In 1762, 26 years before the U.S. Constitution was ratified,
Henry Melchior Muhlenberg prepared a constitution for St.
Michael Lutheran Church, Philadelphia. Overcoming some of his
personal tendencies toward authoritarian systems, he put in
place governing principles “suitable to the needs of this land,”
such as “approved by at least two-thirds,” “not decided by the
Pastors alone” and “must be carefully and well considered by the
whole Church Council” (Faith E. Rohrbough, Lutheran Quarterly,
1996). Muhlenberg was ahead of his time—it’s likely the
constitution of your congregation or church-related organization
contains some of these phrases. Governance has to do with the
ways a collection of people decide about their common life and
mission. “Important and weighty matters,” as Muhlenberg called
them, are shared responsibilities. Definitions of governance
emphasize the use of power to control or rule. The ELCA
Constitution clarifies whose power is at work: “All power in the
Church belongs to our Lord Jesus Chr