West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
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Welcome to our page on
parliamentary procedure in our newly (re)designed
constellation of pages for all matters related to polity.
These pages are under development, so feel free to send us
recommendations as to how to make them more useful to you
and your congregation.
The Wild and Wonderful World of Procedure
It is not uncommon to hear complaints about parliamentary
procedure, complaints ranging from, "It's confusing," to,
"It slows things down," to, "It complicates what should be
simple." We don't know whether a young Captain Henry
Martyn Robert, U.S. Army, thought the same thing before he
went in to chair his first church meeting, but he came out
convinced that he would never chair another meeting
without a grasp of parliamentary law. A few years later,
he was asked to chair another meeting meeting; this time,
however, it was worse: the participants came from all
across the United States, bringing their different local
customs, customs which did not fit together. This inspired
the now Major Robert to write his first manual of
parliamentary procedure. That's right, folks: the church
is the birth-mother of Robert's Rules of Order!
| One
can scarcely have had much experience in
deliberative meetings of Christians without
realizing that the best of men, having wills of
their own, are liable to attempt to carry out
their own views without paying sufficient respect
to the rights of their opponents. — Henry M.
Robert*
Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty. — Henry M.
Robert†
It is difficult to find another branch of knowledge where a small amount of study produces such great results in increased efficiency in a country where the people rule, as in parliamentary law. — Henry M. Robert†
*US Army Corps of Engineers, Historical Vignette 038 - An Army Engineer Brought Order to Church Meetings and Revolutionized Parliamentary Procedure. †Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, 10th Ed., p. v. |
Do We Have to Use Robert's Rules of Order?
Before we get into some details on Robert's Rules of
Order, we should be honest about the complaints.
People grumble about following Robert's Rules of Order.
If you dig into these complaints, what you usually find is
not a complaint about Robert's Rules of Order per se.
It's a complaint against any order, or at least, anything
that smacks of orderly order. It might be fine to do
things informally when everyone agrees, but how do we
manage disagreements? Or, to think of it another way, "If
we were all angels, we would not need the law," as Luther
quipped. Well, we are not all angels. In fact, we're
sinners, and we need rules about how we debate and decide
matters so that the sinner in each of us is restrained.
That said, Robert's Rules of Order is not the
only rules that may be employed. Neither the U.S. Senate
nor the House of Representatives operate by Robert's
Rules of Order. Here are some alternatives (and by
no means the only alternatives):
- Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure
- Attwood's Rules for Meetings
- Cushing's Manual of Parliamentary Practice
- Roberta's Rules of Order.
Robert's Rules of Order is, however, the most
popular (as in most commonly used) parliamentary authority
(officially adopted set of procedures) in the United
States. Most civic organizations employ it. Choosing a
different parliamentary authority (or even creating your
own rules) is possible. It is, however, the prerogative of
the congregation to adopt something other than RONR,
e.g., Cushing’s, Roberta’s, Martha's,
Atwood's, etc. can all be used instead. A
body may even write its own rules of order. It is vitally
important that rules of order, once adopted, be followed.
It is also vitally important that any rules of order
adopted preserve the rights of the members both
individually and collectively. It should also be noted
that the parliamentary authority of the Congregation
Meeting is the parliamentary authority of all subordinate
boards and committees unless the constitution of the
congregation makes provision to the contrary.
Before choosing an alternative to Robert's Rules of
Order, it may be wise to consult with the bishop or
the synod parliamentarian.
Recommended
Parliamentary Authority: Robert's Rules of Order
A non-required provision in The Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America states,
C10.07. Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition, shall govern parliamentary procedure of all meetings of this congregation.
It is doubtful that this recommended provision found its
way into The Model because of the churchly origins
of Robert's Rules of Order. More likely, it is
recommended because it is the most commonly used
parliamentary authority in the nation.
To be honest, it is not required that a congregation
adopt the latest edition of or even Robert's Rules of
Order at all. C10.07 is a recommended provision.
Still, Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised,
latest edition, makes a lot of sense because it is so
popular. Many of your members will be somewhat familiar
with it because of prior experience in civic
organizations. Its popularity also means you can find a
lot of help out there if you need it.
The 12th Edition was released in 2020. There
is a very helpful appendix covering modification of the
standard rules for electronic meetings. Several sections
have been clarified, and a new coding system has been
added to make it easier for people to talk across the
print and digital versions of the book.
The National
Association of Parliamentarians is the custodian of
Robert's Rules of Order. You will find on their
website educational resources and an online store. It is
even possible to become a member of NAP and acquire
certification and credentials. If you would like further
assistance in matters related to parliamentary law and
procedure, feel free to contact Bp. Riegel.
Applied Topics
Procedure in Small Boards
Congregation Council meetings can lose some of the formality
of parliamentary procedure without sacrificing good order. Robert's
Rules of Order, Newly Revised, provides for procedure in small boards.
Check it out.
Updating Your Congregational Constitution
Click here.Email Voting by Congregation Council
Guidance has been posted on the question of email voting by congregation councils, as the question has come up more than once and will probably come up even more with the pandemic restrictions that are currently in place. Click here to access.
Congregation Meeting during a Pandemic
If you haven't started wondering about this, you will.
The first part and second part of a series related to
Congregation Meeting and the challenges posed by the
pandemic have been uploaded.
- Part I explores not holding a Congregation Meeting and how to handle budget, elections, pastoral compensation, reports, and other constitutional requirements. (Revised 9/16/20)
- Part II
explores meeting in-person in both indoors and outdoors.
It also explores meeting electronically and what to do
if you can't hold an electronic meeting. (Revised 10/7/20)
- Part III will cover adaptation of procedure that
facilitates meeting electronically.
Workshops & Presentations
The WV-WMD Synod offers workshops and presentations for
congregations on a variety of topics. The following are
currently available, but more will be added as time goes
on. If there is something you would like to see that is
not listed, contact Bishop Riegel. To make arrangements
for a presentation or workshop, email Bishop Riegel
(Bishop@WV-WMD.org).
- Intro to Roberts Rules of Order
- Increasing Efficiency and Effectiveness of Council Meetings
- Managing a Congregation Meeting
Events that have been scheduled can be found on the
synod's Education for
Clergy & Laity page.
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℅ St. Paul Lutheran Church, 309 Baldwin Stee, Morgantown, WV 26505
304-363-4030 + Porter@WV-WMD.org