Solutions in Constitutions
Several years ago, my daughter gave me a t-shirt that says, “I love meetings.” Over the years, two important meetings I have been attending are Oak Grove Lutheran Church council and the synod council. In the positions I have held on those bodies, I have been exposed to the problems of congregational constitutions.
One problem recently emerged when a congregation wanted to transact business but could not produce a quorum because their constitution gives a specific number of members needed and they no longer have that many members.
Every three years, the ELCA holds its Churchwide Assembly. One item of business is amendments to the national constitution as well as the one for congregations. Many congregations have not seen the necessity of going through the process of updating their document. I have been involved several times in revising the Oak Grove constitution. I also currently serve on the synod constitutions and bylaw committee.
The process to update a congregation’s constitution is not hard but does require some close attention. The synod committee makes it easier by producing a sample revised edition of the model constitution. This year is the year for the Churchwide Assembly and our version from the committee is now available.
The ELCA model constitution has 20 chapters. Some are required exactly as printed, some give options, and some allow the congregation to write what is needed for their particular ministry setting. The process for the triennial revisions begins with a group in each congregation matching up the new model constitution with their constitution. Where there are required changes, simply cut-and-paste. The group may also propose changes in the non-required sections. Once the process is completed, the revised constitution, any continuing resolutions and the bylaws are sent to the synod constitutions and bylaw committee. A member of the committee repeats the process of a word for word review, reviews the continuing resolutions and sends a response that the congregation can take official action to adopt the changes. It sounds tedious but is worth the effort when problems occur. My council referred to our constitution last meeting because our pastor left and we needed to be sure whether a pastor was required for a quorum for a meeting. Good luck in keeping up with the times!
Brandon James
Member of Oak Grove Lutheran Church & Synod Constitutions & Bylaw Committee
