Nominating Committee Report

The Report of the Nominating Committee was officially published the evening of 22 May 2024. The report is three parts: a) the report of those nominated by the committee; b) the biographical information for each candidate; and c) a black form for making floor nominations. The report may be reviewed here.

Floor Nominations

Floor nominations are allowed under the synod’s rules. Those wishing to make a floor nomination should review the Report of the Nominating Committee (which contains the list of positions to be elected and the names of those being nominated by the Nominating Committee) and the information on this page related to eligibility requirements and duties.

The form to be submitted with a floor nomination can be downloaded as either MS-Word or PDF.

The nominator is responsible for producing and providing 125 copies for distribution to Synod Assembly voting members at the time the nomination is made on the floor. When the nomination is made on the floor, present the copies to the chair. Submit to the chair, at the time the nomination is made, one copy of this form, with the addition of your (nominator’s) phone number, email address, and congregation of membership and, also, the nominee’s phone number and email address.

Nominating Committee Pr. Ruth Bullwinkle, Chair (MVMC) Pr. Sean Smith (UOVC) Lois Gray (UOVC) Rick Losh (PC) Pr. Tom Darr (OKVC) Pr. Daniel Collins (PC) Cindy Murphy (MVMC) Mackenzie Rice (OKVC)

To contact the Nominating Committee, email NomComm@WV-WMD.org.

Nominating Process

The Synod Nominating Committee, having been appointed by the Synod Council, is charged, under our governing documents, with nominating two people for every position to be elected by the Synod Assembly (with some exceptions as outlined in those same governing documents). The list of positions to be elected is published 120 days prior to the Synod Assembly. The Nominating Committee, by publishing this list, solicits nominees for various positions to be elected by the Synod Assembly. 30 days after said publication, the public input phase closes, and the Nominating Committee begins its work in earnest. 10 days prior to the Synod Assembly, a list of nominees (those nominated by the Nominating Committee) is published. Additional nominations may be made from the floor of the assembly at the appropriate time during the proceedings and according to certain rules.

A technical clarification: officially, the Nominating Committee nominates during the assembly proceedings. The public input phase is not, technically, a time when nominations are made. In fact, what the public does during the public input phase is not nominate but rather recommend to the Nominating Committee folks to be considered for nomination by the committee. This is important from a parliamentary standpoint although we will admit that we have colloquially called this submission for consideration a nomination.

There are a few exceptions:

• Since the bishop election process, as governed by our constitution, employs an ecclesiastical ballot, there are no advance nominations for bishop. The first ballot is considered the nominating ballot if the the lead candidate does not secure 75% of the vote (q.v., S9.04).
  
• The synod secretary is nominated by Synod Council, but additional nominations may be made from the floor (q.v., S9.07).
  
• The synod treasurer is nominated by Synod Council, but additional nominations may be made from the floor (q.v., S9.07).

Important Dates Report of the Nominating Committee 22 May 2024 Floor nominations at Synod Assembly 1 June 2024

Your recommendations are important! It's hard for the Nominating Committee to do its work without your input, and the synod is healthier when it has input from across the synod. Sadly, there have been years in which the Nominating Committee has received no recommendations during the public input phase for some offices. When this happens, the Nominating Committee has to generate potential nominees from scratch—problematic to say the least, assuming we want the church to be a participatory democracy in its polity.

The standard "Nomination Public Input Form" (what we have called, in the past, a nominations form), is accessible from this page. Please think about folks who would do a good job in any of the positions to be elected and nominate them. You may nominate yourself. Some special instructions on completing the form are to be found toward the bottom of this page.

The list of positions to be elected was officially posted 2 February 2024, and the online input form went active at the same day. The strict requirement of our bylaws (as amended in 2022) is that the announcement and the solicitation are to be made 120 days prior to Synod Assembly. This was accomplished with posting on the web (here) and announcement and direction to this page via the Synod Facebook page, The Bishop's Roadshow, and email to clergy (with instruction to disseminate to their respective Congregation Councils), leadership of vacant congregations, and conference deans. This also marked the beginning of the public input phase. Conferences, congregation councils, and voting members were invited to submit recommendations to the Nominating Committee for 30 days from the date of the the posting of positions to be elected. Periodic reminders were posted on The Bishop's Roadshow, the web, and Facebook throughout this time. The public input phase closed 3 March 2024.

The report of the Nominating Committee will be published 22 May 2024, 10 days before Synod Assembly. It will list all the nominations that will be formally made by the Nominating Committee at Synod Assembly.

