Registration for Voting Members of the 2020 ELCA South Carolina Synod Assembly is now closed. There will be no further registration available in order to prepare the online components of the assembly.
Assembly Offering
Documents
Media and News Page
Guests and Speakers
Schedule
Results of the Fifth Ballot for Bishop
Results of the Fifth Ballot for Bishop
Results of the Fourth Ballot for Bishop
Results of the Fourth Ballot for Bishop
Results of the Third Ballot for Bishop
Results of the Third Ballot for Bishop
Biographies for Bishop Candidates
Results of the Second Ballot for Bishop
Corrected Results of the First Ballot for Bishop
Listen, God is Calling!
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” – Matthew 7:7
About Our Assembly
Saturday, July 25, 2020
2020 is the Thirty-Third Assembly of the South Carolina Synod and the 195th meeting of the Lutheran Church in South Carolina. The 2020 Assembly will include several items of business for our consideration, including the election of a Bishop using the Ecclesiastical Ballot and the presentation of Nominations for other various offices and committees. We also plan to share together in Worship, Bible Conversations, and a Keynote Presentation.
2020 has been a year like no other in our lifetime! This is a year when each new day engages us in learning adaptation, resilience and faithfulness. In the midst of the incredible changes to our routines and lives which the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, we have the amazing opportunity to listen even more closely for God’s voice and direction in the way we do ministry together.
Plans for the 2020 South Carolina Synod Assembly have required deep listening to God and to one another as well as a willingness to adapt and make changes to every way that we have ever done assembly before. This assembly has been planned and re-planned several times, including agenda plans for the original May Assembly, plans for a one-day July Assembly Agenda, plans for a Multi-Site Assembly Agenda and now, plans for a Virtual/Online Assembly Agenda. This whole “season” has been filled with learning, adapting and searching for the best possible solution for the people of the South Carolina Synod. It has been our intention from the beginning to listen closely; and our deepest desire, if it was at all possible, to bring forth an assembly that kept everyone in the Synod safe, has integrity, and is faithful to Christ.
We are deeply appreciative to the Pastors and Staff members of St. Stephens, Lexington; Zion, Lexington and Pilgrim, Lexington, who offered to open their doors to the Synod and worked with us to consider and create a Multi-Site Assembly plan. Had the COVID-19 cases decreased in South Carolina this could have been an excellent option. We are also appreciative for your patience with us throughout this entire season as we sorted through the details and sought to learn more about what the best options were for the South Carolina Synod.
The South Carolina Synod will be working with Lumi Global, a tech company, to conduct a Virtual Assembly since we cannot fully come together in person safely at this time. Lumi has provided voting technology at several churchwide assemblies throughout the years. In addition, Lumi has been used on over 800 virtual meetings including IBM, Coca-Cola and the American Medical Association over these past 3 months. This technology will be used to manage the voting which allows us to follow the Ecclesiastical Balloting process as well as all our voting needs.
Voting members will be using Zoom in conjunction with the Lumi online voting platform. If you would like to watch the Assembly proceedings as a guest, there will be a webcast on our South Carolina Synod website. We have researched our options and this option has proven to be effective in other Association meetings where important elections and business has successfully taken place. We realize that this virtual Assembly will be very different than what we are accustomed to, but we are confident that we can get the business of the Assembly accomplished in accordance to our bylaws and procedures.
A detailed email will be sent to each registered voting member to share the secure links and information needed to participate. In advance of this assembly we will also host an orientation session for every voting member to assist everyone in getting comfortable with this platform. Voting Members will need to be registered no later than July 13 at 5:00 pm to receive your credentials to attend this Assembly and to vote. Our staff will be in contact with each congregation to assist in getting Voting members registered correctly.
We look forward to this new and unique way of gathering to listen for the Spirit of God and to do the work of ministry together as the South Carolina Synod.
The number of voting members is determined from the most recent Congregational Report Form. Congregations are added to this list after we receive their Form A.
Lumi Platform Instructional Video
Bishop Yoos Answers Some Frequently Asked Questions about the 2020 Synod Assembly
Guests, Leaders, & Speakers
We give thanks to these wonderful guests, leaders, and speakers. More will be listed soon.
Dr. Andy Root
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Andrew Root is...
Andrew Root, PhD (Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary.
He is most recently the author of The Pastor in a Secular Age: Ministry to People Who No Longer Need God (Baker, 2019), Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies: Youth Ministry in the Age of Science (Fortress Press, 2018), Faith Formation in a Secular Age (Baker, 2017), and The Grace of Dogs: A Boy a Black Lab and Father’s Search for the Canine Soul (Convergent, 2017).
