October 30, 2023 in Assembly, Congregations, ELCA
Proposed Constitutional Amendments for Consideration at the 2024 Synod Assembly
Dear members of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod,
The 2024 Synod Assembly will be notable as we will be electing a Bishop to succeed Bishop Davenport. Yet there will also be other items that will come to your attention for consideration and action. We will be electing people to serve as Voting Members to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly, at which information from the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church will be presented. And we will need to address certain issues with our Synod Constitution.
At the September 21, 2023, meeting of the Synod Council, the Council approved a number of changes to the Constitution, particularly in section S7., so they may be placed before the Assembly for anticipated adoption. These changes are in some instances simple grammatical “clean-up,” but in other instances more significant revisions regarding proper designation and consideration of rostered ministers.
Ordinarily a change to the Constitution would require presentation of the proposed amendment at one Assembly, and then a vote on the resolution at a subsequent Assembly. This would mean we could not enact these needed amendments for two years. There is a method by which we can shorten this timeline. This process is for the Synod Council to approve the proposed amendments and present them to the membership of the Synod six (6) months prior to the next Assembly. In this case, the Assembly may adopt the proposed amendments, without change, at one Assembly.
The following are the proposed amendments, highlighted in yellow, additions underlined, and deletions struck through. Included are some related sections for background or clarification, and a brief explanation as to the rationale for each amendment is included in red italicized type following each proposed change.
Although the Constitution is not bedtime reading for most of you, I encourage you to read these proposals carefully so that you may be able to act on them in May of 2024.
Please review the letter and proposed changes at this link: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for Consideration at the 2024 Synod Assembly
Your servant in Christ,
The Rev. Karl M. Richard, Secretary
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA
