DEPUTATION & GENERAL CONVENTION
The General Convention of The Episcopal Church is the bicameral governing body of the church which meets every three years. It is made up of two Houses: the Senior House is the House of Deputies; the Junior House is the House of Bishops. Each Diocese may elect eight deputies to General Convention, four Lay and four Clergy. The 77th General Convention will take place July 4-12, 2012 in Indianapolis, IN. The House of Deputies is presided by President Bonnie Anderson.
Deputies are elected at Synod in the year prior to each General Convention in a democratic, open process. Any baptized member of the Diocese of Quincy may choose to run or nominate a candidate. The final deputation is determined by ballot, with the top four candidates in each order receiving the highest number of votes elected to serve. The remaining candidates are Alternate Deputies, who may be called on to fill a vacated deputy slot in order of the number of votes received.
The work of the Deputation continues throughout the triennium (the three year period between conventions.) After a General Convention, the Deputation reviews resolutions and other legislative material which have been directed by GC back to dioceses for action or further consideration. The Deputation is also directed by Canon to make annual reports to the diocesan Synod. The Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, which is charged with administering the legislative work of the church during the triennium, may also call on deputations to consider particular matters between conventions. The Deputation is charged with reporting back to EC on the response of the diocese to resolutions passed by GC.
In the months before each GC, the various commissions and committees under the direction of Executive Council publish the Blue Book, a compilations of reports and proposed resolutions to be considered at the next General Convention by both Houses. The Blue Book for the next General Convention is expected to be available online in April 2012.
The democratic process is an essentially important part of the polity of The Episcopal Church. Equal representation of both Lay and Clergy Orders to the House of Deputies ensures a peer relationship, where all voices have equal weight. No measure can be passed without a majority vote of both orders. Resolutions may come before General Convention through a number of avenues: from standing commission and committees of Executive Council, from Bishops, from dioceses and provinces, and from individual deputies. The final deadline to submit resolutions to GenCon 2012 is July 6, 2012. The deadline to submit resolutions for inclusion in the Blue Book is April 5, 2012. Complete guidelines for the process of submitting resolutions to the 77th General Convention may be found online and
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