Not much to say
The majority of today’s business took place in Advisory Committees. Both Tom and Ron attended them, but I did not. Although I have little information to share about them, perhaps its worth a moment to explain the process.
Business comes to General Synod in a number of ways:
1) As recommendations from the Synod’s commissions
2) As overtures from the classes
3) As new business
4) as proposals from either the President’s report or the General Secretary’s report
#1 is the most common way. The commissions are charged to do specific things and they respond by bringing recommendations to the Synod. The synod approves, denies or amends those recommendations.
#2 is perhaps the most “famous” way. Classes overture the synod to do specific things. These overtures, then, are passed on to advisory committees who can turn them into recommendations for the synod to approve, deny or amend.
#3 can only happen twice at synod (Friday afternoon or Saturday morning). Business can only come to the synod as “new business” if it could not come in one of the other ways (i.e. an recent event needs the synod’s response).
#4 the President can make proposals during his/her report (which are passed on to advisory committees and can be turned into recommendations, etc.) There is some controversy as to whether the General Secretary may do this or not….I think he has in the past, although the parliamentary allowance for it may be iffy.
Anyhow, the business comes to synod. All of it is addressed in small groups called “Advisory Committees.” The Advisory Committees, then, make suggestions to the rest of the synod regarding how they ought to vote. The reasoning is that most delegates don’t have the time, expertise or desire to put a lot of energy and study into the ALL of the business, but they probably can put it into PART of it. This way, people have all of the information for their own study and reflection but only have to be “experts” in a small portion of it.
The rest of synod will be made up of large group sessions where the whole synod responds to the business (recommendations). Often, but not always, they will follow the suggestions of the Advisory Committees which spent most of today studying their particular issues.
Make sense? I hope so!
Grace and Peace,
`tim
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