He has also authored Christopraxis: A Practical Theology of the Cross (Fortress, 2014) and Bonhoeffer as Youth Worker (Baker, 2014). Root puts together theology and storytelling to explore how ministry leads us into encounter with divine action. His book The Relational Pastor (IVP, 2013) as well as a four book series with Zondervan called A Theological Journey Through Youth Ministry (titles include Taking Theology to Youth Ministry, Taking the Cross to Youth Ministry, Unpacking Scripture in Youth Ministry, and Unlocking Mission and Eschatology in Youth Ministry) break new ground in this direction.
In 2012 his book The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry (with Kenda Creasy Dean, IVP, 2011) was Christianity Today Book of Merit. He has written a number of other books on ministry and theology such as The Children of Divorce: The Loss of Family as the Loss of Being (Baker Academic, 2010), The Promise of Despair (Abingdon, 2010), Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry: From a Strategy of Influence to a Theology of Incarnation (IVP, 2007) and Relationships Unfiltered (Zondervan/YS, 2009).
Andy has worked in congregations, parachurch ministries, and social service programs. He lives in St. Paul with his wife Kara, two children, Owen and Maisy, and their dog. When not reading, writing, or teaching, Andy spends far too much time watching TV and movies.
Victoria Flood
ELCA Representative
Victoria Flood serves as...
Victoria will assist us and oversee the election process for Bishop. She will be working side by side with our Conduct of Elections Committee. We are thankful for her presence with us and her guidance.
Victoria Flood serves as Director for Mission Support in the churchwide expression of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Learning more about the ministries of our church through visits in synods and with congregations is one of Victoria’s greatest joys in this position. She is often heard saying, “Mission Support is rooted in our faith and our relationships. It is one of the most tangible ways that all of us in the ELCA demonstrate we are church together for the sake of the world.”
Victoria began serving in this position in March 2016. Prior to that, Victoria served 15 years in the churchwide expression of the ELCA as part of the team in Research and Evaluation. Prior to serving in the ELCA, Victoria worked nearly seven years in Wisconsin state government.
Victoria earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Political Science from Valparaiso University.
She and her husband, Rod Boriack, live in Des Plaines, IL. They are proud parents and grandparents to 2 children – Katy (Christian); Jon (Brooke); and 2 grandchildren – Ayden and Zoe. Victoria and Rod worship at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, IL.
The Reverend Jacqueline Utley
Bible Conversation Leader
The Reverend Jacqueline Utley is...
The Rev. Dr. Mary Anderson
Bible Conversations Leader
The Rev. Dr. Mary W. Anderson is...
The Rev. Rachel Hoffman
Bible Conversations Leader
The Rev. Rachel Hoffman is...
The Rev. Maria Miller
Assembly Chaplain
The Rev. Maria Miller is...
The Rev. Joanna Gragg
Necrologist
The Rev. Joanna Gragg is...
David Turner
Chief Musician
David Turner is...
David Turner is the Minister of Music and Worship at Ebenezer where he is the primary service musician and accompanist and director for the adult, children’s, and handbell choirs. Recent performances include a recital at the Columbia Trinity Cathedral series in Columbia, SC, a benefit recital at the Roswell Presbyterian Church in Roswell, GA and an extended music education residency in Solidad, Mexico and Cange Haiti with the Lila Duo through which he co-founded The Haiti Music Project.
David has presented workshops and sessions throughout the southeast on service playing and improvisation to organists and other instrumentalists including The Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians of South Carolina, The Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities, and the Greenville, SC chapter of the AGO. As a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians he played host to the national convention in 2010. He is also an active member of the American Guild of Organists and has served in many leadership capacities within the organization. David has served as the President of the Downtown Symphony Club and sat on the board for the Greenville Symphony Association.
Ashton Roberts
Worship and Music Team
Ashton Roberts is...
James M Colwell
Music Team
James M. Colwell has...
The Rev. Angela Jennings
Nominating Chair
The Rev. Dr. Angela Ryan Jennings serves...
The Rev. Jason Schafer
Reference and Counsel
The Rev. Jason Schafer serves...
The Rev. Gina Metze
Elections Chairperson
The Rev. Gina Metze is...
She lives in Lexington with her husband, Dion. They have one daughter, Breanna.
The Rev. Mike Watson
Elections Chairperson
The Rev. Mike Watson is...
The Rev. Alejandro Mejia
Spanish Language Translator
The Rev. Alejandro Mejia Porras is...
Pastor Alejandro Mejia Porras is a fourth generation Lutheran from Colombia South America, currently serving as the Pastor Developer of Parroquia Nuestro Salvador.
