Resolutions may be submitted by any member of the diocese; by clergy of the diocese; by committees and commissions of the diocese, or a congregation of the Diocese.
The resolution is the means by which the people of the diocese place items on the agenda of Convention and by which the diocese speaks or takes action.
A resolution calls for specific actions; sometimes it establishes policy or amends the constitution and canons of the diocese; at other times it calls for action from congregations, from the diocese, or from the national Church in the form of memorial resolutions to the General Convention.
From the special rules of convention 2007:
All resolutions with the exception of Resolutions of Privilege or Courtesy shall be submitted in advance to the diocesan office at least 30 days prior to the start of Convention. If they are not proposing a canonical change they shall then be forwarded to the Committee on Resolutions which shall then report to the Convention its findings and recommendations at the appropriate time.
Please note the rule about submitting at least 30 days to the start of convention. If possible, early submission is requested and submission by the website is preferred.
Guidelines for writing resolutions
- A resolution should be stated clearly and concisely.
- Is the resolution a simple resolution or a constitutional or canonical amendment?
- Before submitting a resolution you should test what you have written. Ask yourself:
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- Is the information in the resolution complete and accurate?
- Is this a matter that pertains to the life and ministry of the diocese?
- Is this a matter of significance requiring consideration by the diocesan convention?
- Is the action requested one that the convention can appropriately and effectively implement?
- Is this concern directed toward the appropriate unit (commission; council, congregations etc)
- Do other people validate the idea? Have you tested it with other voting members?
- Does the resolution answer:
- WHAT should be done?
- WHO should act?
- WHAT is the anticipated cost, if any, and what entity should bear the cost?
- TO WHOM should the results be reported?
- If the resolution calls for changes to the constitution or canons of the diocese have you contacted the Committee on Constitution and Canons for advice on wording, have you included the proposed changes in the resolution?
- Does the resolution use specific, non-inflammatory language, including straightforward nouns and verbs; active voice?
Format for resolutions
The language of resolutions is a technical form of English. The main body of the resolution is a “resolve” clause, with the verb in the subjunctive mode.
If a resolution requires an action, use the following format:
RESOLVED, that _________
If a resolution required more than one action, the following format is used;
RESOLVED, that _________;
and be it further RESOLVED, that _________
If the resolution is preceded by one reason for submitting the resolution, use the following format:
WHEREAS, ___________;
therefore be it RESOLVED, that _________
If the resolution is preceded by two of more reasons, the following is used:
WHEREAS, ___________; and
WHEREAS, ___________;
therefore be it RESOLVED, that _________
Submission of Resolutions
The members of the Resolution Committee are charged with reviewing simple resolutions submitted and making appropriate changes to provide clarity, as well as recommending or not recommending passage of a resolution. The Constitution and Canons Committee is responsible for review all resolutions that involve amendments to the Constitution and Canons of the diocese.
The deadline for submitting a resolution is 30 days prior to convention.
Each resolution shall have:
- A title for the resolution
- The signature of the person or committee submitting the resolution.
- The congregation of the person submitting the resolution
- The date the resolution was submitted.