General Convention

What is General Convention?

General Convention is the national legislative body of the Episcopal Church. The General Convention sets policy for our denomination, including in worship, discipline, mission, finance, and vision. It consists of a House of Bishops, which includes all active and retired bishops, and a House of Deputies, which includes four lay persons and four clergy from each diocese, each area mission, and the Convocation of the American Churches in Europe. The Convention typically meets every three years. The Houses meet and act separately, and both must concur to adopt legislation. The General Convention alone has authority to amend the Prayer Book and the church’s Constitution, to amend the canons (laws) of the church, and to determine the program and budget of the General Convention and the programs it authorizes. The General Convention also elects twenty of the forty members of the Executive Council, which administers policy and program between the triennial meetings of the General Convention.

Deputation of the Diocese of East Carolina to the 81st General Convention

The deputation from our diocese consisted of lay and clergy delegates who were elected at our 140th Annual Diocesan Convention in February 2023. As representatives of our diocese, they worked in the House of Deputies at the legislation and governance business on the schedule. Of course, our diocese is represented in the House of Bishops by Bishop Skirving. The 81st General Convention took place June 23 – 28, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. To see all of the reporting from our bishop, deputies, and communicator, see this page.

Our deputies were as follows:

Clergy:

    • Paul Canady (Christ Church, New Bern)

    • Tammy Lee (St. Paul’s, Beaufort)

    • Robert M. Alves (St. John’s, Fayetteville

    • Caleb Lee (St. Paul’s, Wilmington)

Clergy Alternates:

    • Richard G. Elliott (St. Andrew’s on the Sound, Wilmington)

    • Anne Abdy (Holy Cross, Wilmington)

Lay

    • Tess Judge (All Saints, Southern Shores)

    • Hannah Hutchens (St. Paul’s, Greenville)

    • Joan Geiszler-Ludlum (Church of the Servant, Wilmington)

    • Tom Tully (St. James, Wilmington)

Lay Alternates:

    • Barbara Crumbacker (St. Mary’s, Kinston)

    • Karen Phillips Smith (St. Paul’s, Wilmington)

Reporting from General Convention 81 (2024)

On this page, you will find all of the reports from the 81st General Convention (GC81) of The Episcopal Church, that came from our Bishop, our deputies, and the wider …

Reporting from General Convention 80 (2022)

Here you will find the latest reports from the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, coming from our Bishop and our deputies. Latest Posts: