Hi everyone,
I'm a pastor in Classis Wisconsin and I recently came across a rule in our classis that states, "Ministerial delegates to Synod must have been in the ministry three years to be eligible." I'm curious about the reasoning behind this rule and what it aims to accomplish but have not been able to find anything on it. Can anyone shed some light on this or why this might be the case?
Also, I'm curious to know if your classis has a similar rule or requirement for ministerial delegates to Synod. If so, what is it and what is the rationale behind it?
Thanks in advance for your insights!
Comments
Young-Kwang,
Each classis has a lot of discretion in how they choose delegates to Synod. There are non-negotiable requirements (office-bearers in good standing), but after that, there is much freedom. Some classes have a rotation of churches; some simply take a vote among willing delegates. I'll be interested to see if your post solicits any other approaches.
I can guess at the reason why Classis Wisconsin would have such a rule. (mostly, that Synod is a fairly complex system and the classis may want to make sure their delegates have some experience in the similarly complex classis structure before being delegated to Synod). But you should ask.
It's pretty common for a classis to assume that everyone understands why and how they do things. But often, that is not the case. People who respectfully ask questions are a great gift to classis. If you are wondering about this, I'm sure others are too. If your stated clerk cannot provide an answer, perhaps the interim or executive committee could give you the context.
Sean
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