CHICAGO (July 17, 2020)—The Covenant Executive Board announces decisions and actions made due to the cancellation of our Annual Meeting this year. These actions are according to provisions made by the constitution and bylaws of the Evangelical Covenant Church to carry out actions on essential business until decisions can be ratified at next year’s Annual Meeting, Gather 2021. Essential business includes budget, credentialing of clergy and commissioning of global personnel, elections of new members to various boards, and other important matters.
This update includes board member tenure extensions, Annual Meeting Officer extensions, board members who are rolling off, and actions taken by the Covenant Executive Board.
Actions taken on Evangelical Covenant Church Governing Boards:
- Board members whose termed ended June 30, 2020, were invited to serve one more year and their term to end June 30, 2021.
- Board members who chose not to serve for one more year concluded their terms on June 30, 2020.
The following board members’ terms were extended for one more year:
- Board of Nominations: Evan Westburg and Cheryl Borgeson
- Covenant Ministries of Benevolence: Robert Anderson, Art DeRooy, Richard Nelson, and Mary Palmer
- Executive Board: Jon Bonkoski and Donna Erickson
- Board of Trustees of North Park University: Peggy Bley, Rebekah Eklund, and Keith Hamilton
- Board of Ordered Ministry: Nancy Ebner and Henry Greenidge
The following Annual Meeting Officers’ terms were extended for one more year and will moderate next year’s Annual Meeting:
- Jonathan Wilson (moderator)
- Wes Gibson (vice-moderator)
- Nilwona Nowlin (secretary)
The year of service during 2020’s year of suspension shall not count against the term limits of the current Annual Meeting Officers. Moderator and vice-moderator terms will extend through Gather 2021 at the adjournment of which their terms will expire. The secretary’s term extends through Gather 2022.
We express our appreciation to the following governing board members who elected not to extend their terms and whose terms concluded June 30, 2020:
- Executive Board: Jenell Pluim and Michael Jordan
- Board of Ordered Ministry: Jim Holst
- Board of Pensions and Benefits: Scott Applequist, Andrea Johnson, and Anthony Wyatt
The following actions were taken by the Evangelical Covenant Church Executive Board in lieu of the 135th Annual Meeting:
- Approved the Voluntary Churches Removal from the Roster for:
- Fireside Covenant Church in Oregon, Ohio
- Vox Veniae Covenant Church in Austin, Texas
- Approved the action to change the Covenant’s Fiscal Year from February 1–January 31 to October 1–September 30.
- Consequently, action on ending FY 2020 on September 30, 2020, and commence FY2021 on October 1, 2020, was taken.
- Ratified the commissioning of the Mosaic Commission, formerly known as the Ethnic Commission, and the Town and Country Commission for five-year terms.
- Actions taken following the recommendations of the Board of the Ordered Ministry:
- The finalization of ordination, commissioning, consecration, and transfer of credentials that would have taken place in June 2020 will be postponed until June 2021.
- Those who were scheduled to finalize credentials in June 2020 will have their licenses extended automatically for the 2020-2021 licensing year. No additional paperwork is needed.
- Approval of One-Year Ministry Licenses for Changes in Standing
- T.W. Anderson and Irving Lambert awardees for 2020 will be selected this year and honored at Gather 2021.
- Service recognitions for clergy and global personnel will take place at Gather 2021.
- Annual Report from the Evangelical Covenant Church and its affiliate ministries will be made available and mailed by the end of summer.
- For further updates on our shared mission and ministry, please see the video above.
