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Thursday Session: Two Amendments Approved, Eight Defeated
Covenant News Service
KEYSTONE, CO (June 27, 2002) - Seventeen amendments to the Constitution and
Bylaws of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) are under consideration
at
the 117th Annual Meeting under way at the Keystone Convention Center.
Ten amendments were discussed Thursday morning and two were approved. A
two-thirds affirmative vote by delegates is necessary to amend the
constitution.
Delegates approved an amendment allowing the Association of Covenant
Camps
and Conference Centers (AC4) to send two delegates to the Annual
Meeting.
Peter Heintzelman, then-executive director of Covenant Harbor Bible Camp
in
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, presented the amendment during the 2001 Annual
Meeting. Proposed amendments are spread on the minutes of one Annual
Meeting for consideration at the next.
Joel Rude, representing AC4, stated that the organization has had
delegate
representation in the past. He added that the camps and conference
centers
have collaborated to support
Covenant causes and desire to have that collaboration affirmed by
delegate
positions.
Delegates also amended the Preamble of the Constitution and Bylaws to
include the Nicene Creed as one of the historic confessions affirmed by
the
Evangelical Covenant Church. The amendment was proposed by Brad Boydston
(accompanying photo), pastor of Cornerstone Covenant Church in Turlock,
California.
The amended Preamble now reads: "It affirms the historic confessions of
the
Christian Church, particularly the Apostles' and the Nicene Creeds,
while
emphasizing the sovereignty of the Word of God over all creedal
interpretations."
In another amendment debate, John Hunt of Evanston, Illinois,
recommended
that the constitution be amended to eliminate the requirement that the
president of the Evangelical Covenant Church be an ordained minister. He
argued that past Covenant President T.W. Anderson was a lay leader when
elected, and the requirement of ordination was not
necessary.
Some argued for passage of the amendment, asking that delegates be open
to
the possibility that God can find quality leaders who may not have a
pastoral education. Others argued that the president of the denomination
has inherent pastoral duties and needs to have theological background
and
pastoral gifts in order to grapple with some
of the issues of the church. The proposed amendment failed.
Four amendments were presented addressing the manner in which vice
presidents are chosen. Current bylaws allow the Executive Board to vote
on
the vice presidents as recommended by the president. One amendment
called
for the Annual Meeting "to affirm" the selection of vice presidents.
Supporters argued the change would complement congregational polity that
the denomination has affirmed in the past. One member of the
Constitution
Revision Commission responded that changing the manner in which vice
presidents are chosen would necessitate other changes in how vice
presidents can be removed from office. Executive Board member Ruth
Johnson
said that the president of the denomination should be allowed to choose
the
president's own cabinet to allow for a cooperative
atmosphere. The four amendments were defeated.
Several delegates to last year's meeting proposed an amendment
addressing
the process for nominating conference superintendents. Superintendents
currently are nominated by the respective conference executive boards
with
the "concurrence" of the denominational Executive Board. The amendment
would have changed the Executive Board's role to one of "consultation"
only. After some discussion, the motion was defeated.
Delegates unanimously defeated a resolution that stated: "No
congregation
shall be excluded from membership in the ECC by either the regional
conference executive board, the conference annual meeting or the
Executive
Board of the ECC based u
pon any doctrinal or theological criteria in
excess
of our Covenant Affirmations or the historic creeds of the church."
Representatives of the Constitution Revision Committee expressed their
belief that the proposed amendment would limit conference and
denominational
authority. The Council of Superintendents was unanimous in opposition to
the amendment.
A final amendment of the morning session calling for the nomination of
two
candidates for the office of president of the denomination when an
incumbent is not running was defeated.
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