Standing Committee
SC Minutes
SC Documents
Officers:
President:
The Rev. Jane Stratford (Class of 2026, clergy)
Vice-President:
Don Miller (Class of 2026, lay)
Secretary:
The Rev. Beth Lind Foote (Class of 2028, clergy)
Class of 2027
Gretchen Lintner (lay)
The Rev. Dr. Pamela Stevens (clergy)
Class of 2028
Vinnie Miller (lay)
Class of 2029
The Rev. Stephen Siptroth (clergy)
Marj Leeds (lay)
The Standing Committee begins each meeting with prayer. We humbly request your prayers for our work on behalf of the Church (BCP 257):
God of all the nations of the earth: Remember the multitudes who have been created in your image but have not known the redeeming work of our Savior Jesus Christ; and grant that, by the prayers and labors of your holy Church, they may be brought to know and love you as you have been revealed in your Son; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
About the Standing Committee
The Standing Committee of the Diocese of California is a canonically prescribed body of eight people, four of whom are clergy persons and four of whom are lay persons.
The Standing Committee derives its roles and responsibility from the Canons of The Episcopal Church and the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of California.
The Standing Committee is not accountable to either the bishop or the Executive Council in its functions. It is accountable to the convention of the diocese, which elects all members of the Standing committee.
While it has other duties, the primary responsibility of the Standing Committee set forth in the canons is to serve as a council of advice to the bishop. Implicit in that responsibility is an agreement for the bishop and the Standing Committee to meet regularly and for the bishop to seek advice from the Standing Committee.
Some of the other duties of the Standing Committee are*:
- Serving as the ecclesial authority of the diocese in the absence of a bishop.
- Giving consent for all bishops elected in The Episcopal Church.
- Recommending persons for ordination in our diocese.
- Consenting to real estate transactions.
- Concurring in allowing a clergy person to cease functioning as a member of the clergy
- Investigating and reporting to the bishop on the charge that a deacon or priest has abandoned The Episcopal Church.
- Developing committees to support its advisory capacity, including the
- Committee on Governance.
- Serving as liaison to the diocesan institutions.
* from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, a User-friendly Reference for Episcopalians, Armentrout and Boak Slocum eds. (1999).
Each year the diocesan convention elects one new lay and one new clergy member to replace members who have completed their terms.
Real Estate Transaction Approval Requests
Rectors and Vicars in the diocese should contact the Standing Committee regarding: any significant property renovation, encumbrance, or status change, such as granting an easement, leasing church property, or refinancing a mortgage, which generally require the prior written consent of the Bishop and the Standing Committee (or in some cases, of the Bishop and the Executive Council).
If you have a question as to whether a matter should appropriately come before the Standing Committee, please contact the Real Estate Transactions Subcommittee, established by the Standing Committee at the following email address.
All requests and most inquiries should utilize this form, and include all relevant attachments and background information. Please download the below form. Then complete, sign, and send the completed form to the Real Estate Transactions Committee at the above email address. You may send questions about real estate transaction approvals to that address.
Contacting the Standing Committee on Other Matters
If you would like to communicate with or send general inquiries to the Standing Committee, you may send them to [email protected]. All members receive messages sent to that email address.
The Standing Committee meets monthly. Please allow at least one month for the group to review documentation for any requested consent prior to its next meeting
Anyone wishing to make a presentation at or attend a Standing Committee meeting should contact the Standing Committee at the above email address, well in advance of the requested date.
Each November, the newly elected members of the Standing Committee determine the meeting day and time most convenient for the membership that year. Currently, the Standing Committee meets the second Thursday of the month at 4 p.m.
Other Resources from the Standing Committee
Committee Charter Template:
As part of its work establishing committees, the Standing Committee sought best practices in committee charters. It reviewed committee charters and developed a basic template. We share the Committee Charter template for the benefit of any organization with committees: Committee Charter Template. We will make the template available on the Standing Committee page of the Diocesan website.
Behavior Norms:
One area important to the Standing Committee is that of behavior norms. What are the norms we agreed upon for work together as Christian leaders within an institutional church? We share a document we prepared, in the hope it might help other groups.
