New-York tribune., 1919-09-05
National Boards
May Be Merged
By Episcopalians
New Canon To Be Offered
at Detroit Convention:
Social Service Work To
BE ON Broader Lines

To unite all three national boards
OF the Protestant Episcopal Church,
creating thereby central administra
tive corporation, is one of the plans to
be submitted to the general convention
an Detroit next month.
The movement has the support of
many Of the members Of the three
boards, which are the Board of Mis-
SONS, $40 the General Board Of Religious
EDUCATION and the Joint Commission on
Social Service.
The proposal is embodied in the
form of new canon, which will be No.
os. 1t calls for a boayd of seventy
SIX members, clerical and lay, who
would be elected triennally at the gen
eral convention.
Each provincial synod would nomi-
nate four members. The original
board. if the canon is adopted, would
be selected by a caucus at the conven-
ton next month. The caucus Will be
called by action of the president of
each synod, or, in his absence, by the
senior Bishop of the jurisdiction
The new organization is to be known
as The Executive Board of the Gem
eral Convention"
Presiding Bishop Head
The presiding Bishop of the protes-
tant Episcopal Church will automati-
board when the office Of Presiding
Bishop becomes elective. This Will fol-
low immediately on the death Of Bishop
Daniel Sylvester futile. who holds Of
hce by virtue of seniority and who is
protected in that office by action OF the
general convention until his death.
Pending the election of Presiding
Bishop, the president of the proposed
executive board is to be chosen for a
slX-year term.
1t is proposed that all the bishops
OF tne church be members of the board
eX-otflcio and without votes.
The board would report every three
years to the general conventions An
nual financial reports and reports Of
activities would he published.
ml-annual meetings are provided
Tor, ma alority to constitute quorum.
An administrative council of the board.
consisting of twenty members, includ-
ing the president and treasurer, the
treasurer to be elected by the general
convention, would act when the execu-
tive board was not in full session.
1t is proposed that departments of
and social service be organized at once.
Executive and departmental secre-
tarles are to be nominated by each de-
partment, subject to election by the
full board. Salaries are to be fixed by
the board itself. Each province is to
nominate one or more secretaries, COM
pensation TO be fixed and paid by the
board.
Pay Missionary Bishops
With the creation of the executive
board, all missionary bishops would be
placed under the direct control of that
body and paid by it. All bishops re-
ceiving financial aid from the board,
whether missionary or diocesan, would
make annual reports.
The proposed canon would repeal
all canons relating to the present Board
Of Missions, but provides that the cor
porate existence of the present board
shall not be impaired
The creation of the board would lead
to the renewal of the effort to retire
Bishop Arthur s. Lloyd the present
head of the Board Of Missions. At the
last convention an effort was made to
replace him, but it failed by a small
vote. 1t is expected that he will be
placed on the retired list with the
presidency of the corporation of the
Board of Missions.
The movement is in the interest of
efficiency. 1t is held by the adherents
of the measure that there is great du-
plication Of effort and, necessarily,
much financial waste, due to the pres
ent lack of coordination.
One of the immediate results would
be to develop the work Of the commits
sion of social service. This commits
sion is to have strengthened mem
bership and to make an effort to bring
the parishes into line as leaders in the
movement for social reform. This is
held to be pressing duty of the Church
in view of the industrial unrest.