No Lay Discipline in Proposed Canon Changes

One of the arguments which was frequently offered in the Diocese of Pittsburgh for realignment was that the next General Convention was going to pass disciplinary canons aimed at the laity. Language such as "they're going to come after you" was sometimes used in congregational forums advocating realignment. Some of us (who have actually been to a General Convention) kept saying that the proposal was being considered by an interim body and would then go to a convention committee which would reshape it and then have to pass both houses to become a canon. We also said that this was unlikely as similar proposals were not well received in the past.

The Living Church is now reporting that the Title IV task force has dropped all of the lay discipline language from the revised canons. The article is not on line but here's a section of it from the January 18 edition-


In a change from an earlier draft, the Title IV Task Force on Disciplinary Policies and Procedures will not propose new canons to address discipline of members of the laity.

The much anticipated new draft of its proposed changes to The Episcopal Church’s canon on discipline will be included in the church’s Blue Book of pre-filed General Convention legislation.

“It is the judgment of Task Force II that the time is not yet propitious for the inclusion of disciplinary provisions for the laity other than as already provided in the Book of Common Prayer, and no inclusion of laity is contemplated at this time,” the task force wrote.

The 48-page document includes a six-page introduction that summarizes the work of the task force, and lists the underlying theological principles upon which the task force based its revisions, and a brief description of the extent of changes.

“The large bulk of Title IV is or will be unchanged,” the task force said. “Task Force II did not attempt to reinvent the wheel, but simply to express in new language much of what already existed. The abandonment provisions, appeals, modifications are essentially untouched, as is most of the other content of the canon. What has changed is the process by which complaints are brought and heard.”