Transcript Slide 1
You are now part of the amazing history of
God’s Church.
Thank you for your willingness to serve.
Councils of the Church are gatherings of believers called by
God to conduct the business of the church and rule upon
spiritual questions. Throughout the history of the Church,
councils have been convened for many reasons.
Council of Jerusalem – Circumcision
1st Council of Nicaea – The Divinity of Jesus
Council of Chalcedon – 2 Natures of Christ
Council of Trent – Condemned Luther
2012 Council of Leesburg -- ????????????
Synod Assembly is composed of elected, “Voting Members” of
the congregations and the rostered leaders of the synod.
You are a “Voting Member” of the Assembly.
You are not a “delegate”.
Why is that important??
Delegates are instructed by their constituents
how to vote. Decisions are majority rule.
Members are called by God and guided by the
Holy Spirit in their deliberations. Their
decisions bind the Church.
You will experience many things in the next days. There will
be reports – presentations -- debates -- fellowship -- and
WORSHIP! The Assembly will open with worship as we call
down the Holy Spirit upon this community. We will pray
together regularly. We are God’s Church in Assembly.
Here, we are more than a collection of
individuals. Here, we are the People of God
guided by the Holy Spirit.
You will be hearing about the various components of the wider
Church including their work and their budgets. The ELCA
functions through several expressions each with their own
authority and responsibilities.
ELCA Churchwide
Region 8 (DE, MD, PA, VA, WVA)
Synod (Metropolitan Washington DC Synod)
Conferences (DC, MD, Montgomery, VA, Potomac, Fairfax)
Congregation (Holy Cross …)
Each of these expressions has their own leadership which leads
the Church during times Assemblies are not in session.
ELCA Churchwide
Presiding Bishop - Church Council
Synod (Metropolitan Washington DC Synod)
Synodical Bishop - Synod Council
Congregation (Holy Cross …)
Pastor - Congregational Council
Each of these expressions has responsibility for specific work
in the life of the Church. For example, the Congregation is
responsible for providing worship opportunities in a specific
neighborhood. Synods are responsible for assuring that a
congregational has a pastor whose skills are suited to the needs
of that location. And the National Church is responsible for
training pastors for the work of the Church.
Some of the discussion, especially about the budget,
you will hear at this Assembly will revolve around
how those roles may have changed
The Synod has a structure. Under the Synodical Bishop there
are several Offices:
Office for Personnel
Office for Multi-Cultural Ministries
Office for Ecumenical Affairs
Office for Finance
Under the Synod Council there are several Divisions & Tables:
Division for Congregational Life
Division for Higher Education and Schools
New & Renewing Mission Table
Division for Ministry
Stewardship & Mission Support Table
The Synod Assembly itself has its own teams to facilitate the
work of the Members. They are:
Nominations
Elections
Reference & Counsel
Assembly Planning
Reference and Counsel may bring a number of resolutions to the Assembly
for debate. Some of these will be mundane, such as, thanking the staff at
the National Conference Center. Others may lead to future modification or
clarification in Church teachings, such as, the adoption of Human
Sexuality: Gift and Trust as the ELCA’s 10th social teaching statement at the
2009 Churchwide Assembly. Issues slated for discussion this year include:
Greetings to other Synods in Assembly
Support of MD Civil Marriage Protection Act
A Resolution for Peace with Iran
A Discussion of the Dream Act in MD
To conduct the business of the Synod in an orderly, fair, consistent, and
efficient manner; we will use parliamentary procedure. Some of the
advantages of using parliamentary procedure are:
It maintains order by considering one matter at a time.
It helps the group make clear decisions efficiently.
It carefully balances the rights of persons and subgroups—the
rights of the majority; the rights of a minority, especially a
strong minority, greater than one third; and the rights of an
individual member.
It assures members that business is conducted fairly in their
absence
The Synod Assembly will adopt an agenda as a first order of business. The
agenda informs members of when each matter will be considered. It keeps
the assembly focused and avoids distractions.
The particular parliamentary procedure the assembly will use is Robert’s
Rules of Order, as modified by our Synod Constitution and Bylaws, and by
special rules the Synod Assembly itself will adopt.
Robert’s Rules of Order is 669 pages long
Please memorize it this morning!
A high level summary of Robert’s Rules was provided in your pre-assembly
packet and can be found online.
HOW DOES IT WORK ??
A business matter is introduced to the assembly by making or “moving” of a
“main motion.” A more complicated main motion may be introduced in
the form of a “resolution.”
Introduction of a main motion is in order only when there are
no motions pending before the assembly.
Secondary motions may be introduced while the main motion
is pending. Secondary motions affect how a main motion is
handled, relate to the welfare of the assembly or of an
individual member, or deal with questions of procedure.
HOW DOES IT WORK ??
Some secondary motions have a ranking, known as precedence.
Lower ranking secondary motions are not in order; that is, not
permitted, while a higher ranking motion is pending. Action
and debate are usually limited to the immediately pending
motion. The pending motion may also be referred to as the
“question.”
Most motions require a “second,” which indicates to the chair
and to the assembly that the motion is of interest to more than
one person.
HOW DO I MAKE A MOTION ??
There is a six step procedure for motions:
1) When the previous speaker is finished, approach a
microphone, state your name and congregation, wait for the
chair to recognize you, then state your motion. Do not
explain your motion at this time. You will have the
opportunity to do this when you speak first in debate. (A
lengthy motion should be written and a copy given to the
Secretary.)
HOW DO I MAKE A MOTION ??
There is a six step procedure for motions:
2) Wait for someone to second the motion. (Motions from a
committee or board do not require a second, because the
committee or board already has 2 or more members who want
the motion considered.)
3) The chair will state the motion, formally bringing it before
the assembly.
HOW DO I MAKE A MOTION ??
There is a six step procedure for motions:
4) The motion is debated. (certain secondary motions are not
debatable.) The mover is afforded the opportunity to speak
first and last. To speak, please approach a microphone and
wait to be recognized by the chair. The chair will alternate
between persons speaking for and against the motion.
Generally, no person will be permitted to speak a second time.
5) A vote is taken, and
6) The chair announces the results of the vote.
The next two days will bring many things:
New experiences
New knowledge
New friends
And hopefully, a closer relationship with God.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask someone. And
remember:
We are the People of God!!
Thanks be to God!!