Delegates discuss restructuring during the 2017 synodical convention.

KITCHENER, Ontario – Lutheran Church-Canada has voted at the 2017 synodical convention in Kitchener, Ontario to restructure the church body, accepting changes to the church’s statutory bylaws, constitution, and synodical bylaws.

The Convention adopted Resolution 17.1.01 “To Adopt the Proposed Changes to the Statutory Bylaws of Lutheran Church-Canada” by ballot on October 14, with 77.3 percent of votes in favour. The vote required 2/3 majority of the convention to be adopted.

Resolution 17.1.02 “To Adopt the Proposed Changes to the Constitution of Lutheran Church-Canada” was passed on October 15, with 92 voting in favour and 2 against. The changes to the constitution now go to LCC congregations for ratification. A 2/3 majority of voting congregations is required for the constitution to be amended.

On the morning of October 16 the convention voted to adopt Resolution 17.1.03 “To Adopt the Proposed Changes to the Synodical Bylaws of Lutheran Church-Canada.” Three related resolutions (Resolutions 17.1.06, 17.1.07, and 17.1.08) on implementing the new statutory bylaws, synodical constitution, and synodical bylaws were all adopted.

The votes—taking place over three days—followed debate of restructuring more broadly by the convention. Discussion of restructuring began the morning of the second day of convention. Rev. William Ney, Chairman of the Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure (CCMS) first presented on the process which led to the current restructuring proposal. Rev. Nolan Astley, LCC’s First Vice President, spoke on the recent difficulties in the church which have highlighted the need for a restructuring of the synodical family, especially as regards legal and corporate matters. Delegates then took several hours for open discussion on restructuring before moving to consider the first resolution on the subject.

The action comes following two years of restructuring consultations across the country, after the three districts meeting in convention all requested the CCMS propose recommendations for restructuring at the 2017 synodical convention.

Under the new structure, congregations will relate directly to synod, with congregations to be grouped in up-to-eight regions, the boundaries of which are to be determined by the Board of Directors in consultation with the congregations. To simplify the transition, regions will for the time-being follow the boundaries of the districts. Delegates to the 2017 synodical convention have requested districts to make opportunity for the election of regional pastors and circuit counsellors during their 2018 conventions. Synod will cease to relate to the district corporations beginning in 2019.

Other changes include the move to a four-year convention cycle, with provision made for every congregation to be represented at future synodical conventions by a pastor and lay representative.

———————

Lutheran Church Canada

11^th Synodical Convention

Delegate Convention Bulletin 3

We are looking forward to our time together in Kitchener. The following information will help you as you plan for your arrival.

Travel

• Flying into Toronto

If you indicated you required airport transportation on your registration, you will have a reservation on Airways Transit shuttle service.

• Thursday, October 12. Greeters are not on duty but you have a reservation with Airways Transit. Follow the directions below to catch the shuttle.
• Friday, October 13, look for convention volunteer greeters in sapphire blue t-shirts. They will help direct you to your transportation. If you don’t see the greeter go directly to the Airways Transit desk in your arrival terminal.

• Terminal 1 – Air Canada

After exiting the baggage claim security doors turn right and proceed to the escalator near POST E. Take the escalator down to the Ground Transportation Level. The Out of Town Van Services Desk is on your left at the bottom of the escalator. http://airwaystransit.com/terminal_one.shtml

• Terminal 3 – Westjet

After exiting the baggage claim security doors turn right and proceed to Out of Town Van Services Desk located on the Arrivals Level between doors C & D. http://airwaystransit.com/terminal_three.shtml

• Flying into Kitchener/Waterloo Regional Airport

If you are flying into the Kitchener area your transportation to the convention is booked on Airways Transit. A volunteer greeter will be on hand for arrivals on Thursday, October 12 only. Look for the sapphire blue t-shirt.

Passengers should meet the driver curbside at the Terminal main exit. Airways Transit vans are white with the company name in red and black.

• Driving

Recent construction of an LRT track in downtown Kitchener and in front of the hotel has changed turns and routes. You can no longer turn left from King Street and access the hotel’s front arrival area on Benton St. If you are arriving from the 401/Hwy 8 there may still be construction closing King Street. If so, follow the detours turning right onto Montgomery then left onto Weber to Ottawa Street. Turn left onto Ottawa, past King St. and then turn right onto Charles and proceed to Benton Street where you will turn right. The hotel entrance will be on your right. If there is no construction continue up King to Ottawa and turn left, then right at Charles.

