Article X, Trial Use, and the History of Liturgical Authorization in the Episcopal Church

Abstract

The eightieth General Convention passed Resolution 2022-A059, the first reading of a complete revision to Article X of the Constitution, the section which establishes the Book of Common Prayer. The impetus for this proposed revision springs from the realization of the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music that the church had been “working without a canonical net” with respect to certain widely used liturgical texts. In the first half of this article, I give a detailed history of the authorization of liturgical texts in the Episcopal Church, which discloses the many ways the General Convention has acted beyond the parameters of the Constitution and Canons. In the second half, I explain the revision to Article X at the 2022 Convention, the wholesale revision of Article X that also was proposed in 2022, and the deep flaws in both. I conclude with an alternative proposal to revise Article X.