Covenant News

Five Amendments Approved During Morning Session

KEYSTONE, CO (June 28, 2002) - Seven proposed amendments to the revised Constitution and Bylaws were presented to delegates at the concluding Friday business session of the 117th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Five of the seven amendments were approved. Overall, delegates approved seven of 17 amendments during the past two days.

Three amendments to the bylaws require elections to be by ballot instead of voice or standing votes. They include elections for administrators, board members and officers of the Annual Meeting. Some delegates spoke against the proposed amendments, arguing that voice votes are a tangible way to affirm the leaders of the denomination. Others supported the ballot approach, stating that delegates need the opportunity to vote privately without feeling pressure from others. The amendments passed (by a standing vote) with the required two-thirds majority.

Delegates also approved an amendment addressing the relationship of the Executive Board and regional conference boards. The Council of Superintendents expressed a desire that Executive Board members from the respective conferences serve as liaisons to their Conference constituencies. With passage, Executive Board members representing regional conferences will now serve as liaisons to their respective conference executive boards.

The final approved amendment calls for the Board of Nominations to have each conference represented be represented in its membership. It passed with modified wording to read: "Each conference shall have at least one representative on the Board of Nominations."

The most spirited debate Friday occurred as delegates voted whether to amend the bylaws to remove gender designations on denominational boards. One delegate used a text from Galatians 3:28 that reads 'there should be no Jew or Greek...' as it pertained to the equality of people to lead. "We shouldn't look on the externals, but on the quality of their character," he said. Others supporting elimination of gender balances argued that gender designations might not necessarily give the denomination the most qualified group of leaders.

Many delegates spoke in favor of the gender requirements, including a representative from the Executive Board, stating that gender designations provide a more accurate representation of the denomination's overall makeup. Others added that gender designations or quotas are a step towards being more inclusive in denominational leadership. The motion was to eliminate the quotas was defeated.

A proposed amendment that would have changed the name Christian Formation to Christian Development also failed.

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