Delegate updates and nominations reminder

With the LCANZ Convention of General Synod now less than three months away, please check that your congregation and delegate/s are up to date with preparations for this important churchwide event. It is also not too late to submit nominations for positions on the church’s boards, councils, commissions and committees, but this should be done as soon as possible.

If your parish has not yet submitted your General Synod delegate details, please do so as soon as possible, as this is overdue. Having elected their delegate/s for the 2024–27 synodical period, parishes are required to return the appointment form to the Secretary of the Church (this was due 31 March 2024). If you have not yet submitted your details for adding to LAMP2, please complete the second page of the delegate appointment form, which you will find on the General Synod delegates page here.

If your delegate is unable or unwilling to attend the General Synod in October, your parish will need to appoint an alternate. Please note that an alternate may only be appointed if your delegate’s details are already in LAMP2. In other words, your parish must elect a delegate (even if they are not attending the Synod) before it may appoint an alternate. Please also note that a lay person (not a pastor) must be elected as an alternate for a lay delegate. You can find the Parish Alternate Lay Delegate appointment form here.

Parish General Synod fees were also due on 31 March, so please attend to this if you have not yet done so. The fee, which covers Convention administration and running costs, is $550 (plus GST if appropriate). The fees are charged on a per-delegate basis to parishes whether or not their delegate(s) attends Convention. If your parish did not receive a notification letter or invoice, or if you need more information, please email synod@staging.lca.org.au

Appointment to governance bodies is for a synodical term. Apart from the General Church Board (GCB), whose members are elected at General Synod and take office at the end of Synod, all other positions change at the beginning of the new year. Like GCB, the LCANZ Assistant Bishop will be elected at the upcoming Convention of General Synod, which will be held in Adelaide in October this year.

Current members of governing bodies who wish to be considered for reappointment need to complete a nomination form and submit it to nominations@staging.lca.org.au as soon as possible. All nominations will be considered, and the appointment process is spelled out in the related Terms of Reference (TORs). The relevant TORs are available through the governing and advisory bodies list on the Nominations webpage at www.staging.lca.org.au/nominations

Read more about the LCANZ nominations process here.

More updates …

• For delegates looking to book accommodation for their stay in Adelaide during General Synod, information has been prepared that includes some recommendations. Visit the Convention of General Synod accommodation webpage here.
• Confirmation of attendance for delegates and visitors to General Synod will open in July. Notification of this will be shared through LCA and Synod eNews. At that time, delegates unable to attend Synod will also be able to register an apology, in which case their congregation’s alternate will be able to confirm their attendance. Confirmation of attendance of delegates and visitors will need to be completed by 20 September.