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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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