# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S778
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

194

PROPOSED SYNODICAL HANDBOOK.

369. Election and Term of Office of Boards of Appeals

The members of the Board of Appeals for Synod
and the Boards of Appeals for Districts shall be elected
in accordance with the rules governing elections. The
term of office of all Board members shall be six years,
but no member shall serve on a board successivel
longer than two terms. Rotation in membership shall
be effected in such a way that one half of the clerical
members and one or two of the laymen shail be
elected every three years. A teacher may be elected
in place of a layman. Vacancies on the Board of
Appeals for Synod shall be filled’ by appointment
through the President of Synod in conjunction with
his Vice-Presidents and for the Districts by the re-
spective District President in conjunction with his
Vice-Presidents.

Proc., 1941, 272, (Partly new)

371. Organization of Boards of Appeals

Each Board of Appeals shall elect a chairman,
a vice-chairman, and a secretary. Meetings shall be
called by the secretary upon instructions from the
chairman.

Proc., 1941, 273

373. Authority of Boards of Appeals

The Boards of Appeals shall-be authorized to make
investigation of matters coming within their juris-
diction, Minutes, documents, and other relevant mate- .
rial shall be made available to the respective Boards.

Proc., 1941, 273

375. Disqualification of Member

If any member of a Board of Appeals is directly
or indirectly involved in any appeal presented, the
respective member shall be disqualified from the con-
sideration of that case, and the Board of Appeals shall
appoint another member for the case from the re-
serve list.

(New)

377. Functions of Boards of Appeals

A. Boards of Appeals shall function whenever an
individual member or a congregation has been dealt
with by an officer or committee of a District or Synod
and an appeal is made to the District or to Synod. If
the action of a congregation having exercised the Office
of the Keys is in question, the Board of Appeals is
to recognize the sovereignty of the Christian congrega-
tion and may only review the action of the congrega-
tion according to the principles laid down in Scripture
and advise the congregation accordingly. Either the
congregation’s action will be upheld, or it may be
advised to review and eventually to revise its action.
If a congregation refuses to review its action according
to the Word of God, the District or Synod shall declare
that such congregation has severed its membership
from Synod. Such a resolution by a District shall not
be interpreted as depriving the congregation of the
right to appeal to Synod. ;

B. If a question of membership in Synod is involved
and the appeal has been made to a District or to