Churchwide Assembly Approved Updates to the Model Constitution: What Now?

Question: What is the process for a congregation to update their constitution with the new amendments to the Model Constitution for Congregations of the ELCA approved at the Churchwide Assembly (CWA) in August, 2025?

The synod office reached out to Rev. Keith Fry, Executive at the Office of the Secretary at ELCA Churchwide, for the answer.

Step One:

Amend your congregation's constitution to include the required provisions using only the exact language (astricked provisions) and, if desired, all non-required provisions using the exact language or modified language.

Step Two:

If you HAVE used the exact language for both required provisions and non-required provisions, your congregation votes to approve the proposed amendments. Once approved by the congregation, an updated copy of the constitution is sent to the synod office administrator, Sadie Neigum.

OR

If you are including non-required provisions and HAVE NOT used the exact language for non-required provision, or if a congregation is updating more than the required amendments approved at the 2025 CWA, or making substantial changes to non-required provisions, you can learn about that process at semnsynod.org/constitutions.

Links to the updated Model Constitution for Congregations and a list of the amendments approved at the 2025 CWA and their rationale can be found at semnsynod.org/constitutions.