Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center
Mankato, MN
Photos of the 2023 Assembly
Thank you to our photographer Nicolle Osterhout.
Find the 2023 Assembly playlist on our YouTube channel! You will find the video messages from our partners and others that were shared during the event, as well as clips of the live event itself.
Go to: bit.ly/SA23Videos
Synod Assembly Offering
Contributions to the event offering can be shared by individuals and congregations. They can be given in advance of the assembly by mailing in a check to the office or giving online (and selecting the fund 'Synod Assembly'). Gifts can also be given during the assembly itself.
The Holy Spirit Fund provides a way for the synod to come alongside congregations who are ready to follow the movement of the Holy Spirit in collaborative, community-oriented, Gospel-centered ways. A new granting process will be launched at the assembly!
The synod's ministry partners include Lutheran Advocacy - Minnesota, Minnesota Council of Churches, Region 3 Archives, Continuous Growth Pathway, Good Earth Village, Lutheran Campus Center - Winona, and Crossroads Campus Ministry - Mankato. Your giving through the offering helps the synod to meet its 2023 financial commitment to these incredible partners! Find more information about our partners at semnsynod.org/partners.
Pre-Assembly Report
- Pre-Assembly Report (Updated 4/30 and a typographical update on 5/3)
- Appendix A: Minutes of the 2022 Synod Assembly (Added 5/2)
- This document will be updated as information changes or becomes available. Please check back.
- All voting members are encouraged to download a copy to a mobile device for reference during the event or bring a print copy. (No print copies will be provided during the event.)
- The Pre-Assembly Report includes the following: venue information, proposed agenda, special guests, general information, rules of the assembly, report of the secretary, proposed spending plan, compensation guidelines report, and more.
New for 2023! Synod Magazine
- Additional content traditionally found in sections two through five of the Pre-Assembly Report in years past will be provided in a new printed magazine format this year! This will be provided to all registered Assembly voters and guests.
- A digital version will soon be made available here: semnsynod.org/23zine
Resolutions
- No resolutions were submitted to the Committee on Reference and Counsel by the March 15 deadline. Therefore, the Reference and Counsel caucus previously scheduled for April 26 will be canceled. Additionally, according to the proposed agenda for the assembly, no resolutions will be considered at the 2023 Synod Assembly.
- Learn more about resolutions and how to bring one to the assembly by visiting the Committee on Reference on Reference and Counsel page for more information.
- Watch a video (or read the transcript) of Dave Borka, synod parliamentarian, with an updated approach to the work overseen by the synod’s Committee on Reference and Counsel. Available here.
Event wi-fi login instructions:
- Connect to network: MCHS Event Center Guest
- A log-in page will pop up. Below the "terms and conditions" section, you will need to log in.
- Username: eventcenter1
- Password: mchs405
Assembly Process Updates for 2023
The Synod Council is facilitating important process updates in advance of the 2023 Synod Assembly. These shifts are intended to increase informed engagement by the people of the synod. These changes will impact 1) the spending plan, 2) the resolutions that come before the assembly, and 3) the minimum compensation guidelines.
In the videos below, you’ll hear from Jeff Chestnut, synod treasurer, with updates on processes related to the 2024-2025 spending plan. You’ll also hear from Lisa Dierks, synod vice president, about a new timeline and process for the annual minimum compensation guidelines. And finally, you’ll hear from Dave Borka, synod parliamentarian, with an updated approach to the work overseen by the synod’s Committee on Reference and Counsel.
Thank you for taking the time to view these brief video updates and/or read the scripts; please share this information with the voting members of your congregation.
Budget News
from Synod Treasurer Jeff Chestnut
- Read the transcript here.
- Send questions to treasurer@semnsynod.org.
- Find the proposed spending plan in the Pre-Assembly Report below.
Resolution News
from Synod Parliamentarian Dave Borka
Announcements
Displays and Vendors
- The Policy for Displays can be found here.
- Display space at this event is limited. If your ministry or organization is interested in having space at this assembly, you may fill out the application here* by March 24.
- *The application link has been removed as the deadline is passed.
- AssemblyDisplaysPolicy22.pdf
- DaveBorkaTranscript.pdf
- LisaDierksTranscript.pdf
- JeffChestnutTranscript.pdf
- Assembly Role Guide.pdf
- ProposedAgenda.pdf
- 2023SynodMagazineWEB.pdf
- 2023PreAssemblyReportAppendixA.pdf
- 2023PreAssemblyReportv9.pdf
- SusanBrower_SoutheastMNSynodAssembly_May2023.pdf
- RevKimVaughn SEMNSynodAssemblySlides.pdf
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Southeastern Minnesota Synod Office