The Rt. Rev. Edward J. Konieczny was elected by the Executive Council on January 23 to serve as the Episcopal Church bishop member on the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC).
Bishop Konieczny serves as the Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma and is a member of Executive Council.
The ACC is one of the four instruments of communion in the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is one of the 39 province members. According to the ACC website, the role of the ACC is to facilitate the cooperative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion.
The term is for three meetings of the ACC, which is generally nine years. The triennial meetings require a two-week commitment. The next ACC meeting is slated for 2019; location to be finalized. The ACC is the only instrument of communion that includes clergy and lay people along with bishops. It is also the only instrument of communion that is a registered charity under British law, and as such, it is the corporate entity of the Anglican Communion.
The bishop member was elected by Executive Council, according to Canon 1.4.2(g). The term took effect immediately.
Current Episcopal Church members of ACC are the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio and President of the House of Deputies (priest/deacon); and Rosalie Ballantine of the Diocese of the Virgin Islands (lay).
Bishop Konieczny was elected and consecrated as the fifth Bishop of Oklahoma in 2007. Prior to entering full time ministry, he served as a Police Officer in Southern California for approximately 18 years. Since ordination as a priest, he has served congregations in Texas and Colorado, been a clergy alternate to General Convention, President of the Standing Committee, and has served on numerous other church and community boards.
In addition to Executive Council, he serves: as a member of the Presiding Bishop’s Council of Advice; is Vice President of Province VII; and was the Co-chair of the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop. As a member of Bishops Against Gun Violence, in 2014 Bishop Konieczny hosted the Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace Conference in Oklahoma which attracted attendees from around the world.
He is a member of the Anglican Bishops in Dialogue which consists of a group of bishops from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Africa that have been meeting annually since Lambeth 2008 to promote stronger relationships across the Communion. Bishop Konieczny has been instrumental in establishing a partner relationship between the Diocese of Uruguay and the Diocese of Oklahoma; and most recently in partnership with Bishop Jacob Ayeebo in the Diocese of Tamale, Ghana completed building St. James Parish in Bolgatanga. Bishop Konieczny is a member of the Compass Rose Society and maintains a strong working relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury.