Following the conclusion of its meeting June 23-25 in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council shared the following letter to the church. Read prior council letters to the church here.
We arrived the day after the U.S. dropped bombs on Iran, so it was no surprise that we began with prayers for peace led by our chaplain, the Rev. Cameron Partridge, and Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe.
The rising tensions in our nation also were addressed. President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris said, “We’ve seen families ripped apart, with children taken from schools, parents taken from grocery stores, young people taken even while fully participating in the legal mechanisms for asylum and migration—at appointments, hearings. Across this country and across the world, waves of protest call for justice and accountability.
“This is not a moment of chaos. It is a moment of consequence,” she said. “The tactics we are witnessing are not random. They are strategic: deliberate efforts to co-opt public institutions, erode the rule of law, and blur the boundaries between faith and state. These are hallmarks of what scholars call theocratic and state capture—the systematic merger of religious and political authority reshaping how power operates in our world.”
Bishop Rowe called us to become “a strong, adaptive church that communicates and embodies the depth of Christian spirituality and works toward The Episcopal Church’s vision of God’s kingdom by supporting ministry on the ground in dioceses.”
In such a time as this, how does the seemingly dry work of a board of directors respond, react, and raise up such a church?
We were reminded that Christian witness is increasingly a matter of life and death as, in the words of our presiding bishop, Christian nationalism’s “distortion of the gospel message causes dehumanizing attacks on transgender people, foments fear of migrants, and grows antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry.”
Bishop Rowe reminded us that all over the church, “we are offering an alternative Christian witness, centered in our relationship with God in Christ and with humanity and proclaiming God’s reconciling love. When we get it right, we Episcopalians are capable of resolute commitment to both justice and unity, and to extending grace to one another and to all of God’s people, even those who don’t agree with us.
“This kind of Christian witness changes people’s lives. In fact, it saves people’s lives, and our work to build more capacity for it in The Episcopal Church is urgent.”
How do we best steward our resources and make them easily accessible to the people on the ground as they are needed in this time of swiftly changing crises, each new one adding to the growing ambient anxiety in our homes, church, and nation?
The report of new Chief Financial Officer Christopher Lacovara made it clear: “We are stewards of the church’s resources in a frankly very challenging environment. We still have to take what we have and to maximize what’s available, to maximize ministry.”
Lacovara’s report showed that, overall, the church remains in a stable financial position, with revenues and expenses for 2025 so far mostly tracking the $46 million budgeted.
This was followed by a report from Episcopal Relief & Development, which showed that the agency is not simply giving out money; rather, it is empowering people by offering resources they can learn to use to change their lives. In a report that focused on investing in early childhood development, investing in women and girls, advancing climate resilience, and responding to disasters, that point was made again and again.
Tuesday’s meeting began with the shocking news of the sudden death of the Ven. J. Stannard Baker, our colleague on the council who was present with us via Zoom the day before. The news was greeted with cries of shock and grief. The absence of Stan, our only deacon on council, was especially noticeable during the opening Eucharist that followed the announcement. On Tuesday night, council members gathered to remember Stan, sharing stories and prayers.
The sadness of the news of Stan’s death was followed by an occasion that would have gladdened his heart—the official recognition of Navajoland as a missionary diocese. As Michael Glass, chancellor to the president of House of Deputies, said, the official recognition was “the law catching up to the facts.”
GJ Gordy, a council member from Navajoland, addressed the council prior to the vote, speaking of the long years of effort leading up to this moment. Elders of Navajoland joined the meeting by Zoom to witness the vote by acclamation and to address council. A committee has been formed to begin the search for the diocese’s first bishop.
Witnessing a dream realized touched everyone in the room, lightening hearts and renewing hope for us all.
We heard a report about Episcopal Migration Ministries, learning the effect of the current administration’s abrupt ending of funding for resettlement for refugees, including many who already have endured the rigorous monthslong vetting program or had been cleared to be resettled. The Episcopal Church subsequently declined to participate in the effort to resettle White Afrikaners.
The legacy of Episcopal Migration Ministries’ work to date endures in the lives of the more than 110,000 people resettled from 1988 through January 2025.
It was made clear that the ministry’s work continue, but in different ways, some still being worked out.
On Wednesday, the council took action on a permanent site for the Archives of The Episcopal Church, a piece of work more than 20 years in the making. This move is critical to the need for the Archives “to fulfill its mission and to continue its work to connect the church’s history with its ongoing ministries,” as stated in a report shared with council. Without our history we risk losing our memory of who we are and where we come from.
Council member Larry Hitt, chair of the Joint Standing Committee of Governance and Operations, presented a recommendation for a permanent home for the Archives of The Episcopal Church. This was an especially gratifying moment for Hitt, who has provided leadership on this issue for more than 20 years, and for the Archives Advisory Committee, whose members have worked so diligently on this.
Hitt wrote, “The Archives are an invaluable resource for the church and its many ministries because not only do we treasure our history, but because we stand for truth-telling and learning from our past.” This move is critical to the need for the Archives “to fulfill its mission and to continue its work to connect the church’s history with its ongoing ministries.” Without our history we risk losing our memory of who we are and where we come from.
On the recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee on Finance, the council passed the Rev. Deacon Stannard Baker Resolution, setting up a working group of members of council, members of the Association for Episcopal Deacons, and representatives of the presiding officers to address how best to provide continuing support of the diaconal ministry and how the request for $200,000 made in D023 will be utilized. Council also passed a courtesy resolution giving thanks for the ministry of Baker.
The question of identity brings us back to an essential question: How does the seemingly dry work of a board of directors respond, react, and raise up such a church in the times in which we find ourselves?
We do it by understanding that our budget and the public funds we have through grants are vulnerable to policy shifts and finding ways to mitigate those possible losses.
We do it by prioritizing our resources to support strategic work in advocacy, critical staff work, and memberships in coalitions that share our values.
We do it by listening to the wisdom of our own members as they share their lived experiences in the church and in the world, and using the insights gained to broaden the horizon of our vision.
We do it by remembering our work is based in our baptismal covenant to seek and serve Christ in all people and to respect the dignity of every human being.
