate good ideas and to efficiently seek funding from the national church (the MEZ grants can only be sought by a diocese, not a smaller unit). We have a lot of parishes in this diocese looking to reinvent themselves due to economic necessity (the rest should probably be thinking about reinvention as a spiritual necessity). There are two churches in downtown Indianapolis that are natural geographic partners with blacklisted hotel workers. There are many more churches near a Wal Mart, the highest profile (but by no means the only) company with a history of wage theft. My own church is trying to discern a clearer calling to mission.

The wage theft and blacklisting resolutions give us some guidance about where underserved populations might be. Obviously there are others we can address. The MEZ resolution gives a prospect of funding to support creative mission in this diocese. So it's incumbent on us to come up with ideas that the Diocese and the national church can't say no to. My scores notwithstanding, delegates should vote to pass these resolutions.

Blogging the Resolutions - What Constitutes Concrete Action?

Remarking on my previous post regarding the recognition of Holy Family Episcopal Church as a parish, a reader observed that the resolution does in fact call for concrete action. Reclassifying a church from a mission to a parish may not be a difficult action, but it is a real action.

She's right, of course. Not all things worth doing are difficult, and we should be grateful for those easy things we can do that make a difference.

Furthermore, it occurs to me that being a parish rather than a mission does have budget implications, and positive ones at that. Because it means that Holy Family has grown to a point in numbers and in developing a culture of financial stewardship that it can support itself and offer material and spiritual gifts to the wider church and community.

So I'm re-scoring the resolution:

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Of course. -1
2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? No. +1
3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? No. +1
4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? No. +1
5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? It passes on questions 2, 3, and 4, AND requires no additional budget allocation, so +2

Final score: a very respectable 4. I'm still allocating 2 bonus points because this is such good news it deserves to get the maximum possible score of 6.

Blogging the Resolutions - HFEC Status

I'm writing about each of the resolutions to the 175th Convention of Diocese of Indianapolis. My scoring criteria are here. Opinions are my own and may not reflect the Episcopal Church of All Saints, its parishioners, clergy, or delegation.

It's late and I just got home from the first vestry meeting with our new rector (which was awesome, by the way). But I'm just going to bite off an easy resolution here.

Today's resolution: the admission of Holy Family Episcopal Church in Fishers as a parish. Let's see how it scores.

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Of course. -1
2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? No. -3
3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? No. -1
4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? No. +1
5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? No budget requirements, we're ok here. +1

This resolution, of course, reveals how flawed my scoring system is. Because the change in status of a church from mission to parish manages to score a -3, which is obviously ridiculous.

The admission of any planted church as a parish is a clear cause for celebration. For Holy Family, this has been a long time coming. So I'm overriding my silly system and giving it the maximum score, a well-deserved 6.

Blogging the Resolutions - Condemning Threats Against Sexual Minorities

I'm writing about each of the resolutions to the 175th Convention of Diocese of Indianapolis. My scoring criteria are here. Opinions are my own and may not reflect the Episcopal Church of All Saints, its parishioners, clergy, or delegation.

Here's the proposed resolution titled "Condemning Threats Against Sexual Minorities". Sigh. Let me go ahead and score this, and then discuss.

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Yes. It doesn't really call on anyone to do anything all that difficult, and the idea that sexual minorities should not be subjected to violence is uncontroversial in this diocese. -1
2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? No. -3
3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? No. -1
4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? No. It is generally quite clear, though I never quite know what, "stand in solidarity with" means in contexts like this. +1
5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? The resolution requests no funding, nor does it need it. +1

That gives the resolution a score of -3, out of a possible +6. The negative score is mainly due to the fact that the resolution calls the church to no specific action. I've implied before that delegates should consider voting no on resolutions with a score below 0. But I think what this one is crying out for is not a no vote so much as some thoughtful (and realistic) amendments.

The reason this resolution has come up is pretty important to engage. The public face of Christianity is badly tarnished by the fact that the loudest voices in our faith seem to spend an awful lot of time condemning an awful lot of people, including but not limited to sexual minorities. Paraphrasing Brian McLaren from his interview with NPR's Guy Raz yesterday, the popular image of Christianity is not of loving your neighbors, but living in constant conflict with them.

