The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church is accepting nominations for The Episcopal Church’s bishop and lay members of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC). The deadline for nominations is June 5.
Both the bishop and lay member will serve a term of three meetings of the ACC, which is generally nine years. Each ACC meeting requires a two-week commitment.
The next ACC meeting, ACC-19, is slated for June 27 – July 5, 2026, and is being hosted by the Church of Ireland. A significant topic at that meeting will be the Nairobi-Cairo Accords, developed by the IASCUFO (Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order). The elected bishop and lay members will serve at this meeting with the Rev. Canon Ranjit Mathews, who was elected as The Episcopal Church’s ACC clergy member in 2022.
The Anglican Consultative Council, which is the corporate entity of the Anglican Communion, facilitates the cooperative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion, exchanges information between the provinces and churches, and helps to coordinate common action. It also advises on the organization and structures of the communion and seeks to develop common policies with respect to the world mission of the church, including ecumenical matters. The Anglican Consultative Council is one of the Anglican Communion’s four Instruments of Communion, and the only one to include lay and clergy leaders.
Eligible nominees must:
–Have a thorough knowledge of the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church.
–Be familiar with the governance structures of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
–Be willing and able to spend time independently and with their fellow members preparing for ACC meetings.
–Be committed to sharing the work of the ACC with The Episcopal Church’s governing bodies.
In addition, the Constitution of the ACC outlines the desirability of members being part of the governing structures of their provinces. In The Episcopal Church, this means that lay nominees who are lay members of Executive Council or lay deputies to General Convention will be preferred, and preferred bishop nominees will be members of The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops.
Nominations must include the nominee’s permission to stand for election, a short (no more than 500 words/3,000 characters) explanation of the nominee’s qualifications, and a digital photo. Materials should be submitted using this form by June 5. Questions about the application process can be directed to the General Convention Office at gcsecretary@episcopalchurch.org.
