I
recently read that Sandra Day O’Connor, retired associate justice of the
Supreme Court, carries a copy of the Constitution of the United States of
America and a copy of the Declaration of Independence with her at all
times. Whenever and wherever she can,
she teaches about just how important these documents are to our life together
in this country. She appended the
Constitution and Declaration to her book, Out
of Order. Since I had reached the
end of the book and had nothing else in front of me on the treadmill, I read
completely through these documents for, perhaps, the first time since eighth
grade. I recommend it!
Reading
constitutions may not sound like the most fun way to spend an evening. In the synod office, we spend a lot of time
reading constitutions. We are constantly
updating the synod constitution so that it is in line with the ELCA model
constitution. We also read
congregations’ constitutions as they come before the Synod Council for
approval. Did you know that we have a
small committee that works with congregations on constitutional changes?
David
Swartling, the current secretary of the ELCA, has for his entire tenure,
referred to the constitutions of the church as missional documents. Too often congregation councils only refer to
the constitution when a crisis is reached or conflict is encountered. Take a look at your congregation’s
constitution. You will find some
fascinating stuff.
I
was recently speaking with a pastor whose congregation does not have a
particularly good sense of shared ministry.
The congregation seems to believe that ministry is the pastor’s
“job.” Take a look at what the Model
Constitution for Congregations says about the pastor:
*C9.03. Consistent
with the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
a. Every
ordained minister shall:
1) preach the Word;
2) administer the sacraments;
3) conduct public worship;
4) provide pastoral care; and
5) speak publicly to the world in solidarity
with the poor and oppressed,
calling for justice
and proclaiming God’s love for the world.
b. Each
ordained minister with a congregational call shall, within the congregation:
1) offer instruction, confirm, marry,
visit the sick and distressed, and bury the dead;
2) supervise all schools and organizations
of this congregation;
3) install regularly elected members of
the Congregation Council; and
4) with the council, administer
discipline.
c. Every
pastor shall:
1) strive to extend the Kingdom of God in
the community, in the nation, and abroad;
2) seek out and encourage qualified
persons to prepare for the ministry of the Gospel;
3) impart knowledge of this church and its
wider ministry through distribution of its periodicals and other publications;
and
4) endeavor to increase the support given by
the congregation to the work of the churchwide organization of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and of the Northern Illinois Synod of the
ELCA.
*C9.04. The
specific duties of the pastor, compensation, and other matters pertaining to
the service of the pastor shall be included in a letter of call, which shall be
attested by the bishop of the synod.
*C9.12. The pastor of this congregation:
a. shall keep accurate parochial records
of all baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, communicants, members
received, members dismissed, or members excluded from the congregation;
b. shall
submit a summary of such statistics annually to the synod; and
c. shall
become a member of this congregation upon receipt and acceptance of the
letter of call.
In a parish of multiple congregations, the pastor shall hold membership in one
of the congregations.
*C9.13. The
pastor(s) shall submit a report of his or her ministry to the bishop of the
synod at least 90 days prior to each regular meeting of the Synod Assembly.
*C9.14. The
parochial records of this congregation shall be maintained by the pastor and shall
remain the property of the congregation.
The secretary of this congregation
shall attest in
writing to the bishop of this synod that such records have been placed in his
or her hands in good order by a departing pastor before the installation of
that pastor in another field of labor or the granting by the synod of retired
status to the pastor.
Are
you surprised by anything you read here?
Are you surprised by anything that is left out? You may not need to carry a copy of your
congregation’s constitution around with you all the time, but it is worth
taking a look at once in a while.
Comments? Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com
or comment on Facebook. --JC
