Church Council

Duties and responsibilities of the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

This church shall have a Church Council which shall be the board of directors of this church and shall serve as the interim legislative authority between meetings of the Churchwide Assembly.

Responsibilities of the Church Council:

• The Church Council shall act on the policies proposed by churchwide units, subject to review by the Churchwide Assembly.
• The Church Council shall review the procedures and programs of the churchwide units to assure that churchwide purposes, policies, and objectives are being fulfilled.
• The Church Council shall review all recommendations from churchwide units for consideration by the Churchwide Assembly.
• The Church Council, upon recommendation of the presiding bishop, shall submit budget proposals for approval by the Churchwide Assembly and authorize expenditures within the parameters of approved budgets.
• The Church Council shall establish the criteria and policies for the relationship between the churchwide organization and independent, cooperative, and related Lutheran organizations. The policies adopted by the Church Council shall be administered by the appropriate unit of the churchwide organization. The determination of which organization shall relate to a specific unit of the churchwide organization shall be made by the Church Council.
• The Church Council shall establish ranges for the salaries for the presiding bishop, secretary, and treasurer. The Church Council shall adopt personnel policies for the churchwide organization.
• The Church Council shall arrange the process for all elections as specified in this constitution and bylaws for churchwide units to assure conformity with established criteria.
• The Church Council may adopt policies in accord with this church’s constitutions, bylaws, and continuing resolutions.
• The Church Council shall act on resolutions from synod councils.
• The Church Council shall provide for the installation of the churchwide officers. At the installation of a newly elected presiding bishop of this church, the presiding minister shall be the retiring presiding bishop of this church or, where that is not possible, a synodical bishop designated by the Church Council.
• The Church Council may direct the churchwide organization to exercise the corporate social responsibility of this church by filing shareholder resolutions, casting proxy ballots, and taking other actions as it deems appropriate.
• The Church Council shall report its actions to the Churchwide Assembly.
• Proxy and absentee voting shall not be permitted at meetings of the Church Council.

From the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America