He studied theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in his home country, and through the ELCA Teem Program at Pacific Lutheran Seminary, Pastor Alejandro has college degrees in administration and in Music.
In Colombia, Pastor Mejia worked as a music educator at school and college. He also served San Marcos Lutheran Church. He has worked extensively in programs for children and youth living in communities at risk, and programs designed for the benefit and wellbeing of single mothers, victims of the violence, refugees, development of leadership, among others.
In his spare time, Alejandro loves to spend time with his two-years-old dog Tomas, or doing yoga, working out, or traveling.
TBA
Spanish Language Interpreter
The Spanish Language Interpreter...
Celebrations
In addition to honoring Bishop Yoos upon his retirement, we are pleased to honor the following.
Celebrating 50 years of Ordination
The Rev. James W. Addy & Mrs. Celie
Ordained June 1, 1970 – Retired March 1, 2005
Pastor Addy has served: South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers, St. John (Clinton), Orangeburg Lutheran, Faith (Batesburg-Leesville), St. Andrew’s (Charleston), Redeemer (Greer)
The Rev. William C. Ebener & Mrs. Margaret
Ordained June 1, 1970 – Retired July 1, 2006
Pastor Ebener has served: Corinth & St. Mark (Prosperity), Lutheran Homes of SC , SC Christian Action Council, Union (Leesville), Batesburg/Leesville Senior Center, Transfiguration (Cayce), Redeemer (Atlanta), Faith (Batesburg), St. Mark’s (Charlotte), St. Paul’s (Mt. Pleasant) and interims
The Rev. Al Potter & The Rev. Timothea Sharpe
Ordained June 1, 1970 Retired June 1, 2000
Pastor Potter has served: Mt. Hebron (Leesville), Lutheran Homes of SC, Bethel (White Rock), Resurrection (Augusta, GA), St. James (Graniteville), Peachtree Road Lutheran (Atlanta), Jerusalem (Rincon, GA) and various interims
The Rev. Dennis L. Setzer, Jr. & Mrs. Jeanne
Ordained June 7, 1970 – Retired September 1, 2010
Pastor Setzer has served: St. Philip (Myrtle Beach)
The Rev. Gerald W. Smith & Mrs. Christy
Ordained June 1, 1970 – Retired April 1, 2009
Pastor Smith has served: Our Saviour (Greenville), Beaver Lake Lutheran (St. Paul, MN), Mt. Calvary (Excelisor, MN) and Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran (St. Paul, MN)
The Rev. Dr. William Trexler & Mrs. Karla
Ordained June 1, 1970 – Retired August 1, 2009
Pastor Trexler has served: First Lutheran (Norfolk, VA), Florida-Bahamas Synod Bishop, St. Mark’s (Jacksonville, FL), Immanuel (Greenwood), Division for Parish Svcs (LCA), St. Peter’s (Miami, FL) and various interims including Holy Trinity (Hickory)
South Carolina Synod Congregational Special Anniversaries
275 Years – Zion Lutheran Church in Lexington Organized in 1745
175 Years – St. David Lutheran Church in West Columbia Organized in 1845
175 Years – Colony Lutheran Church in Newberry Organized in 1845
150 Years – Wittenberg Lutheran Church in Batesburg-Leesville Organized in 1870
100 Years – St. John Lutheran Church in Clinton Organized in 1920
75 Years – Atonement Lutheran Church in Laurens Organized in 1945
75 Years – Trinity Lutheran Church in Georgetown Organized in 1945
Schedule
Important Notes:
RECOMMENDATION FOR ASSEMBLY ACTION:
Recommends the adoption of the following “Budget Procedures” to guide the adoption of the 2021-2022 budget by the 2020 South Carolina Synod Assembly.
Budget Procedures
- Proposed amendments to the budget must be submitted online no later than Saturday, July 25, 2020, at 10:15 am. Each amendment or resolution to amend must be supported in writing by ten (10) signatures of voting members in this assembly. The secretary shall refer such proposed amendments to the Treasurer and the Finance Committee. During the consideration of the budget by the assembly, the Treasurer or Finance Committee shall report on the implication of each proposed amendment.
- Any amendment to the budget that increases a current program proposal expense, or adds a current program proposal to the budget, must include a corresponding decrease in some other current program proposal of the same amount; or an increase in revenues to offset the proposed expense.
Regarding Votes to Appropriate Funds not Approved by Synod Council:
Chapter S10.04.
Any proposal to appropriate funds, whether by amendment to the budget or otherwise, which is presented to a meeting of the Synod Assembly without the approval of the Synod Council shall require a two-thirds vote for adoption.
Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions, South Carolina Synod
Please Note: The deadline for Registration is July 13 at 5:00 p.m. Our staff will be in contact with anyone who has previously registered for the July 25th Assembly first and will then begin assisting with new registrations.
The deadline for submitting resolutions to Committee of Reference and Counsel is Saturday, July 8, 2020, at Noon.
Any additional Resolutions may be submitted online for the Committee of Reference and Counsel for consideration no later than Saturday, July 25, 2020, 10:15 a.m.
The results of the Ecclesiastical/1st Ballot for Bishop will be announced and posted as soon as it is available. Our goal is 11:00 a.m. Each Pastor who is nominated is asked to complete either a Biographical Form or a Withdrawal Form and email it to Jenny@scsynod.com no Later than 11:40 a.m., Saturday, July 25, 2020. The forms are available on our website and we will put a link in the chat feature during the Results Report.
Report of Committee on Agenda and Program
Saturday, July 25, 2020
9:00 a.m.
Session One
(As a courtesy, please be sure to mute your microphones unless called on.)
This session's schedule is...
Order for Opening of Synod Assembly
Organization of Assembly
Reference & Counsel Introduction of Special Guests
Report of Synod Council (Part 1) Procedural matters affecting this Assembly
Preparation for Ecclesiastical Ballot for Bishop
Report of Registration
Discernment & Prayer
Ecclesiastical/1st Ballot for Bishop (3/4 votes needed to elect)
*Report: Nominating Committee
*Nominations from the floor of this Assembly must include a completed biographical information form. This form is available here (link here) and we ask that anyone bringing a nomination from the floor complete this form in advance of the Assembly and be prepared to submit the form immediately following the Nominating Committee Report. This completed form must be received no later than 10:22 a.m.
Bible Conversation 1
Introduction of New Leaders of the South Carolina Synod
South Carolina Synod Campus Ministry
10:40 a.m.
Session Two
(As a courtesy, please be sure to mute your microphones unless called on.)
This session's schedule is...
Report of Registration
General Elections: Ballot 1 (Majority needed to elect)
Report of Synod Council (Part 2) Proposed Budget & Treasurer’s Report
*Results of the Ecclesiastical Ballot
*Those nominated will need to complete and submit either a Biographical Form (insert link) or a Withdrawal Form (insert link) immediately following this report of results. One of these completed forms will need to be received no later than 11:40 am.
Keynote Presentation
Reference & Counsel 1
Report of Synod Council (Part 3) Recommendations on Compensation Guidelines & Constitutional Matters
Report from Conduct of Elections: Nominees who are on 2nd Ballot for Bishop
Report of Registration
2nd Ballot for Bishop (3/4 votes needed to elect; determines top 7+ ties)
General Elections: Ballot 2 (as needed) (Majority needed to elect)
12:40 p.m.
Session Three
(As a courtesy, please be sure to mute your microphones unless called on.)
This session's schedule is...
Results of 2nd Ballot for Bishop
Report: Bishop Yoos
Introductions: 7+ Candidates for Bishop
Reference & Counsel 2 (as needed)
Report of Registration
3rd Ballot for Bishop (2/3 votes needed to elect; determines top 3+ ties)
Celebration of 6 SC Pastors 50th Anniversary of Ordination
Report: Secretary
Report: Vice President
Results of 3rd Ballot for Bishop
2:20 p.m.
Session Four (Including Worship)
(As a courtesy, please be sure to mute your microphones unless called on.)
This session's schedule is...
Q & A with 3+ Candidates for Bishop
Report of Registration
4th Ballot for Bishop (60% votes needed to elect; determines top 2)
General Elections: Ballot 3 (as needed) (Majority needed to elect)
Bible Conversations 3
Report: ELCA Representative
Results of 4th Ballot for Bishop
4:00 p.m.
Session Five
(As a courtesy, please be sure to mute your microphones unless called on.)
This session's schedule is...
5th Ballot for Bishop (Majority votes needed to elect; determines Bishop)
Report of Synod Council (Part 4) Votes: Compensation Guidelines & Budget
Reference & Counsel 3 (as needed)
Results of 5th Ballot for Bishop
Unfinished Business
Reference & Counsel (Final Resolution)
Closing of Assembly & Installation of Synod Council
We are over half way to our goal! Join the effort to launch Latino ministry to new levels in South Carolina. Make your gift today.
And, help us reach the $50,000 challenge if at least half of our congregations participate. Click here for more information about how congregations can share this story with your members.
Mission Partners
Get In Touch
This is Christ’s Church. There is a place for you here.
We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person–questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God’s work in Christ’s name for the life of the world.
Contact Information
ELCA South Carolina Synod
1003 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Telephone 803-765-0590
Fax 803-252-5558
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