# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S315
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

414 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

[518]
Develop Principles Governing District Formation
and Dissolutions

Wuereds, The endless proliferation of new Districts of Synod
increases the administrative machinery and overhead cost, threatens
to encourage provincialism and sectionalism, makes the task of doc.
trinal and practical oversight almost impossible, may someday
threaten the unity of Synod, and affects the availability of resources
for synodical use adversely; and

Wuereas, New Districts may need to be created in present
foreign mission fields; be it therefore

Resolved, That the College of Presidents develop criteria to be
applied to applications and petitions for the creating of new
Districts and the combining of existing Districts territorially cop.
tiguous and in need of specialized services in stewardship, missions,
and education, and that no new Districts be created until such
criteria have been adopted by Synod.

YorK-SEwarp REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Souruern NesrasKa District
B. Hom, Secretary

519
ie) On English District Amalgamation

Your Committee on Amalgamation met in Cleveland, Ohio, on
April 25, 1949, and submits its report for your consideration and
action:

4. In regard to the memorial of the Central Illinois District,
which we have studied at great length, we wish to present the fol-
lowing resolution:

“Wnereas, The Central Dlinois District in convention assembled
in Springfield, Ill., August 29—September 2, 1948, adopted the fol-
lowing report:

“A. That since a controversy has arisen between certain
members of the Central Illinois District and certain members
of the English District, it hereby be advised that the President
of the Central Hlinois District without delay continue action
a. Relative to the establishing of the mission station in ques-

tion, and

b. With regard to the complaints of both parties in the con-

troversy according to the procedure established by Synod
for the adjudication of such cases; and

CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 415

That such action be prosecuted with all diligence until the

proper solution is arrived at.

“B. That the Central Illinois District petition Synod to

protect it in its territorial rights and privileges which it has
and should enjoy under the By-Laws of Synod.

C. That the Central Illinois District address an overture to

Synod advising that it is the considered opinion of Synod that

the agreement of 1911 between Synod and the former English

Lutheran Synod, now the English District of our Synod, be

reviewed and revised, since

a. Conditions have definitely changed in these intervening

37 years, and all Districts of Synod in North America have
become English-speaking Districts, and that therefore a
separate English District has become unnecessary; and since

b. The continued existence of a District which has no estab-

lished boundaries and can therefore operate within the
areas of other Districts which are territorially limited leads
to frictions and controversies within Synod.”

Wuereas, Under the agreement of 1911 Synod agreed that the
move toward amalgamation must originate within the English Dis-
trict; and '

Wuereas, Synod officially at a later date (Proceedings of Synod
1923, page 137) reaffirmed this position; and

Wuereas, An agreement entered upon by two parties cannot
be abrograted by one party without the consent of the other; and

Wuereas, On June 1, 1937, Synod’s representatives, Dr. F. L.
Lankenau and the Rev. O. H. Schmidt, assured the English District
“that no attempt is to be made to coerce our District in this matter
nor to agitate for a decision on this vital question (1937 English
District Proceedings, page 91 ff.); and

Wuereas, Synod under its constitution protects its constituent
Districts in the exercise of their duties, rights and privileges, there-
fore we claim the same protection as a District whose status as a
non-territorial unit was recognized and guaranteed by the agree-
ment of 1911; therefore be it ;

Resolved, That we bring the above to the attention of Synod
in connection with the memorial of the Central Ilinois District
under the confident conviction that The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod will continue to respect its agreement of 1911, and
confirmed in 1923, to redeem the promise made by its official rep-
resentatives in 1937, and to extend also to the English District the
protection guaranteed to all under its constitution; and be it further

Resolved, That we sincerely regret the pressure upon our Dis-