Create Multi-Cultural Church Grants
Resolution text
Resolved, that Executive Council, meeting June 12-15, 2023, in Providence, Rhode Island, affirms the importance of church planting and revitalization efforts across The Episcopal Church. As recommended by the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization and the Executive Council Joint Standing Committee on Mission Within the Episcopal Church, that $75,000.00 be designated from the Church Redevelopment Budget line to run a grants process specifically for multi-cultural church programs and ministries embracing emerging and historically underrepresented cultures. And be it further
Resolved, that the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization and the staff liaisons will determine the appropriate timeline and application process for this specific grant cycle within the remaining 2022-2024 biennium.
The distribution of the grants is subject to the full payment of the 2022 diocesan assessment or granted diocesan waiver.
Explanation
The General Convention Resolution 2022-A095: Celebrate and Support the Planting of New Episcopal Communities continues and funds the excellent work in the resolutions GC2018-A005 and GC2018-A032. In the first grant cycle of this biennium, the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization acknowledged that the mandate specified the funds for New Episcopal Communities and not for church revitalization or redevelopments of an existing worshipping community.
They also identified a conflict between the mandate to fund New Episcopal Communities with their D006 mandate to prioritize racially underrepresented populations in The Episcopal Church. In conversation with the Ethnic Ministries Office, which emphasized a best practice of launching these efforts through existing congregations instead of new church plants, the Advisory Group identified a need for grant funding specifically for multi-cultural efforts with this intention. This specific designation of multi-cultural church grants with a focus on racially underrepresented populations will provide much-needed funding access for those efforts in this biennium.