An informational meeting will be held during the education hour and coffee hour on January 14 in Jeppson Hall on the proposed changes to the constitution. Please plan on participating in these important decisions. Many of these are mandated by changes that were adopted at the 2016 Churchwide Assembly. There are other changes that are required by the model but provide optional language for congregations. Finally, there are other changes for the congregation to consider.
Since these changes are so extensive, the Congregation Council decided against mailing them to everyone, however print copies of these materials can be obtained by contacting the parish office. To access any of these documents on-line, click on the document name below.
- TLC Constitution Updated with Model Language
A marked-up copy of the constitution with the proposed revisions which will be voted on at the Annual Meeting. - CONSTITUTIONOFTRINITYEVANGELICALLUTHERANCHURCH 2016
The current constitution - Table of Trinity Constitutional Changes full
A table of all current constitutional language and the proposed changes - Table of Trinity Constitutional Changes – Optional Recs Only
A shorter table of the current constitutional language and the required revisions (with Council recommendations regarding the optional language) - Model_Constitution_for_Congregations_2016
A copy of the Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America® 2016
The Council is also recommending two changes to the current constitution which will require two votes (one at the 2018 Annual Meeting and a ratification at second legally called congregational meeting):
C12.05 c: The Congregation Council may enter into contracts of up to $25,000 for items not included in the budget.
C12.05.d: The Congregation Council shall prepare an annual budget for adoption by this congregation, shall supervise the expenditure of funds in accordance therewith following its adoption and may incur obligations more than $25,000 in excess of the anticipated receipts only after approval by a Congregation Meeting. The budget shall include this congregation’s full indicated share in support of the wider ministry being carried on by or in partnership with the synod and churchwide organization.
Both changes raise the limits of contracts or obligations to $25,000 instead of the $10,000 limits currently in our constitution.