It’s been a long haul for those working on Title IV reforms. And they still have a ways to go.

The 2000 General Convention formed the Task Force on Disciplinary Policies and Procedures to research and develop a revision of Title IV. Since that time, the Task Force has worked diligently on developing the theology of the disciplinary canons. In the process, they’ve interviewed Episcopalians across all of the dioceses. Their goal has been to craft new canons.

What’s come out of these efforts? Nothing less than a complete rewrite of the Title, an honest attempt to end the informal approaches taken by many dioceses, often in an attempt to avoid invoking Title IV canons.

The proposed revisions have been met by harsh opposition. Concerns have been raised over questions of polity, episcopal authority, cost, and especially the role of lay leaders and how they are to be disciplined. All are valid concerns, and all must be addressed.

The proposals have potential – but they need work.

There’s no question that the disciplinary canons are not applied evenly across the Church. They often leave clergy in a “no-win” situation. Task Force Chair Catherine Waynick, the Bishop of Indianapolis, is right to take issue with those who claim we “don’t need to change anything because that would be an awful place to go.” Says Bishop Waynick, that “is like putting up a billboard that says, ‘Avoid Hell,’ rather than one saying, ‘Seek Life in Christ.’”

The bottom line is that the current Title IV needs work. Rather than rejecting all of the efforts thus far, the Task Force needs to continue working. If it cannot come up with a revision that will garner support now, then it should be given a mandate to continue its work.