Parking

Parking is free for the convention. Hotel guests will receive a parking tag with in and out privileges. If you are a day visitor, take a parking ticket at the entrance dispenser and bring it to the Information Desk and exchange it for an exit pass.

• Return to airports

The convention is providing Airways Transit shuttle service to those leaving on October 15 and early October 16. Two coaches will take the balance of the attendees to Toronto leaving at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday, October 16.

Departures from Kitchener will also have a coach service leaving at 5:45 p.m., Monday October 16.

If you are not departing until October 17 or later, Airways Transit will provide your transportation from the hotel. We will post a list of suggested departure times based on the flight departure time and the airport you provided on your registration.

• Hotel Check-In

The Crowne Plaza has a reservation for each person who requested accommodation. Balancing arrival and departure dates we have done our best to honour roommate requests and special needs. Although check-in time is 3 p.m. the hotel will try to accommodate earlier check-ins depending on room availability.

The hotel will ask for ID and a credit card against which to charge incidentals. We strongly urge you not to charge anything to your room. If because of flight times you are checking in Thursday, October 12 or leaving October 17 you will be responsible for meals not included in the convention. A $30 travel meal allowance is included on the Convention Expense Voucher which you can download HERE or receive upon registration.

• Convention Registration

Registration for the convention opens at 1 p.m. Friday, October 13 on the second floor of the hotel tower. Follow the signs. You will receive a nametag, tote bag, convention information and the latest edition of The Daily Nail convention newsletter and the most recent Today’s Business.

• Resolution Committee Hearings

The three convention Resolution Committees will hold open meetings beginning at 1 p.m. in the Kitchener rooms on the second floor adjacent to the Registration area:

• Committee 1 Synodical Structure                                                                      Kitchener 1
• Committee 2 Parish Services/Higher Education/Church Relations               Kitchener 2
• Committee 3 Finance and Administration                                                       Kitchener 3

• Opening Divine Service

Following the first business session at 4 p.m. and dinner at 5:30 p.m. we will gather at Historic St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for the convention Opening Divine Service. The church is a five-minute walk from the hotel. A mini-van will transport those who have identified mobility issues on their registration. It will leave from the hotel main entrance at 6:45 p.m.

You are encouraged to bring an umbrella in case of rain.

• Emergency Contact

The Convention Office telephone number is 204-797-6032.

The hotel telephone number is: 1-519-744-4141

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Marlene Mohr (convention@lutheranchurch.ca) or 204-895-3433/1-800-588-4226 ext 210.

ONLINE – Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) will be hosting two webinars on September 28, 2017 to unpack the details of the proposed new structure for Synod, which will be voted on during LCC’s upcoming national convention in October.

The webinar is a joint production of LCC’s Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure (CCMS) and the Board of Directors (BOD), who in July agreed to work together to prepare a final restructuring proposal for the consideration of the convention.

LCC’s First Vice President Nolan Astley will be the presenter for the webinars, with CCMS Chairman William R.A. Ney helping to lead discussion. “The new structure we are recommending Lutheran Church–Canada adopt takes into account two years of consultation at the grassroots level,” explained Rev. Ney. “We hope that this presentation will help convention delegates and LCC members more widely to get a clearer understanding of the structure we are proposing, and how it will better serve the needs of our church body moving into the future.”

Vice President Astley agreed. “Our focus with these webinars is to help delegates better understand the restructuring plan before them—to make sure everyone understands clearly what they are being asked to vote upon,” he said. “For that reason, the sessions will be focused primarily on unpacking the details of the proposed structure, with debate and decision-making on the proposal reserved for the convention itself.”

The first presentation will take place September 28 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m (CDT). The second presentation option is from 8:00 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. (CDT). Register to attend here. Video from the presentation will be uploaded at a later date.

Earlier this month, the joint working group published the results of their work. The proposed new structure is also included in a recently released supplement to the convention workbook.

The upcoming webinars can be viewed from a variety of devices, including smart phones and computer. Participants also have the option to listen to audio by phone rather than through their computer system (this option is made available when you join the webinar, along with an access code.)

Attendees are strongly encouraged to ensure their system meets basic system requirements for the live-stream well in advance of the actual meetings. You can do so by visiting this “Get Ready for Your First Webinar” page, which will test your system to ensure you’re ready to run the online convocation. The same page also allows you to join a Test Session to familiarize yourself with the system and to ensure settings like audio are properly configured. You will also find troubleshooting advice should you experience any technical problems. You can find details about attending via smart phone and general system requirements here.

———————

Lutheran Church–Canada President Robert Bugbee has issued the following note to convention delegates on recent materials shared by LCC. You can also download the letter as a pdf here.

