of the
West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
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Contents
Synod
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A summary of the actions of and happenings at Synod Assembly 2026 is being prepared, but it may take a while to fully completed. You can access the preliminary proceedings from our Synod Assembly 2026 page.
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 who are under
call and also those who are retired;
- 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.
About
Congregational Lay Voting Members
Per our rules, those elected by their respective
congregations to serve as lay voting members of the Synod
Assembly remain lay voting members until replaced by their
congregations or otherwise disqualified (i.e., by
no longer being a voting member of the electing
congregation).
If you have been a congregational lay voting member in
the past, you may still be (if your congregation has not
formally replaced you). Review our Roster of Congregational Lay
Voting Members of the Synod Assembly to find out.
Every congregation is encouraged to review the Roster of Congregational Lay
Voting Member of the Synod Assembly annually and
register new lay voting members when registration opens
for Synod Assembly. Even those continuing should be
registered so as to help the Synod Assembly planning staff
prepare.
Caveat! The
regular Synod Assembly 2027 will feature the election of a
bishop. While Synod Council has not yet made the
determination, it is possible that the first and second
ballots will take place before the Synod Assembly
convenes. In such an event, B9.08 applies.
It will be important that voting members be registered by the deadline in order to vote.B9.08. In the election of a bishop, balloting may take place by electronic means (such as an online balloting platform) prior to the convening of the Synod Assembly and/or during adjournments of the Synod Assembly at the discretion of the Synod Council, the ballot being sent to those registered as members of the assembly as of midnight the day before the particular ballot; additional rules and protocols may be established by continuing resolution, special rule of order, or convention standing rule.
Some have asked: Who elects
congregational lay voting members to the Synod Assembly?
To answer this question, we've posted a dedicated page (click here).
It is recommended that congregations elect their voting
members to Synod Assembly at their next Congregation
Meeting (unless provision is made for the selection to be
made by the Congregation Council).
About Clergy Voting Members
Clergy who are on the roster of the synod are
enfranchised as follows:
- clergy under letter of call are voting members of the Synod Assembly per †S7.21(a);
- pastors who are on retired status are voting members of the Synod Assembly so long as a minimum of 60% of the Synod Assembly membership is laity per S7.22 & B7.08, otherwise they have voice but not vote; and
- pastors who are on leave from call are voting members of the Synod Assembly if enfranchised by the Synod Council for the immediate Synod Assembly under S7.27 & CR2.01, otherwise they have voice but not vote.
Clergy who are members of full-communion partner churches
serving congregations of this synod under extended
ecumenical service may are voting members of the Synod
Assembly if enfranchised by the Synod Council for the
immediate Synod Assembly under S7.27 & CR2.02.
About Ex Officio Voting Members
Those who are ex officio voting members of the
Synod Assembly continue as such until they no longer hold
the office. These include
- the officers of the synod;
- members of the Synod Council not otherwise enfranchised (q.v., S7.28);
- the lay chairpersons of the conferences not otherwise
enfranchised (q.v., S7.29).
About Advisory Members
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 2025, click here.
- Synod Assembly 2024, click here.
- Synod Assembly 2023, visit our webpage for Synod Assembly 2023 to find out what happened.
- Synod Assembly 2022, 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.
- Synod Assembly 2020 -- Synod Assembly 2020 was not held because of the pandemic. Learn more about the decision and consequences by visiting our Synod Assembly 2020 page.