wfn.org | ELCA Council Maintains V.P. as Volunteer, Six-year Term

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 25, 2002

ELCA COUNCIL MAINTAINS V.P. AS VOLUNTEER, SIX-YEAR TERM
02-277-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) declined to transmit a proposed constitutional
amendment to the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly that would have changed
the term of the vice president from six years to four years.  It also
adopted a resolution affirming that the vice president serves as a
volunteer.
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as
the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies.
The council met here Nov. 15-17.  Assemblies are held every other year;
the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.
     The ELCA constitution requires that the churchwide assembly elect
a lay person to a six-year term as vice president.  The vice president
serves primarily as chair of meetings of the Church Council and may have
other duties.  The constitution stipulates that the vice president is to
be an ELCA member and receives no salary.
     The 2001 Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis referred a proposal
to the Church Council that called for establishment of a stipend for the
vice president.  That proposal cited the time commitment, potential use
of personal resources and loss of time at work as reasons for possible
compensation.  Following extensive study, the council's executive
committee recommended that the vice president's position remain
unsalaried.
     Without comment, the full council agreed.	The council's action
reaffirmed "the vision of the Commission for a New Lutheran Church
(CNLC) that the position of vice president of the ELCA as well as
synodical vice presidents be volunteer positions, that the reimbursement
of all approved expenses related to these positions be provided."  The
CNLC planned the structure and vision of the ELCA, which was formed in
1988.
     The council discussed at length the question of the vice
president's term.  Some suggested that proposing a reduction in term
length might be a solution to the time commitment required and voluntary
nature of the position.  Others expressed concern that proposing a
reduction in term length could be viewed as a demotion, since the ELCA's
three other officers -- presiding bishop, secretary and treasurer -- are
elected to six-year terms.
     Dr. Addie J. Butler, Philadelphia, currently serves as ELCA vice
president.  She has announced she will not seek reelection when her term
concludes in 2003. In response to a council member's request for
comment, Butler said she is concerned about the time commitment issue.
     "The CNLC was perfectly correct in its effort to get lay people
involved in administration as much as possible," she said.  "But many
lay people do not have the (job and time) flexibility I have.  By
decreasing the length of term, this could increase the pool of available
candidates."
     Brian Rude, council member, Coon Valley, Wis., presented the
proposal as chair of the council's legal and constitutional review
committee.  He said if the council declined the proposal, it would most
likely not take up the question again for at least six years, since a
new vice president will be elected in 2003.
     The council does not have enough "data points" to make a decision
to change, said Ida Marie Hakkarinen, council member, Greenbelt, Md.
Noting that all other officers have six-year terms, she said she did not
favor reducing the term length.
     Ellen T. Maxon, council member, Hartland, Wis., suggested the
council could vote to transmit the proposal and leave it to the assembly
to decide "if this is a good thing or not," she said.
     The vice president's term should be equal to terms of other
officers, and, within the 5.1-million member ELCA, there should be
adequate numbers of candidates who can be available, said the Rev.
Charles W. Mays, council member, Port Angeles, Wash.
     The council also acted on a number of other proposals:
     + It approved a revised 2002 current fund operating expenditure
for the churchwide organization of $82,659,700 and approved a revised
2002 World Hunger spending authorization of $16 million.  The revisions
were made in response to spending reductions announced earlier this
year.  The revised spending authorizations represent a $2.36 million
reduction from what the council previously authorized for 2002 current
fund spending and a reduction of $500,000 in authorized spending for
World Hunger programs.	For fiscal year 2003 the council authorized
current fund spending of $85,310,000, and authorized $16.5 million in
spending for World Hunger programs.
     + The council commended the commitment of the ELCA to address
racism in the church and society.  The council acted to require that,
beginning in 2003, all new churchwide staff and elected and volunteer
leaders attend a two-day anti-racism training. It encouraged staff,
elected leaders and others to participate in other components of the
church's anti-racism program.  The council said it anticipated continued
work on anti-racism with ecumenical and global partner churches.  The
action was requested by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop,
in support of the church's anti-racism efforts.
     + The council affirmed a proposal from the Division for Higher
Education and Schools that the ELCA consider joint ministries with other
church bodies in operation of colleges and universities "provided that such
ministries are mutually beneficial and create new educational ministry
opportunities."  The council said such ministries could be considered
according to established policy and that such approvals be granted by
the DHES board.
     + It authorized a two-year delay in consideration of an African
American Strategy.  The steering committee of the ELCA Commission for
Multicultural Ministries asked to extend the completion date from 2003
to 2005 so that more people could be involved in the process.
     + The council encouraged the ELCA Division for Church in Society
to undertake advocacy related to a measure the U.S. Congress is expected
to discuss in 2003, the Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection
Act.  The board of the ELCA Division for Church in Society asked the
council to support the legal barrier that prevents nonprofit
organizations from participating in or intervening in political
campaigns. The council reaffirmed previous church statements which
address this issue.
     + It declined to propose amendments to the church's constitution
that would change the definitions of membership in the church.	The ELCA
Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod called for reconsideration of "the
qualifications for voting membership in light of the significant
expectations and ideals for the practice of Christian faith through a
local congregation."

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