# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S484
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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500 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

V. CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

Report of the Committee on Constitutional Matters
for the Triennium, 1947 to 1950
(Memorial 501)

Pursuant to the By-Laws of Synod, Section 2.105, the first task
of your Committee was to embody the resolutions of the last con-
vention in the Handbook in proper form. The results of our efforts
are before you in the new loose-leaf edition of the Handbook, which
was sent out to every member congregation, to every pastor in
active service, and to each advisory pastor.

In our last meeting before the writing of this report official
answers were given to a number of questions regarding the inter-
pretation of certain sections. .

It was agreed that for the sake of uniformity Sections 7.101,
7.105 (cf. 7.105, b and c) and Section 12.01 (cf. 12.03, 12.05, and
12.09) should be changed to read “Board of instead of “De-
partment of ——.” This change will have to be ratified by Synod,
which we respectfully recommend. -

Your Committee recommends that in future editions of the
Handbook the page numbers be omitted, since this is not practical
in the loose-leaf book, and references should rather be made to
the respective section than to the page, the numbering of which
will have to be changed from time to time.

Your Committee is of the opinion that if a District of Synod
wishes to change its name, this action should at least be reported
and ratified by Synod so as to be made a matter of record.

Since the question was raised as to what is meant by the
word “arrange” in Section 3.43, the committee agreed in the opinion

‘that this means that the District officials cannot enter the congre-

gation without its consent, but must first, through the proper
channels, make arrangements for such a meeting.
Since the drawing up of the constitution and especially articles
of incorporation is a matter of considerable importance and the
laws of the respective State must always be considered, Mr. 3B
Kuenne, who is an attorney, was asked to furnish guidelines as
to what articles of incorporation are to contain and, if possible,

have this article published in the Lutheran Witness as an insert.

Your Committee examined the plan to reorganize the work of
Synod and found nothing that would be in conflict with the
Constitution of Synod. As to other reports and overtures asking
for changes of, or amendments to, the Constitution and By Tavs
of Synod, the Committee stands ready to examine their conten

CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 501

and language as to their agreement with the Constitution and
By-Laws of Synod. (Section 2.105.)

Mr. H. Kuenne was asked to serve as official representative of
the Committee on Constitutional Matters at the convention in

Milwaukee. Respectfully submitted by

M. F. KretzMann . .
Secretary of the Committee on Constitutional Matters

ACTION

As to the official interpretation of Section 3.43 in the Hand-
book, Synod adopted the following resolution, submitted by Com-
mittee 6: Resolution 12

Resolved, That the interpretation of the word “arrange” in
Section 3.43 of the By-Laws, as made by the Committee on Consti-
tutional Matters, and reported in Memorial 501, be made an
official part of, and incorporated in, the By-Laws of Synod.

. By the adoption of this interpretation of the word “arrange,”
the matters taken up in Memorials 507, 508, 509, and 510 are con-
sidered by your Committee to be satisfied.

We assume that this clarification of the word “arrange” also
satisfies the unprinted memorial unanimously adopted by the
Combined Conference of Pastors of the Greeley and Sterling Cir-
cuits of the Colorado District, held in Akron, Colo., October 11—13,
1949. (Unprinted Memorial 7.) ‘

Concerning omitting the page numbers in the Handbook and
regarding changing the name of a District, the following recom-
mendation of Committee 6 was adopted:

Resolution 16

Since it would be most desirable that in future editions of
the Handbook the page numbers be omitted, we similarly heartily

endorse the request in the fourth paragraph on page 500, which
reads:

“Your Committee recommends that in future editions of the
Handbook the page numbers be omitted, since this is not practical
in the loose-leaf book, and references should rather be made to
the respective section than to the page, the numbering of which
will have to be changed from time to time.”

Inasmuch as the various Districts of Synod should be directly
responsible to Synod also in the matter of changing their names
(to avoid confusion and probable dissatisfaction on the part of
synodical officials and sister Districts), we recommend that Synod
officially ratify the selection of any District’s name, and that this
provision be made a By-Law of Synod, ,