On January 26th, the Synod Executive Committee appointed a select committee to study matters related to the duration of Synod Assembly. The committee consists of the following: Rick Losh – Chair, Pat Schillings, Nancy Weeks, Pastor Paul Schafer, and Pastor Linda Muhly. Our first meeting was held February 17, 2025. We discussed how we would go about gathering information regarding one day vs. multiple day Synod Assemblies. We decided that each of us would reach out to congregations and Pastors in our conferences to ascertain the pros and cons of one day vs. multiple day assemblies. Before we met, Nancy Weeks had already reached out to several people who had firsthand knowledge of the demands of multiple days meetings. These included Tamara Riegel, Jess Felice, and former Bishop Ralph Duncan. Tamara Riegel, who had run the Synod Office for several assemblies, was able to provide us with excellent information concerning the amount of work needed to set up these meetings along with pros and cons. Bishop Duncan provided historical information regarding 3-day meetings, 2-day meetings, and the current 1-day meetings. Jess Felice also provided information regarding the pros and cons of each meeting duration along with specific recommendations for each format.
Our second meeting was held April 8, 2025 where we discussed our findings. These included pros and cons for each format and also some specific recommendations.
Multiple day assembly pros:
- Ability of congregations to gather and share stories of the Gospel at play in our synod.
- Allows more time for building community and sharing of information.
- Ability to connect with our Synod ministries such as Camp Luther, LCM, and CLP.
- Allows more time for educational opportunities.
- Allows more time for debate on complicated matters.
- Almost a necessity in years that a Bishop election is held especially if multiple ballots are needed.
Multiple day assembly cons:
- More expensive for both the synod and the congregations.
- Will require an active assembly committee or part-time office assistant to perform the needed pre and post assembly function. These include:
- Making arrangements with the assembly site.
- Processing registrations.
- Arranging room requests.
- Meal planning.
- Processing payments.
- Person staffing the assembly may be required to be on site for several days which will require extra expenses.
One day assembly pros:
- Efficient use of time; all business accomplished in one day.
- Relative lower cost for planning and execution.
- Easier to secure voting members when commitment is for 1 day only.
One day assembly cons:
- Less time for items listed in multiple days assembly pros list.
Relevant comments:
One respondent shared their “concern for the morale of the clergy in the WVWMD synod” and believes that there is work to be done to boost the care for our clergy. The respondent believes that a multiple day assembly could provide time for some sort of hospitality for our rostered leaders.
Another respondent shared that in the 2010’s the Synod moved to a “wedding model” for hotel rooms. This involves the synod booking blocks of rooms at various location to allow people to book hotels on their own rooms in their price range.
As most of you know, Bishop elections are held every six years and the next election is set for 2027. This would definitely require a 2-day assembly. Another option would be to meet again in 2-4 weeks to continue the election.
Suggestions and Recommendations
The committee and comments from the respondents have led to several ideas.
One was to set up the assemblies on a 6-year rotation which would involve one- day assemblies on years 1,2,4,5- and 2-day assemblies on year 3 and 6 with the 3rd year being used to develop relationships that build up the synod and the sixth year being used for the same purpose and also the Bishop’s election.
During a bishop election, it may be necessary to have several ballots and this would necessitate having a two-day meeting. Nancy Weeks and I have talked to the Bishop about the possibility of having the first two ballots done by mail, e-mail or other digital platforms before the assembly. He agreed that this could be done but it would require changes to be made to our constitution which would need to be done in 2026.
Another suggestion is that we could look into booking the Catholic Retreat Center in Charleston WV for one of the 2-day assemblies. Participants in the last meeting held there noted that the cost was low and the food was good. The one issue is that the center has limited rooms which would mean that some of the delegates would need to book off-site at nearby hotels
The last suggestion is that 20 minutes be set aside at the 2025 assembly for breakout sessions to talk about these issues. The committee has agreed to host these sessions but may need some assistance so that the groups could be kept small.
Please feel free to contact me or any other members if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Rick Losh
Pastor Linda Muhly
Pat Schillings
Nancy Weeks
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