Memorials and Resolutions enable our Churchwide Organization to address broad policy issues or issues important to God’s mission in the world. Memorials address broad policy issues, while Resolutions have a narrower focus, requesting consideration or action by individual offices, units, or the Church Council. A Reference and Counsel Committee, appointed by the ELCA Church Council, receives memorials from synod assemblies and makes appropriate recommendations for assembly action.
Resolution and Memorials for consideration at the 2022 SWCA Synod Assembly, which will be held Saturday, June 11, are due no later than Tuesday, February 15 at 5:00 p.m. and must be submitted online here. You will receive an email confirming receipt of the resolution within two business days of your submission. If you do not receive confirmation within that time, please call the synod office or email resolutions@socalsynod.org.
A printed copy of the Resolution or Memorial for consideration should also be mailed to:
Committee on Reference and Counsel
c/o The Rev. Ronald Cox
Southwest California Synod
1300 East Colorado Street
Glendale, CA 91205.
Memorials and Resolutions may come from any institution, agency, synod ministry board, coalition, or congregation, and must bear the signatures of at least five people who are members of congregations of the Southwest California Synod.
Memorials and Resolutions not received by the Committee on Reference and Counsel by the due date of February 15 shall be placed on the assembly agenda as new business, requiring a two-thirds vote of voting members to put the resolution before the assembly for consideration.
The Reference and Counsel Committee will take the following under consideration as it reviews and makes recommendations regarding submitted memorials.
- The committee will review each memorial to make sure that it is presented in correct grammatical form, so that the intent of the memorial is clear, and so that the joint assembly can consider the memorial on the grounds of its merits and not get side-tracked in issues of grammar.
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The committee will review the whereases of the memorial so that they offer correct information and support the memorial, and are not prejudicial, unnecessarily pejorative or factually incorrect.
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The committee will determine whether or not the memorial is consistent with the Constitutions of the ELCA and the SWCA Synod. The committee will determine to the best of its ability what financial impact, if any, adoption of the memorial would have on the synod. Per S10.04 of the SWCA Synod Constitution, 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 be referred to the Executive Committee for a report and recommendation prior to action by the Synod Assembly and shall require a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly for adoption.
- The committee may make a recommendation to the assembly regarding the resolution or memorial. The recommendation should be based in part on whether or not the resolution or memorial meets the above four guidelines.
Interested parties should begin with the guidelines and resources linked below for assistance in writing resolutions and memorials for consideration.
Questions about Memorials and Resolutions for the 2022 SWCA Synod Assembly should be directed to resolutions@socalsynod.org.
The Rev. Ronald Cox
Chair of Reference and Counsel
