SO, YOU WANT TO BE A DEPUTY AT GENERAL CONVENTION

It’s possible that you’ve been reading this blog about General Convention and you’re saying to yourself, “Hey that sound like fun!”

(Unlikely, but possible…)

The next General Convention will be in Baltimore, Maryland.  Perhaps you have an inordinate fondness for shellfish.  Anyhow, let’s answer the burning question, “How can I be a part of the 2021 Deputation to General Convention?”

(You could also come as a Bishop, but that’s a different process.  Step 1: Become a Bishop…)

The official delegation to the General Convention from the Diocese of Missouri (which gets reimbursed for travel, food and lodging) is elected at Diocesan Convention.  Diocesan Convention takes place each November.  The election for the deputation is held two years before General Convention, so this year’s deputation was elected back in 2016.  The deputation for 2021 will be elected at the 180th Diocesan Convention, which will be held November 22-23, 2019, in St. Louis.

There are separate votes for clergy and for lay deputies.  Ideally we end up with eight names in each, sorted by number of votes.  The first four vote-getters in each category are designated to be deputies, and the other four clergy or laity are designated as alternates.  Since there is nearly a two-year gap between election and the actual General Convention, it isn’t at all unusual for some people’s names to fall off and others to move up.  This year in the clergy deputation, for example, three individuals were unable to attend, so other names moved up.  The Diocese pays to send the first four clergy, the first four laypeople, and one alternate in each category, to General Convention.

General Convention is a lot of work.  Hearings usually start at 7:30 and it isn’t odd for evening activities to run until 10:00 or so.  This is my first year on a legislative committee, and that has greatly added to my workload.  The event and travel add up to about two weeks.  There’s a lot to be said for just coming as a visitor for a few days…I did that in 2012 and found it very interesting.

So, let’s imagine that I haven’t convinced you not to run for the deputation.  There is an application process that takes place before diocesan convention.  Watch for announcements at the Diocesan website.  You’ll have to submit a brief biography and a presentable photo.  You won’t have to give any speeches at the Diocesan Convention, but it helps if there are people who already know you from outside your own congregation.

By the way, it would be nice if we could get more diversity, both in terms of race and age, in our deputation.   I’m an old white guy, but there are plenty of people in the Diocese of Missouri who don’t look like me and they would add something important to the 2021 General Convention.