Removal for Inactivity
West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod

If you are reading this page, we probably don't have to present an argument for maintaining accurate and clean membership rolls. So, assuming you are looking for guidance on removing congregational members from your rolls for inactivity, let's get to it with the relevant required provision in the Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Your congregation's constitution should be identical to this:

*C8.05. Membership in this congregation shall be terminated by any of the following: (a) death; (b) resignation; (c) transfer or release; (d) disciplinary action in accordance with Chapter 20 of the constitution and bylaws of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; or (e) removal from the roll due to inactivity in accordance with the provisions of this constitution and its bylaws. Such persons who have been removed from the roll of members shall remain persons for whom the Church has a continuing pastoral concern. [emphasis added]
N.B., the only time the word inactivity shows up in the Model Constitution is in *C8.05(e). Some mistakenly use the term to describe members who do not meet the basic requirement for voting membership (see *C8.02(c)). Confirmed members who do not meet the basic requirement for voting membership are still confirmed members of the congregation. They should never be called active members or inactive members as if these were constitutionally recognized classes of membership (which they are not) in order to prevent confusion with matters related to removal for inactivity and also to prevent neglect. So long as a member remains on the roll of the congregation, even if that member is inactive, that member is an object of the congregation's ministry to members.

*C8.05(e) lists inactivity as a grounds for termination of membership, but the provision includes an important condition: removal can only be done in accordance with the provisions in this constitution and its bylaws. At this point, the Model Constitution falls silent. Nowhere is inactivity defined, and no provisions (constitutional or bylaws, required or recommended) are provided. It is, therefore, left to the congregation to define inactivity and to draft and incorporate appropriate provisions in its own constitution/bylaws. The following is an example of a such from a synod congregation's bylaws:

B8.05. The Congregation Council may terminate, under *C8.05(e), membership in this congregation upon a two-thirds vote for inactivity, such inactivity being defined as failure to commune in this congregation and make a contribution of record to this congregation in four consecutive calendar years.

Note the critical elements:

  • the body that can terminate membership is identified—in the example, the Congregation Council, being the body that grants confirmed membership (*C8.03), is designated as the body that can terminate membership;
  • removal is not automatic—Congregation Council has discretionary authority to accommodate special cases;
  • the vote necessary to terminate membership is defined—in the example, a two-thirds supermajority is required; and
  • inactivity is defined—in the example, inactivity is defined as a failure to meet the commune and contribute in four consecutive calendar years, essentially double the length for voting membership.

While all four general elements should be included in any such provision, details may vary. For example, the vote necessary to terminate may be different, and the definition of inactivity may be different. It is strongly recommended that Congregation Council be the body invested with the power to terminate membership and that it have discretionary power to do so (or not). Here's a template for the bylaw:

B8.05. The Congregation Council may terminate, under *C8.05(e), membership in this congregation for inactivity [under the parliamentary authority's rules for recension][upon a two-thirds vote], such inactivity being defined as failure to commune in this congregation and make a contribution of record to this congregation in ____ consecutive calendar years.

A choice needs to be made between the two sets of bracketed material, and the blank should be filled.

  • Most congregations will likely opt for the simple two-thirds vote. Those more familiar with Robert's Rules of Order may prefer the option naming the rules for recension.
  • How many years is a matter of discretion for the congregation. Some congregations may want to have a higher number, some lower. In no wise should the number be dropped below the standard for voting membership.

It would be prudent to annually act upon potential removals. The Model Constitution includes a relevant recommended provision:

C12.07. The Congregation Council shall provide for an annual review of the membership roster.

Assuming a congregation's constitution includes this provision, consideration of removal for inactivity should be an annual agenda item.

To facilitate this work, it would be wise to have a standing committee on membership, though an ad hoc committee could be appointed instead. Again, from one of our synod's congregations, we present a continuing resolution establishing its membership committee:

CR13.05. The Membership Committee shall (a) conduct an annual review of the membership of the congregation; (b) annually publish the rosters of baptized, confirmed, associate, and seasonal members; (c) review all applications for confirmed membership and seasonal membership, reporting its recommendations to the Congregation Council; (d) make recommendations for dismissal due to inactivity to the Congregation Council; and (e) certify the rosters of voting members and seasonal members prior to a Congregational Meeting.

Whether a standing committee or ad hoc committee is given the task of reviewing the membership roster, that committee should generate a report listing all those members who have met the criteria for inactivity as defined. In addition to producing a list, the committee should make recommendations for action. In some cases, the committee should recommend removal. In other cases, however, the committee might not, for good reason, recommend removal. Should the elderly member with dementia be removed? Should the member of the military, the diplomat, the missionary, or the Peace Corps volunteer be removed while they are on extended deployment abroad? There can be extenuating circumstances, and the committee should weigh them.

The committee should consult with the pastor and the member in question (if possible). In some cases, consulting with other members (e.g., family) who have knowledge of mitigating circumstances may be warranted.

It is within the power of the committee to recommend other courses of action short of removal (e.g., intentional pastoral or fraternal conversation with an eye to reinvigorating the member's involvement with the congregation). Indeed, a congregation may want to develop a protocol involving contact, inquiry as to the member's desire for membership, consultation, exhortation, and opportunity for reconnection with the congregation prior to recommending removal. In the course of such engagement, it may be learned that the member has become shut-in, or transfered to another church, or fallen into a spiritual depression warranting pastoral care rather than dismissal. Likewise, those who have moved to a great distance may be encouraged to connect with a congregation in their new community if they have not already done so.

In the end, the Congregation Council (assuming something like the sample provision above is employed) determines what course of action will be taken. This should be done with pastoral and fraternal concern, but there will be times when removal is the appropriate course of action.

Remember, so long as a member is on the roster of the congregation, the congregation has obligations toward them. A Congregation Council may want to consider that an every-member visit by the pastor could mean the congregation pays for a flight to Florida so that the pastor can visit that member on the rolls who moved to The Villages ten years ago.

 



West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod
℅St. Paul Lutheran Church, 309 Baldwin Street, Morgantown, WV 26505
304-363-4030 + Porter@WV-WMD.org