of the
West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
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Contents
Synod
Assembly Communications
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Synod Assembly 2025 will be held 31 May 2025 at the Mon
County 4-H Center, Morgantown, WV. For more information, click here.
What Is Synod Assembly?
Synod Assembly is the highest legislative authority of
the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod. It is a
unicameral legislature of clergy and laity enfranchised
under the Synod Constitution. In session, it employs Robert's
Rules of Order, Newly Revised (latest edition) as
its parliamentary authority. The Synod Assembly must meet
in regular session at least triennially, but, with one
exception, West Virginia-Western Maryland has met annually
since its constituting convention in 1987.
Who Are the Members of the Synod Assembly?
The voting membership of the Synod Assembly is a mix of
clergy and laity. A minimum of 60% of its voting members
must be laity. Of the laity, at least 45% must be men, and
at least 45% must be women.
The voting membership includes:
- the officers of the synod (bishop, vice president, secretary, and treasurer);
- the members of Synod Council not otherwise enfranchised;
- the clergy on the roster of the synod;
- from each of the congregations of the synod, two lay voting members enfranchised by action of their respective congregations (see below); and
- a handful of special cases defined in our Synod Constitution, involving discretionary enfranchisement by Synod Council.
Some have asked: Who elects congregational
lay voting members to the Synod Assembly? To answer
this question, we've posted a dedicated page (click on the
question).
Those who are ex officio voting members of the
Synod Assembly continue as such until they no longer hold
the office. Congregational lay voting members continue
until disqualified or replaced by their respective
congregations.
In addition to the voting members, there is a small number of advisory members, those who have voice but not vote.
Anatomy of the Synod Assembly
Synod Assembly, much like any convention, has various
committees and offices that work well in advance of the
assembly and during the assembly. While this can get
pretty complicated, the most important entities for the
legislative work of the assembly are...
- Nominating Committee—Nominating
Committee, with some few exceptions, generates
nominations for offices to be elected by the Synod
Assembly. Learn more about Nominating Committee, its
processes, and the status of its work at this point at
the Nominations
webpage.
- Reference & Counsel—R&C is the principal legislative committee of the assembly. R&C, among other duties, reviews all resolutions and memorials submitted to the assembly by voting members and congregations. Learn more about Nominating Committee, its processes, and the status of its work at this point at our Resolutions & Memorials webpage.
- Resolutions Committee—Resolutions Committee is the drafting committee of the Synod Assembly.
Past Synod Assemblies
Synod Assembly 2024
Synod Assembly 2024 has adjourned sine die. For more information, click here.
Synod Assembly 2023
Synod Assembly 2023 has adjourned sine die. Visit our webpage for Synod Assembly 2023 to find out what happened.Synod Assembly 2022
Synod Assembly 2022 has adjourned sine die, and the synopsis is on-line! Review the happenings at our Synod Assembly 2022 page.
Synod Assembly 2021
The 33rd Annual Synod Assembly of the West Virginia-Western Maryland, ELCA, convened Saturday, 16 October 2021, at the Mon County 4-H Center, Mylan Park, outside of Morgantown, WV. To find out what happened, including elections, legislative action, and more, visit the Synod Assembly 2021 page.