General Convention

By The Rt Rev’d Jennifer A. Reddall, sixth bishop of Arizona

Last week the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council voted to choose Phoenix as the host city of the 2027 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. 

This is exciting news for our Diocese, and I am grateful to the Diocesan staff and lay leaders who met with the General Convention Office team and with the Executive Council when they visited. 

I believe this decision is good for Arizona, the Episcopal Church, and our Diocese—though for different reasons. 

The benefits to Arizona are easy: General Convention will bring 6,000-8,000 people to Phoenix during one of the low seasons for tourists, and have an economic impact of between $20 and $25 million. And with that many Episcopalians in Arizona, our non-Episcopal neighbors will also get to hear about the Episcopal Church in new ways—the press coverage gives us a chance to be evangelists to people who are curious about Jesus but have not found the right church home. For about 10 days, Arizonans will hear about a church that welcomes all, wrestles with how to be followers of Jesus faithfully, and has members all over the United States and in much of Latin America. 

It is good for the Episcopal Church to come out West. Many things in our church are dominated by the model of congregations in the East—so it is good to bring the whole church out to see what life is like here: our churches are newer, supported more by annual giving than legacy endowments, and we live in a state that is demographically increasing, making church growth not just possible but critical. We will show the diversity of the Diocese of Arizona—our Spanish and Dinka-speaking congregations; our Council for Native American Ministry; UBE and other Black ministries; our rural congregations; in ways that not every Episcopal Diocese has done. In addition, our ministries in Creation Care, along the border, in prisons, and among LGBTQ+ folks will all be able to be represented at our Diocesan booth in the exhibit hall. 

And I believe there will be an opportunity for spiritual benefit for our members. When the Church gathers in this way, it is a sight to behold—the worship, the preaching, and the conversations will be for the building up of every person who sets foot in the Phoenix Convention Center. The energy, the joy, the passion for following Jesus and the Gospel will be felt by every volunteer and every visitor. And the wider knowledge of our Episcopal Church is a gift, along with the relationships with other Episcopalians from around TEC. 

And there will be MANY of you who are asked to join us. We have committed to providing about 800 volunteers from Arizona in the summer of 2027. While we don’t yet have the exact dates—mark your calendars for a summer experience in Phoenix in 2027 for at least a few days. 

And as the slogan for the last General Convention in Phoenix in 1991 went: “But it’s a dry heat.”