Resolved, That the 81st General Convention celebrate and support the ministry of the Association for Episcopal Deacons (AED) which for the past 50 years, has served as the primary network to encourage and grow the diaconate, an order of ministry in The Episcopal Church, and provide resources and guidelines for its continuing development; and be it further

Resolved, That the Convention encourage individuals, congregations, seminaries, dioceses, and jurisdictions to support the work of AED by becoming members, participating in its conferences and activities, and engaging the work of diakonia in their own contexts; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention looks forward to the day when The Episcopal Church engages more fully in resourcing and supporting the order of the diaconate; and be it further

Resolved, That in the meantime, this Convention requests the Executive Council’s Joint Standing Committee on Finance to consider a one-time, $200,000 allocation to the Association for Episcopal Deacons to support the ministry of the over 3,400 deacons in The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That this funding also be used for the AED to engage with Executive Council in creating a working group to support the development of a long-term plan for the ongoing support of the diaconate in The Episcopal Church, and to present it to the 82nd General Convention.