During the past year, Council has taken on the task of updating the Esperanza Church Constitution. This passage of the update will be an agenda item for the upcoming congregational meeting on January 31st 2021. We will also ask for congregational approval of the 2021 budget at that same meeting.
The Model Constitution for Congregations was adopted at the first Churchwide Assembly in 1987 and is the governing document for all ELCA congregations. Amendments to the constitution are presented at Churchwide Assemblies and provided to all congregations to update their governing document. The last Churchwide Assembly was held in 2019 and at the upcoming congregation meeting the approval of the amended constitution will bring us current.
Certain sections of the constitution cannot be changed as they establish the foundation of the ELCA. Amendments are possible in the administration of a congregation to recognize local conditions and practices. We plan to present two separate motions relating to the constitution.
The first is to adopt the amendments made by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly and incorporate them into our constitution. They become effective immediately following a vote of approval by our congregation.
The second motion deals with amendments which have been approved by the congregation council and are presented to the congregation for approval and incorporation into the constitution.
The amendments are listed on the back page of this letter and deal with:
* Implementation of the position of deacon into the congregation structure.
* The effective date of terms of office for council members.
* Review of pledge and giving records.
* Defining committees, teams and task forces to provide flexibility in organizational structure,
To prepare for the meeting you may download a copy of the FINAL Proposed 2021 Amended Constitution for January and the Amendments to Constitution Proposed Jan 2021 . Printed copies are available by contacting the church office during regular business hours at 480-759-1515.
Any questions, comments or other inquiries regarding the proposal are encouraged and can be directed to the congregation council by contacting the church office by phone or email.
Thank you for your participation in this important undertaking!
The Esperanza Congregation Council