Covenant News - Delegates to Consider 22 Proposed Amendments

Covenant News

Delegates to Consider 22 Proposed Amendments

CHICAGO, IL (June 10, 2003) - Twenty-two proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Evangelical Covenant Church will be considered by delegates when they gather in two weeks for the 118th Annual Meeting in Rosemont, Illinois.

One proposed amendment addresses the Preamble, two concern the bylaws and the remainder address the constitution. The proposed amendments were spread on last year's annual meeting minutes for consideration this year.

The proposed amendments are as follows:

Preamble

Amendment #1

Paragraph 2

Current wording: "...the Apostles' and Nicene creeds..."
Proposed wording: "...the Apostles' creed and the Nicene creed"
Purpose: These creeds should be identified by their individual names.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Constitution

Amendment #2

Article VII, Section 7.2

Current wording: "There shall be one regular session of the Annual Meeting each year."
Proposed wording: "There shall be one regular session of the Annual Meeting each year. At least 30 days before the date of each Annual Meeting, the corporate secretary of the ECC shall send a notice to each member congregation, stating the time, place, and purpose of the meeting."
Purpose: In the current Constitution, the corporate secretary is required, in Section 7.5, to provide this information with respect to special meetings. He or she should be required to provide the same information with respect to the Annual Meeting. The proposed language tracks the language in the last sentence of Section 7.5, substituting "Annual Meeting" for "special meeting" and "member congregation" for "current delegate."

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #3

Article IX, Section 9.3

Current wording: "Candidates for conference superintendent shall be ordained ministers of the ECC in good standing. The conference superintendent shall be elected by the conference annual meeting upon nomination by the conference executive board and after the concurrence of the Executive Board of the ECC. The conference superintendent shall be installed in office at an Annual Meeting of the ECC."
Proposed changes: "Candidates for conference superintendent shall be ordained ministers of the ECC in good standing. The conference superintendent shall be elected by the conference annual meeting. The conference executive board shall recommend and the Executive Board of the ECC shall approve one candidate to be nominated by the conference executive board as conference superintendent. The conference superintendent shall be installed in office at an Annual Meeting of the ECC."
Purpose: Clarifies that the procedure includes the Covenant Executive Board prior to public nomination.

Proposed by the Council of Superintendents of the ECC.

Bylaws

Amendment #4

Article VII, Section 7.4.c

Current wording: "c. Each regional mission organization shall be entitled to one delegate."
Proposed wording: "c. Each regional geographical grouping of countries shall be entitled to one delegate."
Purpose: The term "region" is non-specific as regards the wording of this item and this would keep with the spirit of having representation from our mission field ("countries").

Proposed by Stan Olsen, delegate from Hillcrest Covenant Church in Prairie Village, Kansas.

Amendment #5

Article VII, Section 7.4.d

Current wording: "d. Each ECC world mission region, as determined by the Annual Meeting, shall be entitled to two delegates."
Proposed wording: "d. Each ECC world mission country, as determined by the Annual Meeting, shall be entitled to two delegates."
Purpose: The term "region" is non-specific as regards the wording of this item and this would keep with the spirit of having representation from our mission field ("countries").

Proposed by Stan Olsen, delegate from Hillcrest Covenant Church in Prairie Village, Kansas.

Amendment #6

Article VII, Section 7.4

Current wording: There is none.
Proposed addition paragraph n: "n. ordained, licensed and commissioned pastors shall be delegates to the Annual Meeting."

Proposed on behalf of the Alaska Ministerium by David Dahms, chair.

Amendment #7

Article VII, Section 7.8.iii.

Current wording: "copies of the proposed agenda shall be available to delegates when they arrive at the Annual Meeting."
Proposed wording: "copies of the proposed agenda and accompanying materials shall be available to delegates through posting on the Covenant website 30 days prior to the meeting. Hard copies of the agenda will be available to delegates when they arrive at the Annual Meeting."

Proposed by Craig Anderson, delegate from Hope Covenant Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Amendment #8

Article VIII, Section 8.1

Current wording: There is none.
Proposed addition paragraph: "q. develop its own procedural rules and file a copy of the approved rules with the corporate secretary of the ECC." (Delete "and" at the end of Section 8.1.o. Delete the period at the end of Section 8.1.p and insert a semi-colon followed by "and".)
Purpose: In the current Bylaws, the Executive Board is the only board that is not expressly authorized to develop its own procedural rules. The proposed language tracks the language in Sections 10.2.b.iii(2) (Board of Covenant Women Ministries), 10.3.b.ii(2) (Board of the Ordered Ministry), 10.4.b.v(2) (Board of Nominations), 10.5.c.ii (Covenant Benefit Board), 12.2.d (Board of Benevolence), and 12.3.d (Board of Trustees of NPU). Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #9

Article X, Section 10.2.b.i(1)

Current wording: "Candidates for the Board of Covenant Women Ministries shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting."
Proposed wording: "Candidates for the Board of Covenant Women Ministries shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting. The Board of Covenant Women Ministries may recommend candidates to the Board of Nominations."
Purpose: In the current Bylaws, the only board expressly authorized to recommend prospective candidates for that board to the Board of Nominations is the Board of Benevolence. The proposed language is identical to the language in the current Section 12.2.b.i(1) and would expressly give the same right to the Board of Covenant Women Ministries.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #10

Article X, Section 10.3.b.i.

