To Amend Bylaw 3.10.4.6 and 3.10.5.5 on Seminary Presidents and Colleges and University Presidents

Here are two last-minute overtures that were submitted by Pastor Martin Noland at the request of some of his friends. There isn’t much time left to get these passed by your church or circuit, but we wanted to get them out there just in case. They have been submitted in the forum where they were passed.

 

Whereas, Article II of the Synod’s Constitution sets forth the objectives of the Synod; and

Whereas, Included in said article are Sections 3 and 5 respectively reading:

“Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth.”

“Aid congregations to develop processes of thorough Christian education and nurture and to establish agencies of Christian education such as elementary and secondary schools and to support synodical colleges, universities, and seminaries”; and

Whereas, The Synod for over a century and a half has maintained seminaries and institutions of higher learning; and

Whereas, The Synod’s bylaws provide with respect to presidents of seminaries, colleges and universities that the president “shall serve as the spiritual, academic, and administrative head of the institution” as well as “be responsible for the spiritual care and nurture for every student”; and

Whereas, It is clear that “unity of the of the true faith” (Constitution, Article III, 1.) cannot be effectively nurtured and maintained unless the presidents of the institutions training pastors and professional workers are one in the True Faith with us and committed without reservation to the Confession of the Synod set out in Article II of the Constitution of the Synod; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Synod amend bylaws 3.10.4.6.3 and 3.10.5.5 to require that the President of any seminary of the Synod and the president of any institution of the Synod must be a rostered, ordained clergyman of the Synod in good standing both to be eligible to be placed on a presidential call list of the institution as well as to hold office as president of the institution. In the event the good standing of a president of an institution as an ordained clergyman of the Synod ceases, such person shall not be eligible to hold the office of president and shall be removed.

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