The publication of the list of nominees by the Nominating Committee is not the end of the nominating process. Voting members of the Synod Assembly have the right, under our rules, to nominate from the floor (for all elections except that of the bishop in which an ecclesiastical ballot is used). Again, there is no rule preventing a person from nominating him/herself. Per our bylaws, nominations from the floor are to be accompanied at the time the nomination is made with a completed bio sheet and enough copies for distribution to all voting members (125 copies would suffice). A blank form will be provided on the website with the publication of the Nominating Committee Report 10 days prior to the Synod Assembly. Finally, the first general ballot has provision for write-in votes for each position to be elected.

To Be Elected Synod Council Clergy | Mon Valley-Mountain Conference Laity | Ohio-Kanawha Valley Conference Laity | Potomac Conference Laity | Upper Ohio Valley Conference Laity | At-Large Young Adult Youth Consultation Committee Clergy Laity Discipline Committee Clergy Laity (2) Churchwide Assembly Clergy Laity | Male Youth or Young Adult Person of Color and/or Primary Language Other Than English Church Council of the ELCA Clergy (2) Recommend someone (or yourself) for one (or more) of these elected positions Deadline: 3 March 2024

Positions To Be Elected

We will be electing 16 positions this year. The Nominating Committee is responsible for nominating for all these positions, and according to our rules, that will be a total of 28 nominees. In addition, Synod Assembly will be electing two clergy to stand for election by Churchwide Assembly 2025 to the Church Council of the ELCA, bringing the total number of nominees to 32.

Scroll down for details such as duties, term, term limits, and special eligibility criteria. Information on submitting a recommendation to nominate is found at the bottom of the page.

We add to this four additional nominees as part of the nominating process for Church Council of the ELCA.

Special note on eligibility: the minimum eligibility criterion (as defined in the Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA) for all elected positions is to be a voting member of a congregation of this synod or to be clergy on the roster of this synod. Unless noted otherwise, all voting members are eligible for all positions to be elected. For example, just because there is a designated youth member to be elected to synod council, nothing prevents someone else who is a youth by ELCA definition to be elected to any of the other position for which the individual is otherwise qualified. Likewise, just because there is a clergy person to be elected for the designated slot for Churchwide Assembly, nothing prevents another clergy person from being elected to the young adult slot, assuming that person is under the age of thirty-one, or to the person of color and/or primary language of then English, assuming that person meets that criterion.

Synod Council

Per our governing documents,

†S10.02.  The Synod Council shall be the board of directors of this synod and shall serve as its interim legislative authority between meetings of the Synod Assembly. It may make decisions that are not in conflict with actions taken by the Synod Assembly or that are not precluded by provisions of this constitution or the constitution and bylaws of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

S10.03.  The functions of the Synod Council shall be to:
    a. Exercise trusteeship responsibilities on behalf of this synod.
    b. Recommend program goals and budgets to the regular meetings of the Synod Assembly.
    c. Carry out the resolutions of the Synod Assembly.
    d. Provide for an annual review of the roster of Ministers of Word and Sacrament and the roster of Ministers of Word and Service, receive and act upon appropriate recommendations regarding those persons whose status is subject to reconsideration and action under the constitution and bylaws of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and make a report to the Synod Assembly of the Synod Council’s actions in this regard.
    e. Issue letters of call to rostered ministers as authorized by Chapter 7 of the constitution and bylaws of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
    f.  Fill vacancies until the next regular meeting of the Synod Assembly, except as may otherwise be provided in the constitution or bylaws of this synod, and determine the fact of the incapacity of an officer of this synod.
    g. Report its actions to the regular meeting of the Synod Assembly.
    h. Perform such other functions as are set forth in the bylaws of this synod, or as may be delegated to it by the Synod Assembly.

In practice, Synod Council meets face-to-face four times a year. Special meetings are frequently handled by teleconference, or, though unlikely, face-to-face. The face-to-face meetings are typically held on Saturdays and usually on the I-79 corridor between Morgantown and Clarksburg. We have been known to hold the periodic Friday-Saturday retreat and meet in other places. It is incumbent upon Synod Council members to study materials prepared for the meetings and to be in attendance unless good cause may shown for the absence. It is helpful to have access to email and a teleconferencing platform (e.g., Zoom or a phone).

