# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S227
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 227

e. All reports, overtures, proposals, petitions and other
matters submitted to the President of the Synod in accor-
dance with the foregoing paragraphs shall as a rule be re-
ferred by the President of the Synod to convention commit-
tees appointed by him from among the accredited delegates
and official representatives in order to expedite the trans-
action of business. The President shall notify such committee
members of their appointment and of the time and place of
their first meeting no later than 8 weeks before the conven-
tion of the Synod. After due consideration of the matters
referred to them, these committees shall report their findings
and recommendations to the convention. If the President
deems it advisable, he may convene any such committees
prior to the opening of the convention. Every member of the
Synod shall have the right to object to any appointment made
to such committees. There shall be adequate lay representa-
tion on all committees.

f. Overtures or petitions requesting the Synod to take
action which is in conflict with the Constitution or Bylaws of
the Synod or in matters for which the Constitution or Bylaws
have provided specific procedures; or overtures which con-
tain defamatory allegations; or overtures or petitions which
may subject the President of the Synod or the Synod to civil
actions for libel or oral slander, shall not be published or
presented to any floor committee or to the convention; nor
shall any overture, proposal, or petition be accepted with
reference to any case involving suspension, expulsion, or
appeals in which those who have submitted the overture or
proposal or petition have not been parties.

g. Overtures and recommendations involving capital out-
lay or current expenditures shall be accompanied, to the
extent feasible, by cost projections and the basis thereof;
furthermore, each proposed resolution involving expendi-
tures, prior to its consideration on the floor of the convention,
shall be presented to the floor committee on financial mat-
ters, which in consultation with the Controller shall attach
to the recommended resolution accompanying information on
estimated cost thereof on an annual basis or on a project
basis, as the case may be.

and which shall be made available to the delegates in some
other manner.

e. (see present d) A copy of the convention manual shall
be sent to each pastor and teacher on the official rosters of
the Synod and to each elected lay delegate and alternate
not later than 6 weeks prior to the opening date of the con-
vention.

f. (see present e) All reports and overtures accepted by
the President in accordance with the foregoing paragraphs
shall be referred by him to convention committees appointed
by him in the name of the convention from among the voting
and advisory delegates. Pastors, teachers, and laymen shall
be represented on all committees. The President shall notify
committee members of their appointment and of the time and
place of their first meeting no later than 8 weeks before the
start of the convention. The committee rosters shall be pub-
lished in the Lutheran Witness Reporter at least 6 weeks
before the convention. After due consideration of the mat-
ters referred to it, each committee is to report its findings
and recommendations to the convention. If the President
deems it advisable, he may convene any committees prior to
the opening of the convention.

g. (see part of present b) Anv member of the Synod
(congregation, pastor, teacher) and any lay delegate to the
convention wishing to express comments on reports and pro-
posals appearing in the convention manual may submit these
in triplicate at least 1 week prior to the convention to the
Secretary, who shall transmit them to the appropriate con-
vention committee for consideration.

h. (Same as present g)
COMMISSION ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
HERBERT MUELLER, Secretary

(5-02)
Report of Special Overtures Committee

Background of Appointment of Committee

The synodical convention in 1965 amended (by Reso-
lution 5-38) Section 1.27 of the Handbook of the Synod
to provide that reports, overtures, proposals, petitions,
and other matters intended for presentation to and
consideration by a delegate convention of the Synod
“may be submitted only by a member of the Synod, an
officer of the Synod, a board or commission of the
Synod or of a District, the Council of Presidents, a fac-
ulty or Board of Control of an educational institution
of the Synod, or a convention of a District of the Synod.”

This amendment provoked adverse comment which
was reflected in 13 overtures to the 1967 convention in
New York requesting the Synod to return to the prac-
tice of permitting individual laymen to present reports,
overtures, proposals, petitions, and other matters in-
tended to a delegate convention of the Synod (see Over-

tures 5-10 to 5-22). Three other overtures (5-23 to
5-25) recommended that laymen be permitted to submit
overtures provided that there be a minimum of 20 com-
municant members from two or more congregations.

At the New York convention, Committee 5 (dealing
with constitutional matters) recommended that this
entire matter be referred for further study to a com-
mittee to be appointed by the President of the Synod.
This recommendation was adopted by the convention
(Resolution 5-33), and the President of the Synod sub-
sequently appointed the undersigned to serve as the
committee.

The preambles of the convention resolution which
recommended the appointment of the committee point
up the problems to which the committee addressed
itself, The first preamble recites the provision of the
Constitution of the Synod (Article V) which specifies
that “membership in Synod is held and may be acquired
by congregations, ministers of the Gospel, and teachers.

. .’ The second preamble states that there exist the