Synod Assembly
2005 Assembly Rules & Procedures
Voting Membership
†S7.21. The membership of the Synod Assembly,
of which at least 60 percent of the voting membership shall be composed of
laypersons, shall be constituted as follows:
a. All ordained ministers under call on the
roster of this synod in attendance at this Synod Assembly shall be voting
members.
b. All associates in ministry, deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, and diaconal ministers, under call, on the official lay
rosters of this synod shall have both voice and vote as lay voting members
in the Synod Assembly, in addition to the voting membership of lay members
of congregations provided in item †S7.21.c.
c. A minimum of one lay member elected by each congregation with fewer than
175 baptized members and a minimum of two lay members elected by each
congregation with 175 baptized members related to this synod, normally one
of whom shall be male and one of whom shall be female, shall be voting
members. The Synod Council shall establish a formula to provide additional
lay representation from congregations on the basis of the number of baptized
members in the congregation. The Synod Council shall seek to ensure that, as
nearly as possible, 50 percent of the lay members of the assembly shall be
female and 50 percent shall be male. Additional members from each
congregation normally shall be equally divided between male and female.
d. Voting membership shall include the officers of this synod.
S7.21.01 All retired ordained ministers,
associates in ministry, deaconesses, and diaconal ministers on the rosters
of the synod shall elect 10 percent of their numbers to be voting members;
all others shall be advisory members with voice but not vote.
S7.21.02 One lay conference officer shall
be a voting member of the Synod Assembly.
S7.21.03 Any non-rostered lay Synod
Minister on the bishop's executive staff in the Southeastern Minnesota Synod
shall be a voting member of the Synod Assembly, provided that such an
individual is also a voting member of a congregation of this synod.
S7.23. All retired ordained ministers, all
ordained ministers on leave from call, all associates in ministry on leave
from call or retired who are not elected as voting members, all deaconesses
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on leave from call or retired,
and all diaconal ministers of this church on leave from call or retired, all
of whose names appear on the rosters of this synod, shall have the privilege
of voice but not vote at all meetings of the Synod Assembly. The presiding
bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and such other official
representatives of this church as may be designated from time to time by the
Church Council shall also have voice but not vote in the meetings of the
Synod Assembly. Like privileges shall be accorded to those additional
persons whom the Synod Assembly or the Synod Council shall from time to time
designate.
S7.24. Ordained ministers under call on the
roster of this synod shall remain as members of the Synod Assembly so long
as they remain under call and so long as their names appear on the roster of
ordained ministers of this synod. Associates in ministry, deaconesses of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and diaconal ministers of this
church serving under call on the roster of this synod shall remain as
members of the Synod Assembly so long as they remain under call and so long
as their names appear on the official lay roster of this synod. Lay members
of the Synod Assembly representing congregations shall continue as such
until replaced by the election of new members or until they have been
disqualified by termination of membership. Normally, congregations will hold
elections prior to each regular meeting of the Synod Assembly.
†S7.25. Except as otherwise provided in
this constitution or in the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, each voting member of the
Synod Assembly shall be a voting member of a congregation of this synod.
S7.26. This synod may establish processes through the Synod Council that
permit representatives of authorized worshiping communities of the synod,
under Evangelical Lutheran Church In America bylaw 10.02.03., to serve as
voting members of the Synod Assembly, consistent with †S7.21. Such
authorized worshiping communities, acknowledged under criteria and
procedures of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America Division for
Outreach and the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, shall accept and adhere to the Confession of Faith and Statement of
Purpose of this church, shall be served by leadership under the criteria of
this church, and shall be subject to the discipline of this church.
S7.27 This synod may establish processes
through the Synod Council to grant an ordained minister from a church body
with which a relationship of full communion has been declared and
established by the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America the privilege of both voice and vote in the Synod Assembly during
the period of that ordained minister's service in a congregation of this
church.
S7.28. Duly elected voting members of the
Synod Council who are not otherwise voting members of the Synod Assembly
under †S7.21. shall be granted the privilege of both voice and vote as
members of the Synod Assembly.
†S7.31. Proxy and absentee voting shall not
be permitted in the transaction of any business of this synod.
S7.32. Robert's Rules of Order, latest
edition, shall govern parliamentary procedures of the Synod Assembly, unless
otherwise ordered by the assembly. Voting Member Credentials
Voting privileges may be transferred from one member to another within a
congregation between the first and second days of assembly. The vote is not
transferable after the opening of the fourth plenary session at 1:15 p.m.
Saturday, May 7, 2005. Voting members must transfer their materials with
their vote. No additional materials will be available.
Quorum
Fifty percent (50%) of the registered voting members shall constitute a quorum.
Privilege of the Assembly Floor
Voting members of the assembly shall have prior right to the assembly floor.
Officers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America and the Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA shall be
entitled to the privilege of the floor at all times.
Voting members addressing the assembly
during the discussion of a pending motion or resolution shall identify
themselves by name and congregation.
Unless otherwise determined by a majority
vote of the assembly, all speeches during discussion of motions or
resolutions shall be limited to two minutes each.
Voice Granted
Pastors not on the Southeastern Minnesota Synod roster serving as interim
pastors in the synod shall have voice on the assembly floor.
Budget Impact
Any resolution that adds money to the budget should show a reduction of an
equal amount in that same budget, or provide a proposal as to how the
additional funds would be acquired.
Committee on Reference and Counsel
A resolution for consideration at the Synod Assembly must be submitted to
the Committee on Reference and Counsel by February 15, 2005.
Resolutions submitted to the Committee on
Reference and Counsel after February 15, 2005 will come before the assembly
only by means of a motion to suspend the rules for the purpose of
considering the late resolution. A vote to suspend the rules requires a
two-thirds vote.
- The deadline for submitting late
resolutions at the 2005 Synod Assembly is 3 p.m., Friday, May 6, 2005.
- These late resolutions must be submitted
to the Assembly on-site office and the author may be asked to meet with
the Committee on Reference and Counsel.
- Late resolutions submitted at the 2005
Synod Assembly can only come from a conference caucus or with the
signatures of 50 voting members of the synod assembly. These resolutions
still require a motion to suspend the rules and a two-thirds vote to
suspend the rules in order for them to come before the assembly.
Nominee Biographical Information
Nominations for synod vacancies have been printed in this Pre-Assembly
Report.
Nominations will not be read to the
assembly as part of the assembly agenda.
Additional nominations for any vacancies
can be made until 5 p.m., Friday, May 6, 2005 by completing the 2005
Nomination Form. Nomination forms will be available at the head table on the
assembly floor.
Additional nominations will be announced
Saturday morning at 9 a.m..
Ballots will be distributed at the
beginning of the third plenary at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 7, 2005.
Invalid Ballots
Illegible ballots shall be considered invalid.
Motion to Adjourn
A motion to adjourn shall be debatable.
Distribution of Materials
Materials may be distributed on the floor of the assembly only with the
written consent of the bishop of the synod. In cases where the bishop does
not consent, appeal may be made to the Committee on Reference and Counsel.
That committee's decision shall be final.
Visitor Seating
Visitors are welcome at the Assembly. As a courtesy, please sit in the
designated visitor area. |
