ELCA NEWS SERVICE December 28, 2009 ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod Reschedules Election for New Bishop 09-284-JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will elect a new bishop for the synod at its regularly scheduled assembly, June 10-12, 2010. The synod had previously announced it would hold a special assembly Jan. 15-16, 2010, to elect a successor to the Rev. H. Gerard Knoche, who retired Oct. 31, citing health concerns. But provisions of the synod's Articles of Incorporation caused the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, in consultation with the Delaware-Maryland Synod Council, to cancel the special assembly, according to information on the synod's Web site. The change in the election schedule means that the Rev. Theodore F. Schneider, who is serving as interim bishop, will continue in that role through Sept. 1, 2010. Schneider retired in 2007 after serving as bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod. In a Dec. 8 letter to the Delaware-Maryland Synod, Secretary Nancy Gordon, Jefferson, Md., said the decision to cancel "was not made lightly or easily," but after prayerful deliberation and input from synod staff, as well as officers and staff of the ELCA churchwide organization. "Within the past two weeks, it was learned that a provision in the synod's Articles of Incorporation authorizes only those persons who were seated at the May 2009 regular meeting of the synod assembly to serve as voting members at a January special meeting of the synod assembly," Gordon wrote. "This provision takes precedence over the constitution and bylaws of the synod, and no assembly rule or vote would allow us to seat additional voting members." Gordon also explained that at least 22 professional leaders in the synod could not serve as voting members at the special assembly, including those ordained or who had joined the synod since May, and those who did not attend the most recent assembly. She also wrote that congregations which did not fully participate in the May assembly would not be able to send voting members or substitutes. "Because our next bishop will serve the entire synod, it does not seem wise to move forward with an election process in which some congregations are unable to send voting members to the special meeting of the synod assembly," Gordon added. The 2010 Delaware-Maryland Synod Assembly will be held at the Eisenhower Conference Center, Gettysburg, Pa. --- Information about the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod and the decision to reschedule the election for its new bishop is at http://www.demdsynod.org/ on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news