Call Process Booklet

Updating Your Constitution
One of the basic congregational tasks that easily slips through the cracks is keeping
your constitution up to date. Typically, small changes are made to the model
constitution at each Churchwide Assembly; these should be adopted by the
congregation at their next annual meeting. Some congregations still need to adopt the
model constitution as their own. The interim period is a great time to do these tasks.
You may also want to consider deeper structural changes to committee organization or
other flexible parts of the constitution. This may be something to consider during the
interim, or it may be better to simply lay the groundwork for these changes and wait for
input from your next regularly called pastor. Your interim pastor will be able to give you
advice on the best way forward.
It is very important that all sections marked with an asterisk in the model constitution be
adopted in the exact form printed in the model. If you have not updated your
constitution since the inception of the ELCA, you should begin with the model
constitution.
Once you have identified the changes that you wish to make send your whole
constitution with the changes highlighted or underlined to the synod office for review.
This will streamline the process for you by helping you to avoid presenting
unconstitutional changes to your congregation.
When the review is complete and not adjustments are necessary, check your
constitution for the requirements necessary to update it. Typically, if you have adopted
the provisions of the model constitution in the past, only a simple majority is necessary
to adopt the changes to the provisions in the model marked with an asterisk. All other
changes typically require two votes: (1) a simple majority vote at a legally called meeting
of the congregation to approve the change and (2) a two-thirds majority vote at the next
annual meeting of the congregation to ratify the change. These provisions are found in
Chapter 17 of the model constitution.
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