Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Fall 2013 Issue | Page 29

‘Council’ v. ‘Convention’
John Chilton
The 67th Annual Convention of the
Diocese of Virginia in 1862 was its last
convention. A major order of business of
the convention was the adoption of the
constitution of the Protestant Episcopal
Church in the Confederate States of
America (PECCSA). In 1863, the Diocese
held its first Annual Council.

The PECCSA constitution differed
very little from the constitution of the
Protestant Episcopal Church of the
United States of America (PECUSA).
The view of Bishop John Johns neatly
captures the mood of most delegates
to the organizing convention of the
PECCSA: “We came here in an emergency
– not dissatisfied with our constitution
to effect radical revolution. We have no
cause of ecclesiastic dissatisfaction. We
came to consult on the exigencies of the
church, in the altered circumstances in
which we are placed.”

In 1861, the organizing General
Convention of the Confederate Church
did adopt a few innovations to the
PECUSA constitution. “Convention”
became “council,” and a provincial
system was adopted. Both of these
innovations had been proposed by
some members of PECUSA as early as
the 1840s.

Later, the PECUSA would adopt the
provincial system of grouping dioceses
that remains in place today. In addition,
the Church became permissive on what
dioceses can call their annual meetings.
Today there are annual conventions,
councils and synods.

Advocates for the change in
nomenclature argued that “council” was
more churchly, and that “convention”
was associated with political partisans.
That argument resonates with the
behavior of the Church. Unlike other
denominations, the Episcopal Church of
the time avoided discussion of secular
political issues. In particular, it took no
position on slavery prior to the war and

Courtesy of Virginia Theological Seminary Archives

The title pages of the 1862 and 1863 Virginia Diocesan Journals document the change of the
name of the annual diocesan meeting from “Convention” in 1862 to “Council” in 1863.

scrupulously avoided debate of the
subject at its General Convention. The
unity of the church held priority. (The
other church to follow this course was
the Roman Catholic Church.)

The 1862, the Convention of the
Diocese of Virginia voted unanimously
to accept the Constitution of the
PECCSA, and in the Virginia diocesan
constitution, “the word ‘Convention’
be changed to ‘Council,’ and the word
‘United’ to ‘Confederate,’ wherever they
respectively occur.”

There is strong evidence, however,
that the delegates to that last annual
convention of the Diocese were
displeased with the innovation in
nomenclature. Why? Our nature as a
diocese of deep tradition.

In reporting on this meeting, the
Rev. D. Francis Sprigg, editor of the
Southern Churchman and member of the
diocesan Standing Committee, wrote,
“The only business of importance,

as will appear from the proceedings
which we publish, was the adoption of
the Constitution of the Church in the
Confederate States; but which, among
other changes, very unnecessary as we
think, the word ‘Convention’ is changed
to ‘Council.’ So that the ‘Convention’ will
never meet again – only the ‘Council of
the Diocese of Virginia.’”

“Very unnecessary as we think”: On
this inauspicious though quite Virginian
note, our founders’ tradition of a Virginia
Diocesan Convention ended, and the
new tradition of a Virginia Diocesan
Council commenced. The Diocese’s sole
reason for adopting the term “council”
was to conform to the constitution of
the short-lived Confederate church.

A future issue of the Virginia
Episcopalian will contain the rest of this
story, bringing the convention/council
issue from 1862 up to the present. t

Fall 2013 / Virginia Episcopalian

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