# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S537
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

526 CONSTITUTION OF THE LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION

VII. Officers

The President of the Federation shall be chosen by
ballot of the Assembly and a majority of the votes cast
shall be necessary for an election. He shall assume of-
fice immediately after the close of the Assembly which
has elected him and before the organization of the new
Executive Committee. He shall be the chief official rep-
resentative of the Federation. He shall hold office until
the close of the following Assembly, and he shall be in-
eligible to succeed himself. Other officers of the Federa-
tion shall be chosen by the Executive Committee.

VHI. Executive Committee

1. Each Assembly shall elect nineteen persons who with
the President shall constitute the Executive Commit-
tee of the Federation. At least four members of the
Executive Committee shall be lay persons. Member-
ship in the Executive Committee shall be allocated
with due regard to such factors as numerical size of
churches, geographical distribution by continents and
countries, and adequate representation of the
Younger Churches and the Minority Churches. In
the choice of members from the Younger Churches
and the Minority Churches, an effort shall be made
to effect changes at each Assembly in order to make
possible a rotation among all of them.

2. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once
annually. It shall choose from its own membership
three Vice-Presidents as officers of the Federation.
It shall also elect a Treasurer of the Federation. The
duties of these officers shall be those usually assigned
to those offices.

3. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business
of The Lutheran World Federation in the interim
between Assemblies, shall supervise the appointment
of National Committees and receive annual reports
from them, shall elect a General Secretary and assign
him his duties, shall make a full annual report (in-
cluding complete financial statements) to all Member
Churches, shall appoint all Committees and Commis-
sions not otherwise provided for, and shall represent
the Federation in all external relations.

4. Vacancies in the Executive Committee ad interim
shall be filled by that Committee.

5. Normally, chairmen of Commissions shall attend the
regular meetings of the Executive Committee as con-
sultants.

IX. General Secretary

Immediately following the close of each Assembly the
Executive Committee shall elect a General Secretary
who shall devote his full time to this office and who shall
serve until the close of the next Assembly. The General
Secretary shall be responsible to the Executive Com-
mittee for his work. It shall be his duty to carry out
the decisions of the Assembly and of the Executive Com-
mittee under the general supervision of the President.
He shall report through the Executive Committee to the
Assembly of the Federation.

X. National Committees

The Member Churches in each country shall select
a group of persons who, together with the member or
members of the Executive Committee in that country,
shall constitute a National Committee for The Lutheran
World Federation. Each National Committee shall be
asked to present to the Executive Committee an annual
statement concerning the interests of the Lutheran
World Federation in its country.

XI. Commissions

Commissions shall be established under the authority
of the Federation and shall be appointed either by the
Assembly or by the Executive Committee. It shall be
the purpose of these Commissions to discharge desig-
nated functions of the Federation. They shall report
annually to the Executive Committee, which shall exer-
cise general supervision over them.

XII. Finance

The Executive Committee shall prepare annually a
detailed budget for the Federation. designate the allo-
cation of funds to particular needs, and assign to each
National Committee its responsibility for specific por-
tions of the budget. The Treasurer shall be authorized
to establish depositories in various countries.

XIII. Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution may be made by
a two-thirds vote of those present at any regularly called
Assembly, provided notice of intention to amend shall
have been given the preceding day. Amendments so
made shall become effective one year after their adop-
tion by the Assembly unless objection has been filed with
the Executive Committee by Churches embracing in
aggregate one-third of the constituency of the Federa-
tion.