GCE45 GS30 Approving the Question for Remit Membership of Regional Councils for November 2025

1. What is the issue?

At the 45th General Council 2025, the General Council: 

1. approved a change to the Basis of Union regarding the composition of the Regional Council to allow:
   • Regional Councils to elect additional lay members; and
   • retired designated lay ministers to hold membership in their respective Regional Councils; and
2. authorized a Category 2 remit (including information and study materials) to test the will of the church concerning this change.

2. Why is the issue important?

The 44th General Council approved the proposals in the document Ministry Leadership to Serve the Needs of the Church 2020s and requested that the General Secretary do some further work with regards the role of Designated Lay Ministers. The GCE in September of 2023 approvedGS57 and forwarded it to the annual meeting of the 44th General Council in October of 2023(GCE08) The Council approved the recommendation.

The General Council strongly encourages regional councils to review their practices under C.2.1 b) and I.2.4.1 b) of The Manual to consider, in light of the leadership roles and acquired experience of many lay members who retired as designated lay minister, granting both licence to administer the sacraments and membership in the regional council to lay members who retired as designated lay ministers and are resident within the regional council.

Further, that regional councils be encouraged to review their policies on voluntary associate ministry and eligibility to practice other functions of ministry as may apply to lay members who have retired as designated lay ministers.

It became clear that the regional councils’ ability to grant membership required a change to the Basis of Union. The proposal to change the Basis of Union was approved by the 45th General Council and it approved a remit (Category 2) to enable the change.

3. How might the Executive of the General Council respond to this issue?

The General Secretary recommends that the Executive of the General Council approve the question for the Category 2 remit as approved by the 45th General Council.

The Question:

Does the Regional Council agree that the Basis of Union be amended to include the following?

6.2 Membership. The Regional Council is composed of:

6.2.3 lay members elected by the Community of Faith;

6.2.4 additional lay members elected by the Regional Council; the total number not to exceed 10 percent of the number of lay members elected under section 6.2.3; and

6.2.5 lay members who at the time of their retirement were designated lay ministers within the bounds of the Regional Council.

4. For the body transmitting this proposal to the General Council Executive:

N/A