RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR THE 21st ANNUAL ASSEMBLY (2008)
OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA SYNOD
1. RULE REGARDING DISTRIBUTION:
The distribution of any materials that do not come to the Assembly through regular reports, synod committees, agencies, institutions, or Synod Council must be approved by the Committee on Reference and Counsel. Therefore, no materials may be distributed to the Assembly without the prior approval of Reference and Counsel.
2. RULE REGARDING RESOLUTIONS NOT MEETING THE DEADLINE FOR REFERENCE AND COUNSEL:
The assembly, by a two-thirds vote, may grant permission for consideration of resolution that a voting member wishes to bring to the floor, but which has not met the imposed deadline of the Reference and Council Committee.
3. RULES REGARDING FLOOR NOMINATIONS:
a. For all positions to be elected at this assembly, nominations from the floor shall be made at the time of the first report of the Nominating Committee during the first business session of the Synod Assembly. After the nominations have been closed no further nominations shall be accepted.
b. As nominations are made from the floor, the nominator must present a typed or printed biography to the synod secretary on the special form provided immediately after the report of the Nominating Committee.
c. In accordance with +S6.04 of the Synod Constitution, at least 10% of the representation on the Synod Council, ELCA Assembly voting membership, and other elected boards is required to be persons of color and/or persons whose primary language is other than English. In the event such representation is not accomplished through normal voting procedures, the nominated person of color or whose primary language is other than English and who has the next highest number of votes shall supersede the elected individual with the least number of votes.
4. RULES FOR DEALING WITH MEMORIALS AND/OR RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED TO THE COMMITTEE ON REFERENCE AND COUNSEL (S. C. 07.12.05)
(1) The deadline for submitting memorials and/or resolutions to the Committee on Reference and Counsel shall be one month before the opening of the Synod Assembly.
(2) The Committee on Reference and Counsel shall publish all memorials and/or resolutions, submitted by the deadline, at the synod website no later than two weeks before the opening of the Synod Assembly.
(3) The Committee on Reference and Counsel shall make available to Synod Assembly voting members when they register at the Synod Assembly hard copies of all memorials and/or resolutions, submitted to the committee by the deadline, and the committee’s recommendations.
5. REGARDING VOTING MEMBERSHIP, PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE AND BALLOTING: (from sections of the Constitution and Bylaws)
S7.14. One-half of members of the Synod Assembly shall constitute a quorum
+S7.21. The membership of the Synod Assembly, of which at least 60% of the voting membership shall be composed of lay persons, shall be constituted as follows:
a. All ordained ministers under call on the roster of this synod in attendance at the 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 or more 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.
S7.22. Retired ordained ministers on the roster of the synod in attendance at the synod Assembly may serve as voting members of this synod consistent with 7.21 above, and as specified in the bylaws.
S7.22.10 Retired ordained ministers, retired associates in ministry, retired deaconesses, and retired diaconal ministers who have indicated to the bishop their willingness and availability to serve in the synod and whose intent meets with the concurrence of the bishop shall be permitted to vote at meetings of the Synod Assembly.
S7.22.11 In establishing a formula pursuant to Chapter 7.21.c of the Constitution, the number of retired ordained ministers permitted to vote at meetings of the Synod Assembly shall be a factor in determining the number of additional lay representatives necessary to comprise at least 60% of the membership of the Synod Assembly.
S7.23. All retired ordained ministers, all retired associates in ministry, all retired deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and all retired diaconal ministers of this church, 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 Synod Council shall from time to time designate.
S7.24. Ordained ministers under call, or on leave from call but available for call, as determined by the Office of the Bishop, on the roster of this synod shall remain as members of the Synod Assembly so long as they remain under call, or on leave call but available for call, as determined by the Office of the Bishop, 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, or on leave from but available for call, as determined by the Office of the Bishop, on the roster of this synod shall remain as members of the Synod Assembly so long as they remain under call, or on leave from call but available for call, as determined by the Office of the Bishop and so long as their names appear on the official lay roster of this synod. Lay members of this 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 mission settings formed with the intent of becoming chartered congregations and authorized worshiping communities of the synod, which have been authorized under ELCA bylaw 10.02.03., to serve as voting members of the Synod Assembly, consistent with +S7.21. Authorized worshiping communities, acknowledged under criteria, policies, and procedures approved by 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.
S7.29. All ordained ministers, on leave from call but available for call, as determined by the Office of the Bishop, on the roster of this synod in attendance at the Synod Assembly shall be voting members. All associates in ministry, deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and diaconal ministers, on leave from call but available for call, as determined by the Office of the Bishop, 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 as provided in item +S7.21.c.
+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 procedure of the Synod Assembly, unless otherwise ordered by the assembly.
S7.32.10 At any time during a meeting, the Synod Assembly may resolve to go into executive session, in which case only the voting body shall be present.
S7.33. “Ex-officio” as used herein means membership with full rights of voice and vote unless otherwise expressly limited.
S9.02. In all elections by the Synod Assembly, other than for the bishop, a majority of the legal votes cast shall be necessary for election.
S9.02.01 All elections shall be by ballot, except in those categories where no contest exists, in which case the bishop shall direct the secretary to declare the nominees to be elected.
S9.02.02. No ballot for an ineligible person shall be counted as a vote cast in any election.
S9.03. There shall be a Nominating Committee which shall be appointed by the Synod Council to serve for each regular meeting of the Synod Assembly in accordance with the bylaws. Additional nominations may be made from the floor for all elections for which nominations are made by the Nominating Committee.
S.9.08. In all elections except those by ecclesiastical ballot, the names of the persons receiving the highest number of legal votes, but not elected by a majority of legal votes cast on the first ballot, shall be entered on each subsequent ballot up to the number of two for every vacancy unfilled. On any ballot when only two names appear, a majority of the legal votes cast shall be necessary for election.
S9.08.01. Synod Council
a. The nominating and election process for the 24 person elected as members of Synod Council shall proceed in a manner that will assure that at least three members so elected will be persons of color and/or persons whose primary language is other than English, nine of the 24 elected members shall be ordained ministers and 15 shall be lay persons. Terms for members other than the youth member shall be for three years and shall be arranged so that the terms of three ordained ministers, three conference and two at-large lay members expire each year. None of the 24 elected members shall be eligible to serve for more than two terms consecutively. The term of office of the youth member shall be one year, subject to a two-term limitation.
S9.09. The result of each ballot in every election shall be announced in detail to the assembly.
S9.09.02 The ballot preparation for use in synod elections shall list the nominees for each position in chance order.
S14.21. All ordained ministers under a call shall attend meetings of the Synod Assembly, and the pastors of congregations shall also attend the meetings of the conference, cluster, coalition, or other area subdivision to which the congregations belong.
