General Division of Women's Work

During the 1958 triennial meeting, reflecting an internal desire for further integration with the national church, the Woman’s Auxiliary voted to become the General Division of Women’s Work and instructed local chapters to refer to themselves as “Episcopal Church Women.” The “parallel church,” defined by men and women working in adjacent but not intersecting committees, had all but disappeared by the mid-1960s.

In 1967, the General Division of Women’s Work and the Executive Council of the General Convention voted to suspend the bylaws of the division in order to “enter into such new structure with other departments and units as seems appropriate to discharging responsibilities and functions.” That same year, the General Convention finally passed a Constitutional amendment allowing women to be deputies. When the second reading of the amendment passed in 1970, 28 women were seated as deputies to General Convention. With this action, many felt that an era of real and total integration for women had begun, thereby effectively bringing the era of the Woman's Auxiliary to a close.

Formalized as a national church body, the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) adopted new bylaws in 1985, forming an independent organization and creating a national board that continues to support women serving in leadership roles across the church.

Report of the 1959-1961 triennium describing the transition from Woman's Auxiliary to General Division of Women's Work.