Resolution B:
Canon XV. Ecclesiastical Discipline – Establishment of Disciplinary Board on Ecclesiastical Court

Secretary of the Convention

Last Update: October 21, 2025

Explanation:

The purposes of this canon amendment are: (1) to enhance transparency in who is chosen to serve as this Diocese’s members on the regional Disciplinary Board; (2) to expand participation in deciding who should serve our Diocese in this way; (3) to provide greater opportunities for our Diocese’s members on the Disciplinary Board to be representative of the breadth of diversity and depth of wisdom of the people within our Diocese; and (4) to ensure members of the Disciplinary Board from this Diocese possess qualifications and experience that make them suitable to serve on the board.

In 2011, the Diocese of California entered into a compact with the Dioceses of Northern California, El Camino Real, and San Joaquin “to develop and share resources necessary to implement Title IV….”  As part of this Compact, each diocese has two representatives – one lay, and one ordained – on a regional Disciplinary Board that hears and decides Title IV matters that arise within the four dioceses.  The Compact allows each diocese’s representatives on the Disciplinary Board to be appointed or elected.  Since the Compact was enacted in 2011, representatives of this Diocese have been appointed by the Bishop with the consent of the Standing Committee.  

There are several different practices among dioceses in the Episcopal Church for determining who, from within a diocese, should serve on the diocesan (or regional) disciplinary board.  These options fall on a spectrum, from less participation and transparency, to greater participation and transparency:

• On one end of the spectrum are dioceses in which the bishop appoints the members of the disciplinary board with the consent of the standing committee (e.g., San Joaquin, El Camino Real, and, currently, our Diocese).
• On the other end of the spectrum are dioceses that take open nominations and elect members of the disciplinary board at the annual diocesan convention (e.g., San Diego and Massachusetts). (A similar process is used by the Court of Review of the Episcopal Church.)
• Between these two ends of the spectrum are other variations, such as:
  • In the Diocese of Virginia, where the standing committee nominates people to stand for election at diocesan convention;
  • In the Diocese of New York, where a leadership development commission nominates people who are elected at the annual diocesan convention; and
  • In the Diocese of Los Angeles, where the bishop and the standing committee agree on who should serve, and the names are ratified at convention.

There is no right or wrong process, but every process speaks something about our values.  Our Diocese has an opportunity to adjust its practice to provide greater transparency and greater participation by the Standing Committee and Convention delegates in the selection of Disciplinary Board members from this Diocese.  Under this proposed amendment, nominees would be approved by the Bishop and Standing Committee together; and nominees then would need to be approved by a vote at Diocesan Convention.  Vacancies within an unexpired term would be filled by the Bishop and Standing Committee, acting together. 

If this canon amendment is introduced at this Annual Convention and approved at the 2026 Annual Convention, beginning with the 2027 Annual Convention, this new process will be used to elect our Diocese’s Regional Disciplinary Board members after any current members’ terms expire. 

Submitted by:

The Rev. Stephen M. Siptroth, J.D., current Diocese of California clergy representative on the Regional Disciplinary Board (term expires December 31, 2026.)

Endorsed by:

Laura Curlin
Sarah Lawton
The Ven. Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain
The Very Rev. Bruce D. O’Neill
The Very Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge
The Very Rev. Dr. Deborah O. White
The Rev. Hannah Elyse Cornthwaite
The Rev. Ronald D. Culmer
The Rev. Kevin Deal
The Rev. Rebekah Hays Estera
The Rev. Dr. Steve Sturgeon
The Rev. Dr. Marisa Tabizon Thompson
The Rev. Erin Wiens St. John