The Draft Provisional NALC Constitution

July 23, 2010

 

Greetings in Christ!

Today we are posting for review and comment a draft provisional constitution for the North American Lutheran Church. This draft provisional constitution is the work of a Constitution Task Force gathered by Lutheran CORE earlier this spring.

As you read the draft provisional constitution, there are a few explanatory notes that may be helpful:

  • 1) This constitution is provisional. The task force was asked to develop an interim document that can guide the life of the NALC during its formative year. The congregations that join the NALC, not Lutheran CORE, will ultimately decide the shape of a permanent constitution to guide their common life, which we expect will be enacted via constitutional amendments at the first NALC convocation in 2011.
  • 2) In general this draft provisional constitution tracks the Vision and Plan document published by Lutheran CORE in February. There are at least two significant new concepts: (a) the addition of a General Secretary, who will be a sort of chief operating officer or chief administrator for the NALC (an idea we have borrowed from the Lutheran churches in Africa), and (b) the addition of a Joint Commission on Theology and Doctrine (joint between Lutheran CORE and the NALC) which will serve as a theological advisory and guidance board for the new church body.
  • 3) The constituting convocation next month in Grove City, OH will elect provisional officers for the NALC for one-year terms - a Bishop, an Executive Council and a Court of Adjudication. A nominating committee is developing a set of nominations for those offices, which will be released in coming weeks. A proposed budget for the NALC for the coming year will also be released prior to the convocation.

As always, we have no monopoly on good ideas, so we very much would like to receive your feedback. We will consider all comments received prior to the convocation, and we will also pass them along to the NALC Executive Council for their consideration over the coming year.

Finally, you'll see the new logo for the NALC on the first page of the constitution. We will be launching a website for the NALC shortly before the convocation. Until then, information on the new church body will continue to be posted on the Lutheran CORE website.

In Christ,
Ryan Schwarz, Washington, DC

on behalf of the Constitution Task Force:
Mr. James Gale, Washington, DC
Pr. Jeffray Greene, Rantoul, IL
Gov. Al Quie, Minnetonka, MN
Bp. Ken Sauer, Columbus, OH
Mr. Carroll Shaddock, Houston, TX
Bp. Paull Spring, State College, PA

Download the draft provisional NALC constitution here.