At the 2025 Diocesan Convention, clergy and lay delegates will consider what to do with the THRIVE canons, the canonical changes regarding diocesan structure and governance set to expire at the conclusion of the convention. This decision comes at the end of the three-year period of experimentation recommended by THRIVE, the Taskforce for Hope, Revitalization, Innovation, Vision, and Efficiency.
THRIVE began in July of 2021, after Bishop Shannon announced that the diocese was facing a significant financial cliff and needed to envision a way of being and governance that would help find a path for a sustainable future. Over the course of one year, THRIVE, which comprised lay and clergy leaders, met to do just that and their recommendations were enacted at the 2022 Diocesan Convention and revised in 2023.
The recommendations and period of experimentation are now being evaluated by diocesan leaders, as recommended by THRIVE. Over the course of the next month, all governing bodies, committees and commissions will meet and hold a structured conversation regarding THRIVE, its successes and challenges, and whether the canonical changes have strengthened the diocese and its ability to engage in God’s mission. These evaluations will be submitted and compiled into one final report: THRIVE Assessment Report & Recommendations.
“We have positively and faithfully embraced this work in our governance and in our new church model of Constellations,” said Bishop Shannon before she departed on her sabbatical. “Now it is time to revisit the conversation about sustainability.”
The combined report will be reviewed by Bishop Shannon upon her return from sabbatical and participants will be invited to an “on the same page” discussion for any final revisions and to make recommendations for more permanent canonical changes.
The final report and recommendations will be submitted to Executive Council, who will submit any resolutions to the Canons Committee and report their findings at the 2025 Diocesan Convention.
