Annual Convention

The 209th Annual Convention will take place November 22-23, 2024, at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem.

On August 21, an email containing all of the important convention information went out to all clergy entitled to seat and voice and to all registered lay delegates. That mid-August mailing is also available below.

Read the mid-August notice

The combined certificate of election and registration system opened June 1, at the same time the official notice of convention will be emailed to parochial clergy and mailed to senior wardens. Please check back frequently as more resources and information will become available during the coming months.

If you are experiencing difficulty or have questions related to your registration, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

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NOMINATIONS

Submit a nomination

Nominations are now open for the following positions to be filled by open election at this Convention (all to serve three-year terms):

Standing Committee (2 Clergy, 1 Lay)
Diocesan Council (2 Clergy, 3 Lay)
Trustee, University of the South (1 Lay)

To submit a nomination:

Nominators must be members of the clergy in the diocese or lay communicants in good standing of a church of the diocese. A lay person need not be confirmed or a delegate of Convention to submit a nomination.
Consent of the nominee is required.
Nominees in the clergy order for Standing Committee and Diocesan Council must be canonically resident in this diocese.
Nominees in the lay order for Standing Committee and Diocesan Council must be confirmed adult communicants in good standing who are enrolled at a church in the diocese.
Persons desiring to nominate for re-election any individuals whose terms on Standing Committee or Diocesan Council will end on December 31, 2024 should heed the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese (Article VIII, Section 1 of the Constitution and Canon D-III.3, Section 1 respectively).

The deadline to submit nominations is 12 p.m., Monday, October 14. The names of persons nominated by the deadline will be included in Convention materials. Shortly after the deadline has passed, the online form will be disabled and its link removed from the website of the diocese. 6 The process to offer late nominations during the first legislative session of Convention will be announced at a later date. You are urged to submit nominations prior to the deadline. Timely nominations allow members of Convention to research the candidates and make prayerful decisions. Also, experience shows that all other things being equal, timely nominees are more likely to be elected than late nominees.

RESOLUTIONS

Resolutions for the 209th Annual Convention are now being accepted.

Members of convention, constitutional and canonical officers, and constitutional or canonical bodies may submit resolutions for consideration by convention.

Authors must phrase resolutions in such a way that convention can resolve the question by a direct Yes or No vote. “Whereas” clauses and similar introductory statements are not allowed. An explanation clearly marked “Comment” may be appended to the resolution for the convenience of convention; it will be included in convention materials, but it will not be debated or published as an Act of Convention if adopted. The secretary may contact authors to propose edits for clarity or consistent style.

Canon D-III.7, Section 2 prescribes special procedures to amend the Constitution, Canons of the Diocese or Rules of Order of Convention. Authors of such resolutions are urged to consult the chancellor of the diocese, Martin Brinkley, prior to submitting them.

You may now submit resolutions in plaintext or Microsoft Word format by email to the secretary. Each timely resolution will be posted on the website of the diocese shortly after the secretary has assigned it a descriptive title and a number.

The deadline to submit resolutions is 12 noon, Monday, October 14. The secretary will return without action any resolution received after the deadline. Late resolutions may be introduced at the first legislative session on the Friday of convention. Convention must agree to admit a late resolution by a two-thirds vote. (This is a vote on whether to admit the resolution into consideration, not a vote to adopt the resolution.) Late resolutions to amend the Constitution or Canons are not allowed. If convention admits the late resolution, the author must promptly bring the resolution on a USB memory stick in a format such as Microsoft Word to the secretary at the dais. Please prepare this memory stick in advance.

The bishop will refer each resolution to a legislative committee. Legislative committees will hold hearings on Friday afternoon and report their recommendations during legislative sessions on Saturday.

Detailed rules for introduction and consideration of resolutions are found in Rules of Order IV(a) and (b), XXIII(a), and XXIV. The Constitution, Canons and Rules of Order are posted on the website of the diocese.

PRE-CONVENTION CONVOCATION MEETINGS