# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1992_S157
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION 155

quarter hours that includes one year of internship; and

Wuereas, We thank God for the office of Director of
Christian Outreach and for the men and women who have
faithfully served this office; and

Wuenzas, It is helpful and desirable that synodically
certified Directors of Christian Outreach be declared eli-
gible for membership in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod (LCMS) and that they be placed in the category of
Ministers of Religion—Commissioned; therefore be it ;

Resolved, That all references in the Handbook of the
Synod be changed to Director of Christian Outreach; and
be it further

Resolved, That Art. V and VI of the Constitution |be
amended to read in their entirety as follows:

PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
Article V Membership

Membership in the Synod is held and may be. acquired
by congregations, ministers of religion—ordained, and
ministers of religion—commissioned, such as teachers, di-
rectors of Christian education, directors of Christian out:
reach, and deaconesses, of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church who confess and accept the confessional basis|of
Article II.

A. Voting Members

All organized congregations that have joined the Synod
hold voting membership. At the meetings of the Districts
of the Synod every congregation or parish is entitled to two
votes, one of which is to be cast by the pastor and the other
by the lay delegate. At the meetings of the Synod a number
of congregations shall form a group which shall be rep-

resented by two voting delegates, one a pastor and one a

lay delegate.

/B. Advisory Members
Advisory members only are the ‘following:
1. Pastors whose congregations do not hold member-
ship in the Synod;

. Assistant pastors;

Ministers not in charge of congregations;

. Professors at the Synod’s educational institutions;

. Teachers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church;

. Directors of Christian education;

. Directors of Christian outreach;

. Deaconesses;

. Candidates for the office of the ministry, er for that
of a teacher of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, for
director of Christian education, for director of Chris-
tian outreach, or for deaconesses.

Article VI Conditions of Membership

Conditions for acquiring and holding membership in the
Synod are the following:

1. Acceptance of the confessional basis of Article II.

2. Renunciation of unionism and syncretism of every

description, such as:

a. Serving congregations of mixed confession, as

such, by ministers of the church;

b. Taking part in the services and sacramental rites

: of heterodox congregations or of congregations of

' mixed confession;

c. Participating in heterodox tract and missionary

s activities.

3. Regular call of pastors, and teachers, directors of
Christian education, directors of Christian outreach,
and deaconesses, and regular election of lay dele-
gates by the congregations, as also the blamelessness
of the life of such.

4. Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymn-
books, and catechisms in church and school.

5. A congregation shall be received into membership
only after the Synod has convinced itself that the
constitution of the congregation, which must be sub-
mitted for examination, contains nothing contrary to
the Scriptures or the Confessions.

_6. Pastors, teachers, directors of Christian education,

directors of Christian outreach,-deaconesses, or can-

' didates for the office of the ministry or that of a

teacher in a parochial school not coming from rec-
ognized orthodox church bodies must submit to a

' colloquium before being received.

. Congregations and individuals shall be received into
membership at such time and manner, and according
to such procedures, as shall be set forth in the Bylaws

} to this Constitution.

and be it finally

‘ Resolved, That the foregoing amendments concerning
directors of Christian education and directors of Christian
outreach be submitted to the congregations of the Synod
for ratification in conformity with Art. XIV of the
Constitution.

Action: Adopted (14).
{Adopted os amended by Committee 5.)

. To Eliminate Commission on Structure
RESOLUTION 5-15
Overtures 4-28, 5-35-38 (CW, pp. 228, 247-48)

Rationale:
, Following a major revision of the Handbook in 1981,
the convention established a Commission on Structure,
which was asked “to present brief Bylaws governing the
‘commission's work to the next convention and suggestions
regarding modifications in the Constitution, Bylaws, or
structure of the Synod to the next and succeeding conven-
tions” (Res. 2-22, 1981). Having now proposed a Mission
and Ministry Council, which would be responsible for many
of the functions presently carried out by the Commission
on Structure, that commission and the Board of Directors
believe the commission’s existence is no longer necessary.
They also believe that special ad hoc committees appointed
by the Mission and Ministry Council could provide more
representative groups to better consider the restructuring

of the Synod.

! Resolved, That since Res. 4. 02A is adopted, the Com-
taission on Structure (Bylaw 3.581 and 3.583) be elimi-
nated as a commission of the Synod; and be it further