Delegates back electronic Synod meeting option

The LCANZ’s General Synod will be able to meet electronically should this be necessary in future, following the approval of changes to the church’s bylaws.

The changes within sections 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4 of the LCA’s bylaws, which relate to the convening of General Synod, the procedure of transacting business by Synod and nominations and elections, were approved earlier this month by a postal ballot of delegates from the 2018 Convention of General Synod.

The motion on the ballot, authorised by the General Church Board and submitted by the Secretary of the Church Dr Nigel Long, proposed to allow conventions of General Synod to ‘take place by meeting in person or by electronic means’. The proposal also included bylaw changes to allow procedures in transacting business and nominations and elections to be amended to suit the form in which the meeting takes place, whether in-person or by electronic means.

The Secretary of the Church, on behalf of the LCA Bishop Rev John Henderson, has announced that of the 417 ballots mailed out, 279 (67 per cent) valid votes were returned, which exceeded the required quorum of 209. He reported that 232 or 83.15 per cent of responding delegates voted ‘yes’ to approve the changes, while 47 or 16.85 per cent of delegates voted against the changes. This exceeded the requirement of a two-thirds majority for the motion to be adopted.