The Work of the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

When the 1,071 voting members of the 2007 Churchwide Assembly gather this August in Chicago, much of their time will be devoted to making decisions about matters that have been placed before them by the ELCA Church Council and synodical assemblies. In addition, the members of the assembly themselves may bring matters to the floor for discussion. Legislative matters are placed on the agenda of the Churchwide Assembly in one of three ways.

Actions Transmitted by the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Church Council of the ELCA serves as the board of directors for this church and as the interim legislative authority between meetings of the Churchwide Assembly. One of the many tasks of the Church Council is to review the work of the various units of the churchwide organization, including proposals for decisions to be made by the Churchwide Assembly. Following careful review, the council votes to transmit these matters to the assembly for action.

Memorials

The agenda of the Churchwide Assembly also includes time for consideration of memorials. A memorial is a proposal adopted by one or more synodical assemblies asking the Churchwide Assembly to take a specific action. Memorials that were adopted at synodical assemblies in 2006 and 2007 are gathered by the secretary of this church and placed before the Memorials Committee for consideration. The 15-member Memorials Committee is appointed by the Church Council and is composed of voting members of the Churchwide Assembly and members of the Church Council. The committee meets several weeks before the assembly is convened in order to review the memorials from synods and to make recommendations for assembly action. Staff of the churchwide organization provide background information prior to that meeting in order to assist the committee’s work. These memorials often cover a wide range of topics that may or may not be related to other items on the assembly’s agenda. For more information on the consideration of memorials see Memorials and Resolutions.

Resolutions

Each voting member of the Churchwide Assembly has the right to propose matters for consideration by the assembly. This is accomplished through a resolution that proposes that the assembly take a specific action. Changes to the constitution of this church may be proposed in this way, and require the signature of 25 or more voting members, while changes to the bylaws require at least 15 signatures. Other actions can be proposed by a single voting member, supported by one other voting member. The bylaws of the churchwide organization require that all resolutions on matters not germane to items contained in the stated agenda of the assembly be submitted to the Committee of Reference and Counsel for review and recommendation to the assembly. The Committee of Reference and Counsel has 15 members, is appointed by the Church Council, and is composed of voting members of the assembly and members of the Church Council. For more information on the consideration of resolutions see Memorials and Resolutions.

Elections to Church Council, Churchwide Boards, and Committees

Nominees for vacant positions on the Church Council and churchwide boards and committees are solicited from a wide range of persons, including synodical officers, Church Council members,  voting members of the Churchwide Assembly, and others. These nominees are collated by the Office of the Secretary, and the 18-member Nominating Committee (elected by the previous Churchwide Assembly) prepares paired slates of nominees for each vacant position for consideration by the assembly. Careful attention is given to the representational principles described in the governing documents. These honor synodical and regional considerations in addition to the usual principles for inclusiveness. In addition to the paired slates presented in the report of the Nominating Committee, nominations also may be made by voting members during the assembly. These “floor” nominations must satisfy the representational principles established by the governing documents before the nominees are added to the final slates. Floor nominations for positions on a board of a churchwide unit must have the written support of at least 10 voting members in addition to the nominator, and floor nominations for Church Council, the Nominating Committees, or other churchwide committee require the written support of at least 20 voting members in addition to the nominator. Floor nominations must be filed with the Nominations Desk prior to the deadline established in the Rules of Organization and Procedure adopted by the Churchwide Assembly. For more information see “Nominations and Elections for Church Council and Boards.”

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