Matthew Paul Turner's awesome blog used to be called "Jesus Needs New PR" (the blog isn't defunct, just eponymously rebranded). It looks at the sheer awfulness of much of Christianity's public image. A flaw in his blog is that while it entertainingly documents the public face of the church on a spectrum ranging from cluelessness to outright bigotry, it offers few suggestions for improvement. Turner is aware of this.

The message of this resolution is worth proclaiming loudly, but it will barely register outside the legislative session in which it's passed. If we're serious about this, we ought to decide that Jesus literally needs new PR. Jesus tells us, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16). We can vote on this resolution and then file it away. Or maybe we as a church can decide we're going to get all Kelly Cutrone on this message and get it out there.

Blogging the Resolutions - Churchwide Response to Bullying

I'm writing about each of the resolutions to the 175th Convention of Diocese of Indianapolis. My scoring criteria are here. Opinions are my own and may not reflect the Episcopal Church of All Saints, its parishioners, clergy, or delegation.

Let's get started! First up, "Churchwide Response to Bullying".

The resolution aims to establish partnerships between churches, schools, youth and others. Execution is delegated to a diocesan task force on bullying with a 3-year term, which in turn will delegate real action to the deaneries, which in turn will have to rely on some action in the parishes, which is exactly where an effective response to bullying at the local level will come from.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it addresses a serious problem, one where I think the church can provide effective witness and relief. It does not just condemn bullying but puts confronting it squarely in the hands of the church.

I am mainly concerned about implementation. It will be fairly easy for the task force to provide some ideas and resources to the deaneries and declare victory. After all, the charge to the task force is "to help raise awareness of and facilitate conversation about the problem of bullying and encourage and assist in the development of...partnerships and programs within each deanery". The only non-squishy verb in there is "assist".

The resolution mitigates this risk of total failure by requiring the task force to report its progress to the diocesan convention for each of the next three years. On the other hand, the unfinished business report to the last few diocesan conventions is littered with good intentions (seriously, it ought to be mandatory for these reports to be published online). The success of this resolution will be based on there being some bottom-up passion to see it succeed.

So, the score:

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? Yes. Nobody wants to be for bullying in public, and the resolution makes it pretty easy for this to be something delegates perceive as someone else's responsibility. -1
2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? Yes. +1
3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? Yes. +1
4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? This one's a push for me. Effectiveness in diminishing bullying is not actually required for the diocese to do what the resolution calls for. That said, there's no allowance for the diocese to just ignore it. 0
5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? Yes. This resolution does call for some allocation for funding, but actual funding requirements should be minimal. +1

That gives this resolution a score of 2 out of a possible 6 points. As a reminder, a delegate can vote for any resolution with a positive score with a clear conscience, but the higher the score, the better.

Next up - Condemning Threats Against Sexual Minorities!

Blogging the Resolutions - Introduction

Resolutions for the 175th Convention of the Diocese of Indianapolis were published yesterday. Taking a page from The Rev. Scott Gunn at Seven Whole Days, who wrote about every single resolution to the General Convention, I thought I'd do a series saying something about each of them. Gunn had to read 241 resolutions. The Diocese of Indianapolis has 11. This'll be like reading Philemon, y'all.

I'll be using the framework I proposed in my proposed Rules for Resolutions at Diocesan Convention, evaluating them on these criteria:

1. Is the resolution likely to pass unanimously? (+1 if no, -1 if yes)
2. Does the resolution call for someone in the church to do something concrete? (+1 if yes, -3 if no)
3. Might the resolution call for the person who proposed it to do something concrete? (+1 if yes, -1 if no)
4. Does the resolution contain an escape hatch? (+1 if no, -1 if yes)
5. If the resolution calls for an allocation from the diocesan budget, is it clear how the funding would happen? (+1 if yes, -1 if no, +2 if the resolution scores on #2, 3, and 4 AND requires no budget allocation).

