LWML Resources - Meetings, Bylaws, and More

Welcome to Meetings, Bylaws, and More sponsored by the LWML Structure Committee! A new article will appear on this page periodically. Previous ones are archived below under From the Structure Committee. You can access the LWML Bylaws here (PDF, 211KB) or from the Home Page - Who We Are tab - LWML Bylaws. Some of our relevant LWML publications are available electronically below under Publications. Two of our newer publications are Guidelines for an E-Society and Voting by E-Mail. Enjoy!

Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th Edition

Just when you thought you knew it all, someone goes and changes the rules on you! And it has happened again. The parliamentary authority we use to guide our business meetings has been updated.

The bylaws of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League state in Article XXII “The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the proceedings of the LWML…” Since 2000 this has been the 10th edition. However, in September 2011 a new edition was published — the 11th. This means that our parliamentary authority automatically changes to the new edition.

Because the LWML Bylaws also state that districts must use the same parliamentary authority as the national organization (Article III, Section 3.b.), districts also must use the 11th edition.

Although the basic principles have not changed, the new edition has been re-edited, expanded, and updated. Most of the changes will be of interest primarily to parliamentarians but some will be relevant for officers, primarily presidents, of our organizations. These include:

Detailed changes are listed at www.robertsrules.com.

Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th Edition (RONR) contains about 700 pages of parliamentary rules and explanation. This is the authority to which presidents and parliamentarians will refer; however, it is not generally suitable for the average member of an organization. There is an additional publication which covers an introduction to meeting rules —Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief. This publication has also been updated to conform to the 11th edition of RONR.

Both of these references are available from a local bookstore, online at www.amazon.com and other retailers, or from the National Association of Parliamentarians at www.parliamentarians.org.

PUBLICATIONS

FROM THE STRUCTURE COMMITTEE

MEETING HELPS From The LWML HANDBOOK