The Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge, Bishop of West Texas, concentrated on the Anglican Covenant during his address to the diocese’s annual council. The council met Feb. 18-21 in Corpus Christi.

The bishop cited the 76th General Convention’s Resolution D020, which encouraged dioceses to the consider the Covenant “as a document to inform their understanding of and commitment to our common life in the Anglican Communion.”

“The Covenant will not, and indeed cannot, solve all of our problems. Nor was it designed to do so. We should not look at the Covenant in terms of a political victory or a political defeat,” the bishop said. “Many times in the world, particularly in political systems, if you can win the debate and get the votes, you claim victory. Of course in politics this may be true, but it’s usually only true until the next election. But this approach certainly does not serve the church well. Just think for a moment where all the lobbying, posturing, scheming, planning, debating and voting in the church has taken us up to now. I said a few years ago in my address that I’m not interested in winning. I’m interested in healing. I think this is what Jesus is interested in, and it continues to be my focus.”

Without relationships grounded in Jesus Christ, the bishop said, no real progress is made toward healing.

“Rather than view the Covenant in a win/lose political framework, we would be much better served to understand the conversation around the Covenant as part of our ongoing spiritual formation,” he said. “I believe that we should not see the Covenant simply as a text written on paper, but something that calls us to a deeper understanding of our belief that God has put us together for mission and ministry.

“The Covenant acknowledges the complexities of the world in which we live, and seeks to identify the challenges in finding the balance between unity and uniformity, between independence and interdependence, between autonomy and accountability,” the bishop added. “It recognizes that there are significant ecumenical dimensions to our actions. And it recognizes and expresses hope that this family of the universal Church can continue its spiritual and historic place as servants of Jesus Christ who offer themselves as ecumenical partners in God’s redeeming work in the world.”

The bishop encouraged the diocese to discuss the Covenant during the next year, leading to a vote during next year’s council.

“While there is no provision for individual dioceses and congregations to officially adopt the Covenant on the Communion level, there is also nothing preventing these bodies from affirming and endorsing the Covenant and the principles that guide it,” the bishop said. “The Covenant certainly has the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has indicated that dioceses are welcome to affirm it. It is my hope and expectation that this diocesan council, and the diocese as a whole, will seriously engage the scriptural understanding of covenant in general and the theological understanding of this Anglican Covenant in particular.”

In two resolutions, the council authorized Bishop Lillibridge to take a sabbatical break and commended the Boy Scouts on the organization’s centennial.

The council also approved a budget of $4.2 million.