Draft schedule released for 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky

Posted May 16, 2023

[Episcopal News Service] The election of a new presiding bishop is scheduled for June 26, 2024, according to a draft schedule of the 81st General Convention that has been posted to the General Convention Office’s website.

Meetings of General Convention, The Episcopal Church’s governing body, are typically held every three years, and the large, churchwide gatherings are hubs for legislative sessions, budget approvals, networking and fellowship. The next meeting is scheduled for June 23-28 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The draft schedule for the 81st General Convention, dated May 12, specifies that pre-registration will begin three days before the official start of legislative sessions, on June 20, 2024. A revival event is set for June 22.

In addition to legislative sessions, the House of Bishops and House of Deputies will meet jointly on June 24 for presentation of the proposed 2025-27 churchwide budget plan. Another joint session will be held June 25 for presentation of the nominees for presiding bishop. The House of Bishops will hold the presiding bishop election the next day, and the chosen bishop then must receive consent from the House of Deputies.

The draft schedule also indicates that Eucharist will be celebrated on three mornings in Louisville, on June 23, June 26 and June 28.

Before the pandemic, meetings of General Convention typically included 10 legislative days in late June or early July, preceded by additional days for committee work. After COVID-19 prompted a streamlined four-day meeting in 2022, bishops and deputies expect to be able to gather more fully in Louisville, but for six days, still short by historical standards.

The 81st General Convention’s June dates also are the earliest since the 75th General Convention was held June 13-21, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio.


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