Current wording: "Ten members of the board shall be ordained ECC ministers and two members of the board shall be commissioned staff ministers.
Proposed wording: "Eight members of the board shall be ordained ECC ministers, two members of the Board shall be commissioned staff members, and two members of the board shall be lay persons."

Proposed by John Hunt, delegate from the Evangelical Covenant Church in Evanston, Illinois.

Amendment #11

Article X, Section 10.3.b.i(1)

Current wording: "Candidates for the Board of the Ordered Ministry shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting."
Proposed wording: "Candidates for the Board of the Ordered Ministry shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting. The Board of the Ordered Ministry may recommend candidates to the Board of Nominations."
Purpose: In the current Bylaws, the only board expressly authorized to recommend prospective candidates for that board to the Board of Nominations is the Board of Benevolence. The proposed language is identical to the language in the current Section 12.2.b.i(1) and would expressly give the same right to the Board of the Ordered Ministry. Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #12

Article X, Section 10.3.b.i(3)

Current wording: "...the executive minister of the ordered ministry, and a liaison from the Executive Board of the ECC appointed by the Executive Board of the ECC who shall be an ordained or licensed minister in good standing in the ECC."
Proposed wording: "...the executive minister of the ordered ministry, a liaison from the Council of Superintendents approved by the president of the ECC, and a liaison from the Executive Board of the ECC appointed by the Executive Board of the ECC who shall be an ordained or licensed minister in good standing in the ECC."
Purpose: Current Section 11.2(d) states that "The president of the ECC shall appoint one member of the Council of Superintendents to serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of the Ordered Ministry." This liaison from the Council of Superintendents was inadvertently omitted from the current list of the ex-officio members of the Board of Ordered Ministry in Section 10.3.b.i(3).

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #13

Article X, Section 10.3.c.

Current wording: There is none.
Proposed addition paragraph (Renumber the existing provision as 10.3.c.i and add as 10.3.c.ii): "The executive minister of the ordered ministry shall not participate in deliberation or voting on discipline matters when the executive minister is responsible for presenting evidence on the discipline matter."

Proposed by John Hunt, delegate from the Evangelical Covenant Church in Evanston, Illinois.

Amendment #14 (Bylaws and elsewhere)

Article X, Section 10.5 (and elsewhere)

Current wording: "Covenant Benefit Board"
Proposed wording: "Board of Pensions and Benefits"
Purpose: All other ECC boards have names beginning with "Board of..." No other ECC board includes the word "Covenant" in its name except for Covenant Women Ministries. "Board of Benefits" sounds too much like "Board of Benevolence." "Board of Pensions and Benefits" is a more complete title, makes the relationship between this board and the Trustees of the Covenant Pension Plan clear, and prevents any confusion between "employee benefits" and fund-raising "benefits." If the "Covenant Benefit Board" is renamed the "Board of Pensions and Benefits," the sections in the Bylaws on The Ordered Ministry (currently 10.3) and Nominations (currently 10.4) should be transposed so that the boards are addressed in alphabetical order. The index and the parallel citation tables should then be changed to reflect the new numbering.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #15

Article X, Section 10.5.b.i

Current wording: "Candidates for the Covenant Benefit Board shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting."
Proposed wording: "Candidates for the Covenant Benefit Board shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting. The Board of Pensions and Benefits may recommend candidates to the Board of Nominations."
Purpose: In the current Bylaws, the only board expressly authorized to recommend prospective candidates for that board to the Board of Nominations is the Board of Benevolence. The proposed language is identical to the language in the current Section 12.2.b.i(1) and would expressly give the same right to the Board of Pensions and Benefits.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #16

Article X, Section 10.5.d

Current wording: "The Covenant Benefit Board shall be the Trustees of the Covenant Pension Plan, as amended. The Covenant Benefit Board shall make recommendations to the Annual Meeting for amendments to the Covenant Pension Plan."
Proposed wording: "The Covenant Benefit Board shall be Trustees of the Covenant Pension Plan, as amended. The Covenant Benefit Board shall adopt appropriate amendments to the Covenant Pension Plan and submit those amendments to the Annual Meeting for approval."

Proposed by the Covenant Benefit Board.

