Synod Council takes up bishop election, more

By Rick Nelson, Synod Council member

DUMAS BAY CENTRE, FEDERAL WAY — Members of the Southwestern Washington Synod Council are proposing amendments to the synod constitution and changes in the process used to elect bishops.

The council acted on these and other issues when it met Oct. 28 and 29 in its annual retreat. Major items of interest follow:

— The council approved a recommendation for amendments to the constitution and bylaws to eliminate boards and committees that are mandated but aren't functioning; the proposals will be on the agenda of the May 2012 synod assembly. Some boards and committees required by the synod constitution haven't functioned for some time, and the council has concluded they aren't currently needed. The changes would give the synod council the authority to form committees as needed, and the council plans to re-form quickly those committees that are functioning well.

— The council brought a formal conclusion to its congregational visitation program; fewer than 10 congregations were not visited and efforts will continue to visit them. The council sent the reports to an analyst at ELCA churchwide to summarize the findings. The council would like to distribute the report to congregations next year. The council hopes the report will identify programs and processes which some congregations have found successful and can be shared with others.

— Our existing synodical focus is on new mission starts; Bishop Rob Hofstad is planning to add a focus on the renewal of struggling congregations. He proposed that synod council members take more active roles in synod affairs, including taking part in the support programs for congregational renewal, mentoring the new start congregations, and having active roles in the synod assemblies.

— The council voted to augment the way the synod elects a bishop. The synod has used a strict ecclesiastical ballot at synod assemblies. On the first ballot, any voting member can nominate any eligible candidate, and it often takes many ballots to determine the election. Moreover, few of the voting members were acquainted with the backgrounds of the nominees. Synod council members felt that everyone should have a list of potential candidates and summaries of their backgrounds before the start of a synod assembly.

The council will ask the Synod Nominating Committee to take on the task of developing a nominating process so that a "voters' guide" can be sent to congregations before the assembly. The process would start with a call for nominations from congregations and conferences. Those nominees would be contacted to see if they're interested, then their profiles would go into the guide. At the assembly, the first round would be a nominating round, and anyone could be nominated, but voting members would already know willing candidates because of the voters' guide. The election would follow the traditional ecclesiastical election process from that point; no constitutional amendment is required.

Bishop Hostad's current term expires in 2013, and the synod will again elect a bishop at the 2013 synod assembly.

Rick Nelson is publisher of the Wahkiakum County Eagle in Cathlamet, Wash.