# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S521
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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562 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

It is further recommended that Article IV pertaining ‘to the
synodical meetings be amended. This article, as at present consti-_
tuted, conflicts with Article VII, B-of the Constitution. The
Constitution provides how special meetings may be called. The
charter provides that they may be called by the President. Again
we recommend that this Article be amended in such a way that
these contingencies be provided for in the By-Laws rather than
fixed in the charter.

It is further recommended that Article V be amended. This
article pertains to the offices of the Association and the Board of
Directors. It definitely fixes the number of persons that shall
constitute the Board of Directors and who may be directors. It
would be desirable to amend this also so that it would be provided
for in the Constitution and By-Laws that if Synod at any time
change the number of directors, the charter would not have to
be amended.

It is further recommended that Article II be amended. It

would appear from the present charter that when the corporation
was formed, the primary object seemed to be to take over the
college properties which were then in the name of local corpora-
tions. It is the opinion of your Committee that the charter is
not broad enough to give Synod authority to do the many things
it is doing now. There would almost seem to be limitation for
holding and acquiring property for educational purposes only,
It is therefore recommended that the charter be broadened and
made more flexible. It must be remembered that each time the
charter is amended, application must be made to the Circuit Court
of the City of St.Louis for the amendment. After it is passed
upon by the Circuit Court, it is then submitted to the Secretary
of the State, and the amendment. becomes effective. This takes
time and entails court costs. If the recommendations of your
Committee are adopted, future applications to the Circuit Court
for amendments can be avoided, and under the law the matter can
well be taken care of in the Constitution and By-Laws of Synod.
Respectfully,
Georce Erce., Chairman
ACTION

Committee 6 recommended the following resolution, which

was adopted: Resolution 35

Wuereas, Certain clauses and paragraphs in the charter of
Synod need to be changed; be it therefore

Resolved, That the Board of Directors, in consultation with the
Praesidium and ‘the Committee on Constitutional Matters, amend
the By-Laws to conform to the projected revised charter.

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INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 563

VI. INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL
MATTERS

Report of the Committee on Doctrinal Unity
(Memorial 601) ;

The triennium since the Chicago Centennial Convention has
seen increasingly zealous activity in the field of Lutheran Union
by practically all Lutheran bodies in America, characterized by
a strong determination to remove, if possible, the present disunity.
There is manifestly a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the present
situation. It will be helpful that we here briefly sketch the more
significant steps taken to accelerate the labors required to unite the
Lutheran Church.

In September, 1948, the meeting of the National Lutheran
Editors Association passed a resolution calling upon the Lutheran
synods to meet in free conferences. The editors recommended to
the Lutheran church bodies to work toward the establishment of an
all-Lutheran federation and suggested the holding of free fraternal
conferences to further, by frank and open discussion, the union of
all Lutheran churches in America.

The American Lutheran Church, at its convention in Fremont,
Ohio, in October, 1948, passed several significant resolutions on
Lutheran unity. One of these read “that in the next biennium our
pastoral conferences and district meetings busy themselves with
a thorough study of the problems of the future of Lutheranism in
America; that we continue a Committee on Fellowship to -be
appointed by the President of the Church to negotiate with a Com-
mittee on Doctrinal Unity of The Lutheran Church— Missouri
Synod, toward the establishment of pulpit and altar fellowship or
of fellowship commensurate with the existing degree of unity; that
we empower this Committee, together with the Executive Com-
mittee of the Church, to discuss with any and all Lutheran church
bodies possible approaches and methods to attain fuller unity and
closer affiliation.”

The American Lutheran Conference met at Detroit in Novem-
ber, 1948. It adopted some resolutions on Lutheran unity. Point
two is pertinent for our purpose: “We recommend that the con-
stituent bodies of the American Lutheran Conference petition the
National Lutheran Council to call an all-Lutheran Free Conference,
to be held under the auspices of the Council, with a view to the
permanent organization of such a conference.”

On January 4, 1949, a meeting of Lutheran leaders was held
in Minneapolis. There were 34 church leaders present, from the
United Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran —