"RESOLUTION REQUIRING RATIFICATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS"

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recognizes the importance of the relationships between congregations, synods, and the Churchwide Organization, and further recognizes the interdependent nature of those relationships (ELCA Constitution paragraph 8.11); and

WHEREAS, the Constitutions of our predecessor bodies recognized the fundamental representative nature of congregations and its members when gathered as the larger church body (ALC Constitution, 503.1, 503.5; LCA Constitution Article X, §5; ULCA Article VIII, §4; AELC Article VIII, §3; ELCA Chapter 7,33); and

WHEREAS, such representation by constituent congregations was implicit when making changes to the constitution that would impact those congregations; and

WHEREAS, requiring ratification by synod assemblies or congregations of amendments to the ELCA Constitution would promote better communication and better relationships between congregations, synods, and the Churchwide Assembly.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this synod memorialize the 2003 Churchwide Assembly to amend chapter 22 of the ELCA Constitution to add the following provision:

22.12. Any amendment to the ELCA Constitution, in addition to approval by a regular meeting of the Churchwide Assembly, as required by the ELCA Constitution, must be ratified by three-fourths of ELCA synods at duly called synod assemblies or a majority of ELCA congregations within one calendar year of the final approval by the Churchwide Assembly;

And to amend 22.11 by deleting "The constitution of this church may be amended only through either of the following procedures:" and substituting for it, "Any amendment to the constitution of this church shall be amended in accordance with 22.12 of this constitution and through the following procedures:"

Submitted by

Verne Smith

Zion Lutheran - Deer Park, WA

Resolution Passed (A0306.24)

2003 Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly - June 21, 2003