Diocesan Canon Revisions 2023: Suggestions Form

Periodically, the Canons Committee of the Diocese of New York reviews the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese and the Rules of Order of Convention. We do this to make sure our governing documents are consistent (both internally and with one another) and that they conform in all respects to canons of The Episcopal Church and state laws.

We are in the process of updating our Diocesan Canons to reflect current realities. Among other changes, we will be removing gendered language and reflecting changes in governance and organizational matters that have occurred over. We will also use the experience gained during the recent episcopal search process to consider whether revisions to Canon 13 (Election of a Bishop) should be presented to Convention.

We will NOT otherwise be proposing changes in Diocesan policy, whether as regards Canon 17 (which deals with funding the work of the Diocese and the congregational apportioned shares), the responsibilities of the various governing groups within the Diocese (Trustees, Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, Diocesan staff), the clerical disciplinary process, or the composition of Diocesan Convention. It is the responsibility of other groups, not the Canons Committee, to propose policy changes for consideration by Convention. Should there be any such proposals, our task will be limited to checking them for legality and making sure they are drafted to reflect the intent of the proposers.

However, we value the opinions of everyone in the Diocese, so if you believe that our Diocesan Canons require updating or rephrasing in any way, please let us know. View or download our current Canons.

We hope to present our “cleaned up” Canons to Convention next November, so if you have anything you need us to consider including or excluding from the Canons, please complete the form on this page before the end of day, May 31, 2023.

The Canons Committee of the Diocese of New York