Article XI. Executive Council

Article XI. Executive Council

Sec. 1. The Executive Council of this Church shall consist of the following members, all of whom shall be contributing to the Suvartha Dhana Nidhi Fund as per the by-laws of parishes. of synods and of the A. E. L. Church.

a. The president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer ot the Church, 4

b. Two representatives of each synod, one of whom shall be an ordained Indian and the other shall be a lay person. 5-14

c. Elected by the convention. Woman non-employee of the Church 15 Man non-employee of the Church 16 Five others 17-21 Two missionaries 22-23 One woman from the Committee on Ministry among Women 24

Sec. 2. Elected members of the Executice.Council, shall be elected to a term of two bienniums. A biennium shall begin with a regular convention, shall include a period of approxi. mately two years and shall come to an end immediately {before the opening of the next regular convention. The {term of a member of the Executive Council shall include twd such bienniums. There shall be no hmit to the number of terms for which a person may serve as a member of the Executive Council as long as he is otherwise eligible. Terms of members elected to the first Executive Council under this constitution shall be fixed according to the schedule in the by-laws for the synods. Article IV Sec. 2. a. and by-laws of the A.E.L. Church, Article V. Sec. I. a.

Sec. 3. When the report of a board or committes is to be made to the Executive Council, the Chairman of that body or his appointed representative shall be present in the.session of the Executive Council discussion to submit the report and shal] have the privilege of the floor during discussion thereon.

Sec. 4. THE DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SHALL BE:

a. General

1. to: coordirate the work of the Church and its subsidiary bodies (congregations, parishes. synods, boards, committees, institutions and any other bodies organized by or within the jurisdiction of this Church) for the purpose of carrying out any phase of the work of the Church.

2. to adopt end amend the by-laws, rules of order and standing rules of the Church as well as the constitutions and by-laws for parishes and for synods 8s provided in the constitutions of the said bodies,

3. to meet three times ayear and at such other times as may be neccessary at the call of the president.

On the written request of eight or more members of the Executive Council the president shall call a meeting.

4. to send its minutes through the president to all its members, to all delegates to the convention, missionaries, pastors, Persons in charge of work and to the Division for World Mission and Ecumenism Lutheran Church in America.

5. to assign personnel 10 administrative charges of work and appointive posts Within its jurisdiction.

6. to fill interim vacancies occuringlamong those members of the Executive Council who were elected by the convention of the Church, Nomination shall be from the floor of the Executive Council and election shalj be to the unexpired term.

7. to be the manager on behalf of the A.E. L. Church of all the Educational institutions of the Churgh. s B®

8. to determine the fact of the incapacity of the President otthe A, E.L. Church according to the procedure laid down in-by-laws of A. E, L, Church Art. lll, Sec. 2.

9. to make official pronouncements on bshalf of this Church in the interim between conventions.

10. to be responsble, subject to the right of review by the convention, for approving all ecumenical and interchurch relations of this Church and its synods or other subsidiary bodies. ' © 11. to appoint upon recommendation by the president the members of all standing and special committees of the A. E. L. Church unless otherwise provided.

12. to choose the elected and appointed representatives of the Church as required by the by-laws of the A. E. L Church.

13. to have the right of intervention jn subsidiary bodies when deemed necessary by this body.

14. to consider appeals as provided for in the by-laws.

15. (a) to designate certain fieldsof work as special programmes to be administered by a special office directly under the Executive Council.

b) to initiate new projects or ministries. - (c) to consider and make decision concerning curtailment or closure of old work. Decision in this regard requires a three-fourths majority vote of the members present and voting.

16. to set up adhoc bodies to administer new projects or work which is being administered by the Executive Council.

17. to transact all business of the Church not otheerwise provided for and to perform such other duties as may be required by the convention of the Church or by the constitution and by-laws of this Church or-any of its subsidiary bodies.

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b. Relating to boards:

1. to consider and take action -concerning rules of procedure adopted bythe boards of the Church.

2. to fill interim vaca cles: a 9g. those members of the boards of the CPiich eb Were elected by the convention of the Church. The concerned board shall submit a panel of two eligible nominees for each vacancy and no nominations from the floor of the Executive Council shall be allowed. Election shall be to the unexpired term.

3. to exercise the right of review of all actions of the boards in accordance with the provisions of the By-laws of the A. E. L. Church, Aft. VII. Sec 12 b.

