DioET General Convention Deputies
DioET Deputies to the 81tst General Convention of The Episcopal Church Louisville, Kentucky June 23-28, 2024
General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of The Episcopal Church. It is a time for legislation, fellowship, worship and community-building. General Convention meets once every three years.
Similar to the U.S. legislative bodies, General Convention comprises two houses: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. All bishops of the Episcopal Church are members of the House of Bishops. Each diocese of the approximate 100 dioceses in The Episcopal Church, as well as the Navajoland Area Mission and the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, have representation in the House of Deputies, with four clergy (either priests or deacons) and four lay people.
Legislation – called resolutions – must pass in both houses with the same language in order to take effect. Resolutions comes from four different sources: commissions and groups that meet between General Conventions; bishops; dioceses; and deputies. Convention committees review the resolutions, then make a recommendation to the houses. If one house approves the resolution, then it goes to the second house for consideration.
Four clergy and four lay deputies are elected by the Diocese of East Tennessee Convention in the year prior to that of a General Convention. Additional nominees in each order are retained as alternates. Deputies serve for three years – until the next group is elected.
Deputies sit in the House of Deputies of the General Convention, which is one of two legislative bodies of The Episcopal Church. The House of Bishops is the other unit in this bicameral body. Deputies are not delegates; they are deputized to act on their own and to vote their own consciences.
In the House of Bishops: The Rt. Rev. Brian Lee Cole, the Rt. Rev. George Dibrell Young, III, the Rt. Rev. Charles G. vonRosenberg
The 2023 Annual Convention of the Diocese of East Tennessee elected these clergy and lay deputies:
Clergy Deputies
The Rev. Leigh Preston, Co-Chair
The Rev. Claire Brown
The Rev. RJ Powell
The Rev. April Berends
The Rev. Derrick Hill, Alternate
Lay Deputies
Ms. Christina Sjoberg, Co-Chair
Ms. Sinéad Doherty
Mx. Emily Rowcliffe
Mx. Ellie Graham
Cn. Beverly Hurley Hill, Alternate
Committee Assignments
Committee Assignments have not yet been determined for the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church.
Standing Commissions and Interim Bodies
Ms. Sinéad Doherty, Standing Commission on Formation and Ministry Development
Cn. Beverly Hurley Hill, Standing Commission on Formation and Ministry Development
The Rev. RJ Powell, Task Force for LGBTQ+ Inclusion