GUIDELINES

Guiding Principles:

• John 13: 34 — “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
• John 17 — “I pray that they may all be one. Father!
• Ephesians 6:18 — “Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads.”  

Purpose:

• Provide the Bishop and the diocesan family with a concise, relevant, understandable, tangible outline of the pertinent issues and a variety of legitimate resources and responses that are available.
• Advise the Bishop and the diocesan family a multitude of methodologies, perspectives, and resources that can be utilized to create a respectful environment in which to explore the varied issues surrounding human sexuality.

Goals:

• Recommend to the Bishop and the diocesan family reputable and balanced resources relating to human sexuality issues.
• Limit the research and discussions to adult and youth heterosexual and homosexual issues [exclude from our discussions topics related to transsexual, transgender, pedophilia, bestiality, etc.] unless they relate to the two primary topics. 
• Address pastoral issues related to the following:
  1. Sacrament of Marriage
  2. Same-Sex Unions
  3. Civil Heterosexual and Same-Sex Marriages and Unions
  4. Single Adults
  5. Single Parents
  6. Adolescents
  7. The Elderly
  8. Divorced Persons
  9. Pornography – Adult and Child
  10. Sin – Confession – Forgiveness
      
• If it is feasible and helpful, hold open conversations/hearings at two or three locations in the diocese.
• Conclude our work by June 1, 2004.
• Develop a Timeline.
• Address such questions as:

• Covenant to Pray for one another daily!

Council Sub-Committees:

The Council will have the following Sub-Committees, each of which will have a Convener and a Scribe:

• Theological Committee
  1. Examine the Anglican Perspectives on Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Experience, and Culture as they relate to Human Sexuality issues.
  2. What does Lambeth say?
  3. What has General Convention said?
• Medical Research Committee
  1. Thoroughly research and present a balanced perspective on the medical, genetics, psychological, sociological, anthropological research.
• Educational Resource Committee
  1. Research and collate useable materials for parishes and small group usage during respectful dialogue on human sexuality issues.
• Pastoral Care Committee
  1. Assemble guidelines on pastoral care issues that will assist parish leaders (clergy and lay) in dealing with human sexuality issues [see “Address pastoral issues” above].
• Constitution & Canons Committee
  1. What guidelines do the Constitution and Canons of the National Church and the Diocese offer us in dealing with human sexuality issues?

updated 04/08/04