And yet the communication I received from the synod said this:
Whenever a church adopts a new bylaw, they have amended the old bylaws.
That new bylaw is not effective until it’s approved by the Synod. Right now, it’s in limbo
and is not effective until approved by the Synod. The Synod cannot approve it until I
have a chance to look at all of the bylaws and the entire constitution.
Your "advisor" is quite wrong, as Mr. Gale has pointed out. The relevant section of the ELCA constitution is:
9.53.03. Each congregation shall provide a copy of its governing documents to the
synod. All proposed changes in the constitution or incorporation documents
of a congregation shall be referred to the synod with which the
congregation is affiliated. The synod shall approve or disapprove the
proposed changes within 120 days of receipt thereof, and shall notify the
congregation of its decision; in the absence of a decision, the changes
shall go into effect.
The synod shall recognize that congregations may organize themselves in
a manner which they deem most appropriate.
Note particularly two points:
a) the section specifies "...proposed changes in the constitution or incorporation documents" shall be reviewed. Bylaws (and continuing resolutions) are not mentioned.
b) Normally, bylaws and continuing resolutions are the places where the "organizational details" are defined, and therefore fall under the purview of the concluding sentence.