In this system, I think a delegate can vote for any resolution with a score above 0 with a clear conscience. Of course, the higher the score, the better. I reserve the right to unilaterally reduce scores for resolutions that do not reflect the love of God or are otherwise patently objectionable, and will be transparent when I'm doing so.

A note: as usual I am speaking only for myself. Comments here may not reflect the opinions of the Episcopal Church of All Saints, its parishioners, clergy, or delegation. I myself am an alternate to Diocesan Convention and probably will not be voting on any of these resolutions.

Resolution on Structure for the Diocese of Indianapolis

Here's the final text of the Resolution on Structure for the Diocese of Indianapolis I have submitted via .doc, .pdf, e-mail, and fax. Yeah, seriously, fax. Let this post be a witness that I made the deadline. Feedback still welcome as this can (and likely will) be amended on the floor of Diocesan Convention in October.

A reminder: this resolution borrows liberally from the C095 resolution; feel free to borrow from this, as appropriate, for your own purposes.

--

Resolved, that the 175^th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis affirms Resolution C095, Structural Reform, adopted by the 77^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church;

And be it further

Resolved, that this Convention urge all members  of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis to pray regularly for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be upon the Task Force so established for the duration of its work, commending the Prayer for the Church found on page 816 of the Book of Common Prayer as a useful example;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis commit itself and its officers to open and prompt sharing of information and expertise with the Task Force if and when so called;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis believes that just as the Holy Spirit is urging the Episcopal Church to reimagine itself, so is the Holy Spirit also urging all of the constituent members of the church to reimagine themselves, through the conversion of individual hearts, parishes, and dioceses to more faithfully

• Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• Teach, baptize, and nurture new believers
• Respond to human need by loving service
• Seek to transform unjust structures of society
• Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth;

And be it further

Resolved, that this Convention, under the legislative powers vested in it by the Constitution of the Diocese of Indianapolis IV.4.(c) create a committee whose purpose is to

• Study scripture and pray for God’s continual blessing upon the whole church and especially God’s people in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
• Engage in theological and historical reflection on the Diocese as the organizing unit of Christ’s church
• Make itself available to the Task Force established by C095 as fellow travelers in discernment of the will of God for the church
• Engage in appreciative inquiry of the programs, activities, and outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, obtaining the wisdom, perspectives, and expertise of others throughout the Diocese, including those not often heard from
• Discern a shared vision for the mission and ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, and the relationship among the diocese and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies that reflects the love of Jesus Christ and the theology and polity of the Episcopal Church
• Develop recommendations for the Diocese and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies to achieve that vision together, with God’s help
• Deliver an interim report to the 176^th Diocesan Convention and a final report to the 177^th Diocesan Convention, the latter to be published no later than the Feast of the Transfiguration, 2014 (August 6), on its discernment findings and recommendations, with such reports also to be made freely and contemporaneously available online, along with such resolutions as may be necessary to implement those recommendations;

And be it further

Resolved, that the committee be composed of at least eight and no more than twelve members, to be selected by the Executive Council through an open nominations process, that the members of the committee be named no later than the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter the Apostle (January 18, 2013), that the committee select its own chair and other officers, and that the members represent the diversity of the diocese in geography, demographics, talents, and order of ministry, and include those at a critical distance from the power structures of the Diocese;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council, using the powers granted to it by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, make such resources available to the committee as are necessary to enable this resolution to be implemented energetically and successfully, “…for surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Explanation:

The 77^th General Convention in Indianapolis unanimously passed Resolution C095, Structural Reform, to reimagine the structure of the Episcopal Church, noting:

The administrative and governance structures of The Episcopal Church have grown over the years so that they now comprise approximately 47% of the churchwide budget and sometimes hinder rather than further this Church’s engagement in God’s mission. Reform is urgently needed to facilitate this Church’s strategic engagement in mission and allow it to more fully live into its identity as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society in a world that has changed dramatically over the years but that also presents extraordinary missional opportunity.

The General Convention chartered a task force to develop a vision to restructure the high level structures of the Episcopal Church for a changed environment, the be presented at the 78^th General Convention in 2015.

This resolution establishes a similar committee in the Diocese of Indianapolis.

