2020 South Carolina Synod Assembly Nominating Committee

By Name

Person’s Title

Positions to be Elected
Synod Council 3 year term ending 2023

Lay Male – Northern Area
Rostered Minister (can be Pastor or Deacon) – At Large
Rostered Minister (Can be Pastor or Deacon) – Central Area
Lay Female – POC/Language other than English
Lay Male – At Large
Lay Female – At Large
Lay Female – Eastern Area

Synod Council 3 year term ending 2022
Lay Male – POC/Language other than English to fulfill an unexpired term

Committee on Discipline 6 year term ending 2026
Rostered Minister (can be Pastor or Deacon)
Lay Male
Rostered Minister (can be Pastor or Deacon)
Lay Female

Consultation Committee 6 year term ending in 2026
Rostered Minister (can be Pastor or Deacon)
Lay Male
Rostered Minister (can be Pastor or Deacon)
Lay Female

Mission Endowment Fund Grant Committee 3 year term ending in 2023
Lay Male
Lay Female

South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers, Inc. Synod Assembly Elected 3 year term ending 2023
Lay Female

NovusWay Ministries  Board Elected/Synod Assembly Ratified 3 year Term ending 2023
Rostered Minister (Can be Deacon or Pastor)

2020 South Carolina Synod Assembly Nominating Committee

2019-2020 Terms

Rev. Angela Jennings, Chair, Lord of Life, Bluffton EASTERN AREA (Coastal, Amelia, Epiphany)
Rev. Rebecca J. Lord-Philips, Trinity, Greenville NORTHERN AREA (Foothills, Upstate, Heartland)
Rev. Leroy Cannon, Christ Mission, Columbia CENTRAL AREA (Midlands, Saxe Gotha, Western)
Deacon Sarah Katherine Delap Bowers, Redeemer, Columbia Midlands Conference
Paul Peterson, Crossroads, Indian Land Upstate Conference
Rev. Emily Edenfield, Wittenberg, Leesville Western Conference

2020-2021 Terms
Kim Cooke, St. Matthew, Cameron Amelia Conference
Daniel Crofts, St. Matthew, Charleston Coastal Conference
Steve Reed, Shepherd of the Sea, Garden City Epiphany Conference
Rev. Rusty Kehl, Immanuel, Greenwood Foothills Conference
Elsa Hope, St. John, Pomaria Heartland Conference
Tex Davis, Mt. Tabor, West Columbia Saxe Gotha Conference

SC Synod Nominating Process
The Synod Council recommends and invites people from across the Synod to serve on the Nominating Committee. Representation is gender and Rostered Minister/lay person balanced. Committee members serve for two years. Half the committee rotates off each year. The Synod Council names the committee in September. The Nominating Committee meeting is set for early November.

The Committee members are asked to bring names of potential nominees for the specific open positions. They are encouraged to call the church leaders in their area to solicit names for nominees.

The positions open for nominations are announced in the Synod E-news (and in some cases in the SC Lutheran), which allows us to receive nominations from the general population of our Synod.

At the November meeting, all names that have been received are listed for the various positions which are up for election. The constitution is followed on how many nominees are presented for each election. In general, our Constitution requires that the Nominating Committee present 2 names to the Assembly for each position.

The committee considers gifts and any potential conflicts which might be present for each potential nominee. (Example: sometimes one person is brought for two different positions and the committee has to decide which position to nominate them for; we check that a person is not nominated for a position that their spouse or immediate relative is already serving in; we make sure we are not putting two people up against each other from the same congregation or nominating someone from a congregation who is already represented on that council, board or committee etc.)  This conversation and discernment is surrounded in prayer.

The committee prioritizes the nominees into the order they wish to have them contacted.

The Committee members divide the list and call persons whose names have been presented to ask them if they are willing to be nominated. These calls are made within 2 weeks of the meeting date.

Those who agree to be Nominated are sent biographical information forms with a deadline to return the completed form. The Synod office tracks and follows up on the nominees with the help of the committee, and prepares the slate of nominees for publication in our registration materials which are generally made available in early March.

The entire slate for nomination is emailed to the nominating committee for review and approval.

Biographical information is published with registration materials for voting members of Assembly.

The Nominating Committee Chair makes the report of the ballots at Assembly and we accept additional nominations from the floor.

Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions, South Carolina Synod

Synod Council

S9.03.04.          Terms of service for members of the Synod Council and for persons elected by this synod to boards of trustees of the institutions to which this synod is related shall be limited to two consecutive terms of three years each. Terms of service begin at the conclusion of the Synod Assembly at which they are elected. Terms of service end at the Synod Assembly at which their successors are elected.   Should the constitution of any institution or agency specify a term of office for board members other than three years, the constitution of the institution shall take precedence over this bylaw as far as length of term is concerned. In computing eligibility for continued membership on the Synod Council, boards on which the synod is entitled to representation, or other organizational units where applicable, at the conclusion of a full term, service which preceded such term without interruption shall be disregarded if its duration was shorter than half a term.

S9.03.05.          Any qualified person shall be eligible for election to and simultaneous service on one board and one committee. No person, except the bishop of synod, shall be eligible to serve simultaneously on two elective boards. No elected member of the Synod Council shall serve simultaneously on any other elective board or committee.

