RESOLVED, that the 225th Convention of the Diocese of Maryland, meeting May 1-2, 2009 repeals the underlined and bold parts of the following section of Article 2 paragraph 2 of its Constitution
The number of lay delegates shall be determined in accordance with the following table: (a) Churches with 400 or fewer communicants, one delegate, and (b) those with more than 400 communicants, one additional delegate for every additional 400 increment of communicants or fraction of that number. For purposes of this paragraph of this Article the number of a Church's communicants shall be that stated in its latest parochial report filed with the Bishop.”
and replaces it with:
The number of lay delegates shall be determined in the following manner:
At least one lay delegate from each Church, who shall be at least sixteen years of age and a communicant in good standing of the Church in which he or she is chosen. In addition to the one lay delegate authorized under this article, a Church shall be entitled to no more than four additional Lay Delegates determined as follows:
(i) By October 1 of each year, the Secretary of Convention shall average the Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) as reported in the parochial report of each Church for the last three-year period exclusive of the year immediately preceding Convention. If a Church fails to file its annual report for any of the three the years used to calculate the ASA, the Secretary shall count the attendance in that year as zero.
(ii) The Secretary shall determine the diocesan median ASA number, to which the ASA determined under paragraph (i) above, of each Church shall be compared and the number of lay delegates of each determined as follows:
Twice the diocesan median and less -- no additional delegate
Over twice the median to three times the median -- 1 additional delegate
Over three times the median to four times the median -- 2 additional delegates
Over four times the median to five times the median -- 3 additional delegates
Over five times the median -- 4 additional delegates
Note: As a Constitutional Amendment, this Resolution needs to be approved at two consecutive Conventions. This is the first reading.
This resolution was referred to the Committee on the Rights to Seat