ELCA NEWS SERVICE

April 24, 2007

ELCA Council Recommends 2007 Churchwide Assembly Rules
07-071-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recommended to the 2007
Churchwide Assembly a series of rules to help guide the decision-
making process of the voting members. The assembly, the ELCA's
highest legislative authority, will be held, Aug. 6-11 here at
Navy Pier.
     The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as
the legislative authority of the church between churchwide
assemblies. The council met here April 14-16.
     Prior to each churchwide assembly, the council recommends
the rules of organization and procedure for the assembly.
Assembly voting members must approve the agenda and the rules
when the assembly opens.
     After significant discussion, the council submitted rules
that were the same as in 2005, removing one paragraph that
referenced recommendations from a task force report. The rules
also proposed provision for a series of questions, as determined
by the Executive Committee of the council, when there are
elections of secretaries and vice presidents. The previous rules
already had specified the question-and-answer step in the
election of the presiding bishop.
     Richard L. Wahl, council member, Millersville, Md., asked
the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, about what rules apply
to memorials at the churchwide assembly and what options are open
to the assembly regarding possible changes in "Vision and
Expectations," the church's policy document for professional
leaders.
     Both Almen and the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding
bishop, expressed reservations about answering questions about
possible resolutions that had not been submitted. Hanson, who
will chair the assembly, said his role is to help the assembly do
its work. He also said discussions about "theoretical"
resolutions are complex and expressed concern about how this
would be interpreted to the ELCA.
     "We didn't expect in 2007 that we would be possibly be
revisiting actions of the 2005 assembly," Hanson said. This
church, he said, is aware of the possibility of synod assembly
memorials that may call for changes in clergy standards. Hanson
abstained from voting on the proposed rules to avoid a conflict
of interest with his role as assembly chair.
     In an interview with the ELCA News Service, Almen explained
that unless the ELCA constitution and bylaws prescribe a two-
thirds vote on a question or the adopted rules of procedure
specify such a two-thirds vote, "the margin required for passage
of resolutions or other actions is majority vote," he said.
     Amendments to the constitution and bylaws require a two-
thirds vote for approval, Almen said. A two-thirds vote is
prescribed for adoption of the text of social statements and
approval of any full-communion relationship with another church
body. A two-thirds vote also is needed to amend, suspend or
remove an action that required a two-thirds vote in a previous
assembly to approve, he said. An assembly can ask for a two-
thirds or "supermajority" on other issues if it wishes, Almen
said.
     "It's very difficult to provide a definitive answer on a
margin of vote on a theoretical issue, because the exact language
of a resolution and its implications can have an impact on that
margin of vote," Almen said. "One can give a general response
like 'it takes a majority vote to approve a response to a
memorial of a synod.' But there might be certain circumstances
in which the text of a response may elevate the matter to two-
thirds. It's impossible to really give an answer definitively
.. and some questions seem to be seeking that kind of definitive
response related to a theoretical issue."
     The item the council dropped from the rules it recommended
was put into the rules for the 2005 assembly and approved by the
assembly. "That particular item related to a margin of vote on
recommendations of a task force that might have some implication
for policy of this church," Almen said. The Rev. Jennifer J.
Thomas, council member, Milwaukee, proposed dropping the rule.
Otherwise, the rules recommended by the council are basically the
same rules that have governed most other churchwide assemblies,
Almen said.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news