Amendment #17

Article X, Section 10.5.f

Current wording: "A director of pensions shall be appointed by the Executive Board of the ECC upon nomination by the president of the ECC and the concurrence of the Covenant Benefit Board."
Proposed wording: "A director of pensions shall be appointed by the Executive Board of the ECC upon nomination by the president of the ECC and the concurrence of the Covenant Benefit Board. The director of pensions shall be an advisor to the Board of Pensions and Benefits."
Purpose: The director of pensions was an ex-officio member of the "Board of Pensions" under Section 4.7(c) of the old Bylaws. In the current bylaws, the director of pensions was inadvertently excluded from a role on the board.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #18

Article XI, Section 11.2.d

Current wording: "The president of the ECC shall appoint one member of the Council of Superintendents to serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of the Ordered Ministry."
Proposed changes: "The president of the ECC shall appoint one member of the Council of Superintendents to serve as an ex-officio member to each of the following boards: Ordered Ministry, North Park University, Benefits, and Ministries of Benevolence."
Purpose: The mission and ministries of each of these boards will benefit from the perspective of superintendents who work daily with local congregations.

Proposed by the Council of Superintendents.

Amendment #19

Article XII, Section 12.3.b.i(1)

Current wording: "Candidates for the Board of Trustees shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting."
Proposed wording: "Candidates for the Board of Trustees shall be slated according to the procedures of the Board of Nominations and elected by the Annual Meeting. The Board of Trustees may recommend candidates to the Board of Nominations."
Purpose: In the current Bylaws, the only board expressly authorized to recommend prospective candidates for that board to the Board of Nominations is the Board of Benevolence. The proposed language is identical to the language in the current Section 12.2.b.i(1) and would expressly give the same right to the Board of Trustees of NPU. Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #20

Article XII, Section 12.3.b.ii

Current wording: "...Appointed members are not required to be members of ECC congregations; however, at all time at least 75 percent of the total elected and appointed members of the Board of Trustees shall be members of member congregations of the ECC."
Proposed wording: "...Appointed members are not required to be members of ECC congregations; however, at all time at least 75 percent of the total elected and appointed members of the Board of Trustees shall be members of member congregations of the ECC. By vote of three-fourths of its elected and ex-officio members, the Executive Board may suspend an appointed member of the Board of Trustees for cause. Cause for suspension is failure to perform duties, malfeasance, misfeasance, immorality, indiscretion, unethical behavior, or breach of fiduciary duty."
Purpose: In the current Bylaws, the appointed members of the Board of Trustees of NPU are the only board members who cannot be suspended. The proposed language tracks the language in the first sentence in Section 7.10.m.i (suspension of elected board members) and 7.10.m.ii (cause for suspension). Three bases for suspending Covenant board members - "doctrinal error," "breach of a duty of confidentiality owed to the ECC," and "breach of a duty of loyalty owed to the ECC" - are omitted, on the grounds that (1) these are not appropriate for appointed board members who are not members of ECC congregations and (2) "breach of a fiduciary duty owed to the ECC" - which can encompass confidentiality and loyalty - is cause for suspension.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

Amendment #21

Article XII, Section 12.3.k

Current wording: "Regular full-time seminary faculty members shall be ordained or licensed ministers in good standing with the body that granted the ordination or license..."
Proposed wording: "At least 75 percent of regular full-time seminary faculty members shall be ordained or licensed ministers in good standing with the body that granted the ordination or license..."
Purpose: North Park Theological Seminary is serving the church not only in the preparation of persons for ordered ministry but in the preparation of all the people of God in their ministry. The Covenant Church has long recognized that all believers have a calling and a ministry, the "lay" not less than the "clergy." Having qualified persons serving on the faculty who are not licensed or ordained would not detract from the education for ministry, but would rather enhance it. The large percentage of ordained persons required by the 75% rule would guarantee that most professors would still be drawn from the ministerial ranks.

Proposed by John E. Phelan, Jr., President and Dean of NPTS.

Amendment #22

Article XVI, Section 16.1.b

Current wording: "The Executive Board of the ECC may propose an amendment to these Bylaws in writing at least 120 days prior to the Annual Meeting for action at that Annual Meeting."
Proposed wording: "The Executive Board of the ECC may propose an amendment to these Bylaws in writing at least 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting for action at that Annual Meeting."
Purpose: The Executive Board traditionally meets in mid-March, more than 90 days, but usually less than 120 days before the Annual Meeting. The Executive Board should be permitted to use its regular March meeting to make decisions about the bylaws (if any) it is going to propose. It would still be possible to send a complete list of proposed bylaw amendments to ECC congregations and publish those amendments as required in Section 16.2 at least 90 days before the Annual Meeting.

Proposed by Marilee Roberg, legal consultant for the Covenant Constitution and Bylaws.

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