S9.03.06.          The Nominating Committee shall prepare a ballot in accord with †S6.04. for Synod Council elections to assure Synod Council membership includes: at least one man and one woman persons of color and/or persons whose primary language is other than English; and nine geographic seats in accord with S9.03.02.; S12.01.20.; S12.01.21.; and S12.01.22. with three persons serving from each of the three geographic areas. A rotating basis for the election of lay men, lay women, and Rostered Ministers from each of the three areas shall be established for the Synod Council members elected from the areas with one lay man, one lay woman and one Rostered Minister elected each year; and nine at-large seats open to persons from across the territory of the South Carolina Synod, including one lay man, one lay Woman, and one Rostered Minister to be elected each year; and one youth serving  a two-year term.

Consultation Committee

†S11.02.           The Consultation Committee of this synod shall consist of at least six persons and not more than 12 persons, of whom half shall be ministers of Word and Sacrament and half shall be lay persons, who shall each be elected by the Synod Assembly for a term of six years without consecutive reelection. The functions of the Consultation Committee are set forth in Chapter 20 of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and in Chapter 17 of this constitution. The size of the Consultation Committee, in accord with this provision, shall be defined in this synod’s bylaws.

S11.02.01.        The Consultation Committee of this synod shall consist of 12 persons.

Committee on Discipline

†S11.03.           The Committee on Discipline of this synod shall consist of 12 persons of whom six shall be ministers of Word and Sacrament and six shall be laypersons, who shall each be elected by the Synod Assembly for a term of six years without consecutive reelection.

1. The functions of the Committee on Discipline of this synod are set forth in Chapter 20 of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
2. The Synod Council shall fill vacancies on the Committee of Discipline for any unexpired term.

South Carolina Synod Mission Endowment Fund

Endowment Grant Committee

S10.08.             The South Carolina Synod shall have an endowment fund that is administered for purposes defined in the bylaws under the authority of the Synod Council.

S10.08.01.          The South Carolina Synod Mission Endowment Fund, established as provided in S10.08. shall be invested in accord with the “General Statement of South Carolina Synod Investment Policies,” as adopted by the Synod Council.

S10.08.02.        An Endowment Grant Committee for the South Carolina Synod Mission Endowment Fund shall consist of the bishop of the South Carolina Synod or his or her appointee, the treasurer of this synod, and five members elected by the Synod Assembly. Two of the elected members shall be lay women, two shall be lay men and one shall be a minister of Word and Sacrament on the roster of this synod. The term of office for the five persons elected by the Synod Assembly to membership on this committee shall be three years; individuals so chosen may not serve more than two consecutive full terms. The ex officio and elected members of the committee shall elect a chairperson from the committee’s membership.

1. The members of the Endowment Grant Committee shall not receive compensation for their duties.
2. The Endowment Grant Committee shall be responsible to the South Carolina Synod through the Synod Council and shall provide annually a report of disbursements to the Synod Assembly.
3. The Endowment Grant Committee shall meet at least annually and provide the means, dates, and deadlines for grant requests, review such requests, and make recommendations for disbursements to the Synod Council.

S10.08.03.        No more than five percent (5%) of the Mission Endowment Fund may be distributed in any given year and of this amount, up to fifty percent (50%) may be granted for mission development within the South Carolina Synod and up to fifty percent (50%) may be granted for special expressions of God’s love in the world. These grants shall not be used to support operational expenses of the synod or any other entity.

2019 South Carolina Synod Assembly Nominating Committee: Appointment of Six Members

Background

Among the responsibilities of the Synod Council, South Carolina Synod is the appointment of the South Carolina Synod Assembly Nominating Committee.

Constitutional provision S9.03. provides:

“There shall be a Nominating Committee consisting of at least seven persons and not more than 12 persons who shall be appointed by the Synod Council to serve for each regular meeting of the Synod Assembly.”

Continuing resolution S9.03A06. provides

“The Nominating Committee shall consist of nine persons from the conferences and three persons from the geographical areas of this synod as described in S12.01.20., S12.01.21., and S12.01.22. Each of the nine conferences shall have one person on the committee. At least one of the twelve persons shall be a member of the Synod Council. The Synod Council shall appoint the chair of the nominating committee. Members of the nominating committee shall serve two-year terms. In order to have continuity on the committee from year to year, the terms of one-half of the twelve members shall expire each year. The committee’s report shall be included in the Bulletin of Reports for the Synod Assembly. It shall nominate two persons for each vacancy to be filled by election except the officers of this synod.”

Chapter 6: Statement of Purpose

†S6.04.             Except as otherwise provided in this constitution and bylaws, the Synod Council shall establish processes that will ensure that at least 60 percent of the members of the synod assemblies, councils, committees, boards, and other organizational units shall be laypersons; and that at least 45 percent of the lay members of assemblies, councils, committees, boards, or other organizational units shall be women and at least 45 percent shall be men; and that, where possible, the representation of ministers of Word and Sacrament shall include both men and women.  This synod shall establish processes that will enable it to reach a minimum goal that 10 percent of its assemblies, councils, committees, boards, or other organizational units be persons of color and/or persons whose primary language is other than English.

†S6.04.01.      It is the goal of this synod that 10 percent of the membership of synod assemblies, councils, committees, boards and/or other organizational units be persons of color and/or persons whose primary language is other than English.

†S6.04.02.       It is the goal of this synod that at least 10 percent of the voting members of the Synod Assembly, Synod Council, committees, and organizational units of this synod be youth and young adults. The Synod Council shall establish a plan for implementing this goal. For purposes of the constitution, bylaws, and continuing resolutions of this synod, the term “youth” means a voting member of a congregation who has not reached the age of 18 at the time of election or appointment for service. The term “young adult” means a voting member of a congregation between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time of election or appointment for service.

Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions, South Carolina Synod

Amended August 5-10, 2019, Churchwide Assembly