How to Write a Resolution
Dream, Discern, Decide
Chapter 11 of the Acts of the Apostles describes a gathering of Christians in Jerusalem where some important decisions were made in response to the movement of the Holy Spirit. The issues were presented and the assembly had to decide how to respond.
Christians continue to gather for decision making in various configurations, faithfully seeking to continue in the winds of the Holy Spirit. We gather in Synod Assembly for these purposes, and invite you to submit resolutions for the body to consider.
You may feel intimidated when trying to write a resolution because nobody has ever shown you how to write one. Should you decide to write a resolution for a synod Assembly, here’s how to do it:
Resolved, That {stating action to be taken}.
That’s all there is to it. But what if you want more than one action to be taken?
Resolved, That {stating action to be taken}; and
Resolved, That {stating further action to be taken}.
Now, if you want to get really fancy, you could add a preamble (you know, “Whereas this” and “Whereas that”).
Robert’s Rules of Order says, “It should be emphasized that neither rule nor custom requires a resolution to have a preamble, and one should not be used merely for the sake of form. In general, the use of a preamble should be limited to cases where it provides little-known information without which the point or merits of a resolution are likely to be poorly understood, or where unusual importance is attached to making certain reasons for an action a matter of record, or the like.”
Pastor Pat Bell, synod parliamentarian for many years, writes “Don’t use a preamble unless you really, really need to; and even then, keep it as short and clear as possible. I’ve seen many resolutions defeated not because voting delegates disagreed with the resolution, but because they disagreed with the reasons in the preamble!”
Pastor Bell, who is now retired and living in Florida, once wrote this silly example to illustrate his point.
Resolved, That Pastor Pat Bell never preach again.
“Most people, especially those who’ve listened to me preach, might be inclined to vote for this resolution,” explains Pastor Bell. “But then the writer of the resolution added a preamble.”
Whereas, Pastor Pat Bell is going bald, and is not at all pretty to look at; and
Whereas, Pastor Pat Bell always preaches too long;
Resolved, That Pastor Pat Bell never preach again.
“This might cause the resolution to be defeated,” Pastor Bell remarks. “All the preachers whose hair is getting a little thinner or are not at all pretty to look at will vote against it because of the first ‘whereas.’ All the preachers who also preach too long will vote against it because of the second ‘whereas.’ You now have a fairly substantial portion of the assembly opposing the resolution!”
A preamble can help a resolution, but more often hurts it. Often it would be better to tell the reasons why the resolution should be adopted during the debate, rather than including them in the preamble.
Click here for a generic form for writing a resolution. You may use copy this form and e-mail it to Lorraine Jordan at the synod office.
The Synod Council is now forming the Reference and Counsel Committee which will process resolutions to “bring to the floor.” Members of the Reference and Counsel Committee are also available to provide suggestions for writing or directing resolutions. Contact the synod office at 319-338-1273 for a list of available members.