Consultation Committee

The Consultation Committee plays a role in both conflict resolution and discipline. Though rarely activated---some have served their entire term without being activated—when it is, the work is challenging, demanding good listening and observational skills, analytic ability, a commitment to justice and equity, prudence, the ability to maintain discretion and confidentiality, and an understanding of human nature. It is helpful to have access to email and a teleconferencing platform (e.g., Zoom or a phone). To learn more, visit the Consultation Committee page.

Discipline Committee

The Discipline Committee has never been activated in this synod, but, should it be, it will serve as judge and jury in matters of alleged misconduct by clergy, laity, and congregations of this synod. The work is challenging, demanding good listening and observational skills, analytic ability, a commitment to justice and equity, prudence, the ability to maintain discretion and confidentiality, and an understanding of human nature. To learn more, visit the Discipline Committee page.

Churchwide Assembly 2025

Churchwide Assembly is the highest legislative authority of the ELCA's Churchwide expression. The Churchwide Assembly meets every three years for several days. The next Churchwide Assembly will be held in Phoenix, 28 July - 2 August 2025. Travel, lodging, and most meals are covered (with some limitations) by the Churchwide Assembly. Voting members must be able to attend all sessions. Once elected, a voting member remains a voting member until the next regular Churchwide Assembly, meaning a voting may be called upon for a special meeting. Visit the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly page to learn more.

The number of voting members apportioned to each synod is determined by a formula defined in the Churchwide governing documents coupled with additional voting members being allocated by the Church Council to select synods. WV-WMD is one of those select synods, receiving two voting members above the number determined by the formula. The distribution of voting members across certain demographics is also set by Church Council. For 2025, WV-WMD has an allocation of six voting members, one of whom, according to the governing documents, must be the bishop and one of whom must be the vice president, leaving four seats to be elected.^†

Church Council of the ELCA

Church Council of the ELCA is the board of directors and trustees for the Churchwide Organization. It serves as the interim legislative authority between meetings of the Churchwide Assembly. It is responsible for most policy documents of the ELCA. It also appoints and has oversight of several committees, task forces, and commissions. For details, review Chapter 14 of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA.

Every twelve years, there is a seat for a voting member of the WV-WMD Synod on the Church council of the ELCA. The demographic category of the seat typically rotates. The seat to be elected in 2025 is for clergy. Term of office is six years, with a limit of one term.

The Churchwide Assembly elects to Church Council of the ELCA, selecting one of two names placed before the Churchwide Assembly by the ELCA Nominating Committee. The synod, however, plays a role in the nominating process. This year, Synod Assembly selects two clergy on the roster of the WV-WMD Synod to be submitted to the Nominating Committee of the ELCA. Executive Committee has ordered that this selection be accomplished through the Synod Assembly elections process. Therefore, the WV-WMD Nominating Committee will be bringing a minimum of four names before the body for the selection of two.^‡

Church Council of the ELCA

Number to be elected	Clergy/Laity	Gender	Term	Limit	Special
2	Clergy	Male	6 yrs	1 term	Ineligible: Bp. Matthew Riegel Erroneously, we initially posted that gender for this position is not specified. In fact, gender is limited to male by order of the Church Council.

^‡ CBCR/ELCA 19.02(a). In preparation for the Churchwide Assembly, the Church Council shall determine how this church’s commitment to inclusive representation will affect the next election to the Church Council. For 32 of the council members, the Nominating Committee shall invite each eligible synod to submit suggested nominees and shall then nominate persons who fulfill the categories assigned by the Church Council. ....
    CBCR/ELCA 19.02.A21. On behalf of the Nominating Committee, the secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—in the year preceding each regular meeting of the Churchwide Assembly—shall solicit from eligible synods on a rotating basis the names of two persons in specified categories, in keeping with the representation principles of this church, for possible election to the Church Council. Upon their selection as nominees by the assemblies of the respective synods, the names of the two persons shall be presented to the Nominating Committee for submission to the Churchwide Assembly. In the event that any nominee withdraws or is disqualified from possible service, the Nominating Committee shall request that the nominee’s synod provide a replacement name. In the event that the vacancy occurs subsequent to the preparation of the report of the Nominating Committee to the Churchwide Assembly, a floor nomination shall be provided from the same synod as the original nominee. Except as provided herein, no floor nominations for positions on the Church Council shall be permitted at the Churchwide Assembly.

Submission of Nomination Public Input Form

In accordance with B9.01 and B9.02 of the Bylaws of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, the public input phase opened (officially) 2 February 2024 and closed 3 March 2024.