C009 Petition of the Episcopal Church In Navajoland to become a Missionary Diocese

The 80th General Convention adopted Resolution D080 which in part read, “80th General Convention affirms the efforts of The Episcopal Church on Navajoland to establish its own rules and procedures for a process of discernment for the calling of a bishop that reflects the values, teachings, and traditions of the Diné” and “That the 80th General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons to study and evaluate means by which The Episcopal Church in Navajoland, an Area Mission, could participate in the selection, election, or consent to a Bishop for The Episcopal Church in Navajoland….”

The Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons established a Navajoland Subcommittee to work with the people of Navajoland on this issue. The Subcommittee held several in person and zoom listening sessions with the Area Mission of Navajoland people involving the needs, hopes, and dreams of this area mission’s elders and people, and reflecting on the often painful history between this area mission and the wider church.

The Subcommittee recognized that the Area Mission was already operating very much like a Missionary Diocese and explained the canonical differences between the two entities, notably that a Missionary Diocese may elect its own bishop. On January 4, 2024, the Episcopal Church in Navajoland Standing Committee met and resolved to hold a Special Convocation to consider filing a petition with General Convention to become a Missionary Diocese. The Special Convocation met on January 20, 2024, and resolved to file the petition to become a Missionary Diocese. The Petition and Resolutions of the Area Mission are in the supporting documents.

Support Documents:

Signed Petition Missionary Diocese 2024

Signed Resolution to Petition

Navajoland Petition for Status as a Missionary Diocese

Navajoland Budget 2024-2027 final 01.05.24

ECN 1.7.24 NarrativeBudget

Note: this resolution and/or its explanation contains external references, such as URLs of websites, that may not be in the required languages of General Convention. Because of copyright restrictions, the General Convention cannot provide translations. However, your web browser may be able to provide a machine translation into another language. If you need assistance with this, please contact gc.support@episcopalchurch.org.

Explanation

The 80th General Convention adopted Resolution D080 which in part read, “80th General Convention affirms the efforts of The Episcopal Church on Navajoland to establish its own rules and procedures for a process of discernment for the calling of a bishop that reflects the values, teachings, and traditions of the Diné” and “That the 80th General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons to study and evaluate means by which The Episcopal Church in Navajoland, an Area Mission, could participate in the selection, election, or consent to a Bishop for The Episcopal Church in Navajoland….”

The Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons established a Navajoland Subcommittee to work with the people of Navajoland on this issue. The Subcommittee held several in person and zoom listening sessions with the Area Mission of Navajoland people involving the needs, hopes, and dreams of this area mission’s elders and people, and reflecting on the often painful history between this area mission and the wider church.

The Subcommittee recognized that the Area Mission was already operating very much like a Missionary Diocese and explained the canonical differences between the two entities, notably that a Missionary Diocese may elect its own bishop. On January 4, 2024, the Episcopal Church in Navajoland Standing Committee met and resolved to hold a Special Convocation to consider filing a petition with General Convention to become a Missionary Diocese. The Special Convocation met on January 20, 2024, and resolved to file the petition to become a Missionary Diocese. The Petition and Resolutions of the Area Mission are in the supporting documents.