Friends in Christ,

A helpful colleague wrote last weekend seeking clarity about materials shared with delegates (and with the wider church) in recent weeks. The concern was that, in the flurry of documents, it might all be a bit confusing. So I’ll try briefly with these lines to make a few things clearer:

The Convention Workbook, which you received in early August, is the usual collection of reports from officers of the Synod, boards, commissions, auxiliary organizations, etc. It also includes the original batch of “overtures,” that is, requests from congregations and other entities that the Convention take a certain action.

The Workbook Supplement, sent out on September 15, is really “Workbook—Volume 2”. We’ve never had this before. It was needed because of our delayed schedule of a Convention in October rather than the usual June. As a result of this later Convention, many typical deadlines fell in the summer. In the Workbook Supplement you will find an expanded report, for example, from the LCC Board of Directors. You’ll also find an extra batch of overtures that came in from congregations, a District Board of Directors, as well as from the Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure (CCMS) and LCC Board of Directors (BOD). The CCMS included also the texts of the amendments it is proposing to the LCC Handbook – in other words, to the Statutory Bylaws, Constitution and Synodical Bylaws as the CCMS’ recommended way of restructuring our church. Finally, the Workbook Supplement contains as a resource document the version of the Act and Bylaws proposed some months ago. The CCMS wants delegates to understand that this resource document is no longer their recommended means of accomplishing the restructuring of our Synod, but it was included as a courtesy, since it is referred to in a late overture from Faith Lutheran Church in Saskatoon. The “Foreword” page of the Workbook Supplement will provide an overview.

Soon you will receive the first edition of Today’s Business, which will publish the recommended actions of the Resolutions Committees which met September 8-9. In other words, these resolutions are what the Committees propose the Convention should do with the various overtures contained in the Convention Workbook and its Workbook Supplement.

“What should I read to prepare?” Ideally, you ought to read as much of the Convention Workbook and the Workbook Supplement as you possibly can to be “up to speed” for the Convention. To be sure, the proposed changes to the Handbook (in the CCMS overtures) may seem tedious. This is why there is a side-by-side comparison between the present Handbook and the proposed changes, sometimes including a little explanation on the right to explain why a specific change is being recommended.

One other thing: Last Tuesday, September 12, an “Official Notice” went out to all the members of the
Synod (pastors, deacons and congregations). You do not need to read this, because everything it
contains is already included in the Workbook Supplement. This communication was sent because the
Handbook requires a 30-day advance notice to the church before changes can be made to the Statutory
Bylaws located in the LCC Handbook. And this notice was sent to all members on the Synodical roster,
not just to Convention delegates.

I hope this helps a little bit for your preparations. I treasure your prayers and “homework” as our days
together in Kitchener draw near.

Sincere greetings in Christ,

Robert Bugbee, President
Lutheran Church-Canada

———————

CANADA – Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) has released a supplement to the 2017 Convention Workbook.

The supplement contains additional overtures for Committee 1, including overtures from the Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure and the Board of Directors proposing amendments to restructure the Synod. It also includes an overture from the Commission on Theology and Church Relations, proposing that LCC declare altar and pulpit fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF).

The supplement also includes an appeal from the voting lay delegates of the Saskatoon Circuit; corrections to the original Convention Workbook, including changes to overtures submitted by the East District Board of Directors; resource documents including the full text of proposed Handbook amendments; and a supplemental report from LCC’s Board of Directors expanding on the earlier report in the original Convention Workbook.

Download the supplement here.

CANADA – In the lead-up to Lutheran Church–Canada’s (LCC) 11^th synodical convention, LCC is encouraging its members to pray for delegates and the important work they will undertake this October in Kitchener, Ontario.

To that end, LCC is releasing a series of prayers that you and your congregation are encouraged to use in advance of the synodical convention. Prayer topics include the work that delegates will be called to do, safe travel for all involved, and the upcoming elections.

Congregations are also invited to include a short bulletin announcement encouraging members to pray for the convention. The insert follows:

Pray for our Synod convention
As delegates meet in Kitchener for the 11th Convention of Lutheran Church–Canada you are invited to join fellow LCC Lutherans from across Canada to pray for the delegates and their important time together. Ask our Gracious God to grant:

– Wisdom in all decisions
– Respect in discussion
– Focus to all participants on “Christ Alone”
– Safe travel for convention participants
– Joy and encouragement through worship and fellowship
– Unity in purpose and vision for LCC

———————

ABC

Central

East

Advisory