The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, along with many other dioceses of the church, faces a challenge. Our parishes are committed to engaging in mission and ministry to the communities around them and to people in need far away. But not everything is working – from 2000 to 2010, average Sunday attendance in the diocese fell by 19.8%. Our diocesan structures are little changed in response.

As ever, the Holy Spirit calls us to be a missional church, spreading the Good News of Jesus and doing God’s work in the world. A process of prayer, self-examination and discernment is necessary to hear God’s call to us for how we must change to empower our parishes, missions, and members to boldly, energetically, and creatively proclaim the Gospel in the world through word and deeds.

A Draft Resolution Supporting C095? Help, Please.

I'm drafting a resolution to do a re-visioning process in the Diocese of Indianapolis, in parallel with the Task Force established by resolution C095 (which...if you're going to read further, you should open it right now, because you'll want to refer back to it. I make no apologies for borrowing from it liberally). I'm interested in constructive feedback, particularly anything that points out where I might have violated the rules I posted yesterday.

I'm also concerned about anything that might undermine the work of the Task Force, so I'm interested in any thoughts on that issue -- though generally I think that a church wide visioning process is more likely to be supporting than interfering. Nonetheless that's the reason I set August 6, 2014 as the deadline for the reporting of my proposed committee's work, so it would be out there for a few months before the C095 Task Force's final deadline of November, 2014.

I'm definitely seeking ideas for how a committee might be chosen at the diocesan level.

Finally -- I'm under deadline! This is totally my fault, but resolution deadlines are coming down on the Diocese of Indianapolis right now. This puppy is due on Sunday.

Thanks to any and all for your help!

--

Resolved, that the 175^th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis affirms Resolution C095, Structural Reform, adopted by the 77^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church;

And be it further

Resolved, that this Convention urge all members  of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis to pray regularly for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be upon the Task Force so established for the duration of its work, commending the Prayer for the Church found on page 816 of the Book of Common Prayer as a useful example;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis commit itself and its officers to open and prompt sharing of information and expertise with the Task Force if and when so called;

And be it further

Resolved, that the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis believes that just as the Holy Spirit is urging the Episcopal Church to reimagine itself, so is the Holy Spirit also urging all of the constituent members of the church to reimagine themselves, through the conversion of individual hearts, parishes, and dioceses to more faithfully

• Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• Teach, baptize, and nurture new believers
• Respond to human need by loving service
• Seek to transform unjust structures of society
• Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth;

And be it further

Resolved, that this Convention, under the legislative powers vested in it by the Constitution of the Diocese of Indianapolis IV.4.(c) create a committee whose purpose is to

• Study scripture and pray for God’s continual blessing upon the whole church and especially God’s people in the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
• Engage in theological and historical reflection on the Diocese as the organizing unit of Christ’s church
• Make itself available to the Task Force established by C095 as fellow travelers in discernment of the will of God for the church
• Engage in appreciative inquiry of the programs, activities, and outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, obtaining the wisdom, perspectives, and expertise of others throughout the Diocese, including those not often heard from
• Discern a shared vision for a relationship between the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies that reflects the love of Jesus Christ and the theology and polity of the Episcopal Church
• Develop recommendations for the Diocese and its constituent missions, parishes, and other bodies to achieve that vision together, with God’s help
• Deliver an interim report to the 176^th Diocesan Convention and a final report to the 177^th Diocesan Convention, the latter to be published no later than the Feast of the Transfiguration, 2014 (August 6), on its discernment findings and recommendations, with such reports also to be made freely and contemporaneously available online, along with such resolutions as may be necessary to implement those recommendations;

And be it further

Resolved, who should select these people and how should they do it? We don’t have the built-in PHoD and PB structure at the diocesan level, that the members of the committee be named no later than the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter the Apostle (January 18, 2013), and that the members adequately represent the diversity of this diocese, and include those at a critical distance from the power structures of the Diocese

And be it further

Resolved, that the Executive Council, using the powers granted to it by the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, make such resources available to the committee as are necessary to enable this resolution to be implemented energetically and successfully, “…for surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Explanation: Don’t have the energy for this now. But if you’ve gotten this far, you know what it’s about.