[Episcopal News Service] At a special online meeting on Nov. 30, the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church voted to change its bylaws to streamline the churchwide budgeting process, in accordance with a resolution from the 80^th General Convention.

The bylaw change creates a new Executive Council Joint Budget Committee to replace the General Convention Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget & Finance, which was eliminated by Resolution A048 in July.

The motion, which was adopted unanimously, had been previewed at council’s October meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, but it could not be voted on at that meeting because bylaw amendments require 30 days’ notice.

The change allows Executive Council to present its churchwide budget proposal directly to General Convention. The new committee will be made up of five to seven people who may or may not be council members, including people with budgetary expertise, and “shall represent the diverse voices of the church and a balance of the church’s [lay and ordained] orders.”

Before adjourning the meeting, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry told council members that he would call another special online meeting on Dec. 13 to confirm appointments for the new committee and other existing committees, and possibly to consider a nomination for the church’s next chief operating officer.

– Egan Millard is an assistant editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at emillard@episcopalchurch.org.