Who are the Examining Chaplains?

  • At General Convention the House of Bishops elects (and the House of Deputies confirms) members to the GBEC for staggered six-year terms: four bishops, six other clergy with pastoral care, six faculty from seminaries or other educational institutions, and six lay people, each with special competence in one or more of the six canonical areas. Vacancies are filled at interim meetings of the House of Bishops, on nomination of one of the bishops who is a member of the GBEC. These are the Examining Chaplains (usually known as Board Members). In addition, most Board Members serve either as Question Writers or Evaluators. All Board Members are volunteers. All GBEC Board Members and other volunteers sign a Confidentiality Agreement because of the sensitive nature of the GBEC's ministry.

 

Who are the Evaluators?

  • The Executive Director/GOE Administrator assigns Board Members and recruits other volunteers as Question Writers and Evaluators using suggestions from clergy and laity (bishops, other Evaluators, seminary deans, and others) and tries to ensure diversity as far as possible with regard to clergy/laity, gender, ethnicity, geography (province), and experience. Evaluators come from all walks of life. About half of them are clergy, often with pastoral cures, and some Evaluators are academics or professional educators. All clergy Evaluators have taken the GOE, and all Evaluators are aware of the importance of their ministry with the GBEC. They take extensive training and work conscientiously and carefully to evaluate GOE answers. All Question Writers and Evaluators are volunteers and likewise sign a Confidentiality Agreement.