Steve Hutchinson, chancellor of the Diocese of Utah and chair of the Title IV Task Force II, which is charged with revising the Episcopal Church’s rules on ecclesiastical discipline, gave the Executive Council an overview of the changes proposed for action at General Convention 2009.
Episcopal Life Online reports that the task force has already proposed a draft for comment. It plans to use those comments to fine-tune the proposed revision and offer a final draft to the 76th General Convention in June 2009.
More information about the revision process, including the proposed changes to Title IV and other related canons, is here. The changes refer primarily to clergy discipline, but the task force has also proposed an addition to Title I, which would apply to lay leaders.
Hutchinson told the Council that the aim of the Title IV revision is “to try to find a model that will well serve the church and is easily understood.” He said the task force’s challenge is “to seek a fair balance” from the comments received during the first attempt to revise Title IV during the 75th General Convention in June 2006 and those made on the current proposed draft. He said the new proposal is rooted in the Baptismal Covenant and the need for accountability and responsibility, as well as healing and reconciliation.
He led the Council through a PowerPoint presentation of how a disciplinary case would work its way through the proposed system.
During a question-and-answer period, Sally Johnson, a consultant to the task force, said that a “fundamental shift” in the proposed revision is that the person accused of misconduct would have to tell their side of the story, something that is not required in the current Title IV. Refusing to do so can used to infer guilt, she said. Hutchinson noted that other professional-conduct models also required the accused to respond to accusations.
The emphasis on “truth-telling” may well lead to earlier and better settlements of complaints and possibly reduced costs, Johnson said.
Read more on Executive Council’s meeting here.