4. to appoint upan recommondation by the president members of the boards of the church as required by this constitution,

c. Relating to parishes and synods:

1. to determine the boundaries of the parishes of this Church upon the recommendation of the concerned synod, to designate the synod of which each parish shall be a member and to authorize the synod president to arrange for the immediate formation of the new parish church countil and necessary adjustments to the parish church councils of bifurcated parishes.

2. to have the right to take charge and control of all property and finances of a parish and thereafter to hold manage and convey-the same at its own discretion in case that parish has disbanded, ceased or failed to maintain religious services according to the tenets and usages of the Luthren Church, or has departed from membership in the A. E. L. Church without the consent of the Executive Council or has so decreased in numbers or financial strength as to have rendered it impracticable for the parish to fulfill the purposes for which it was organized or to protect its assets from waste and deterioration.

3. to determine the territories of the synods of the A, E. L. Church.

4. totiave the right to determine the time and place of the regular @nnuil'coventions of the synods, to, arrange for the election of 'synod presidints andto approve or stop the action of the Executive Committees of the synods in determining the time and place of special conventions of the synods.

6. to determine the fact of the incapacity of the president of a synod.

6. to determine the boundaries of the fields in a synod and to determine whether a field shall be entitled to one or two representatives in the executive committee of the synod.

7. to appoint an official representative of the A. E. L. Church to each synod convention. 8 to exercise tha right of review of all actions of the synods in accordance with the provisions of the by-laws of A, E.L. Church Art. VII. Sec. 15.

9. to review the work, administration and progress of each synod' and make recommendations to increase the scope, responsibility and status of the synod.

10. to initiate in the synods joint projects and ministries in co-operation with other Churches including industrial, agricultural, evangelistic and social ministries, vd. Relating to the conventioh of the Church.

1. to arrange for the time, place and programmes for al} conventions of the Church. In such programmes provision shall be made for the convention to wait upon God and listen to His voice, both in order that it may receive His guidance for its administrative work and in order that He may speak through it to the whole church and make His will known to it for the strengthening of its spiritual life and for the perfecting of its witness and service. In particular, the opportunity shall be given for the convention fo assess the extent to which, this/Church during the previous biennium, has fulfilled her objects and duties as set {orth in Art. Ill of this constitution.

2. to report its actions to the convention by means of copies of its minutes sent to the delegates.

6. Relating to finance:

1. to consider and act upon the general budget of the Church upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance.

2. to submit to the Board of World Missions request for thejAmerican subsidy required for the buget of the Church.

3. to submit to the Division for World Mission & Ecumenism of the Lutheran Church jn America, the Lutheran World Federation and other funding agencies. in order of priority, requests for projects requiring capital and other expenditure.

4. to provide through aicommittee on audits for the audit of all accounts of the Church and of all its subsidiary bodies and institutions and to review and act upon the reports of these audits.

5. to authorize the treasurer to borrow funds when necessary.

f. Relating to properties: to sanction the purchase, sala and transfer of fand and buildings.

g. Relating to ministers:

1. to make the final selection of candidates for theological training in accordance with the procedure laid down in the by-laws of the A. E. L. Chyrch, Art II.

2. to arrange for the examination of each applicant for ordination or for the reception of a minister from another church body, to hear the report of the examining committee, to act uoon the application for ordination or reception and to authorize the president of this Church to ordain candidates approved for this rite.

3. to have and to exercise the responsibility for the discipline of the ministers of this Church in accordance with the provisions of the by-laws of the A.E.L. Chureh.

4. to consider and act upon the application of a minister of the A. E. L. Church temporarily to leave the work of the ministry and to engage in secular pursuits.

5. to authorize the removal from the clergy roll of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and the concerned synod of the name of a minister who demits the ministry or who leaves the work of the ministry for secular work without assignment or call of the Church, and to authorize the restoration to the clergy toll of sugh a Minister who wishes to return to the ministry.

6. (a) Toassign ministers to synods and' to transfer them from synod to synod at the time of pastors' {transfers nearest the date of their completion' of fifteen consecutive years on the clergy roll of a synod. subject to the following exceptions:

1) A pastor may complete his five-year term in a ! parish even though he completes fifteen years of service in that synod during that term.

2) A pastor may complete a five-year term in special work under a board of the A. E. L. Church even though he completes fifteen years of service within the area of that synod during that term.

3) A paster may complete a term In an elected or appointed office even though he completes fifteen years of service within the area of that synod during that term,

4) A pastor who, because of training or special ability, is called or assigned to a special * ministry of the! Church shall be exempt from synod to synod. transfer as long as he is in that special ministry.

b) A pastor in active service shall not return to service in a synod until at least five years. have elapsad singe he waa transferred out of that synod.