# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S391
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

Synod convention. If that man is unable or unwilling to serve, the
President shall appoint the candidate with the next greatest number of votes and so on down the line until a regional vice-president
has been appointed. If none of the candidates from the last Synod
convention are able or willing to serve, the President of the Synod
shall appoint as vice-president the minister of religion—ordained
from the clergy roster of the Synod with residence in the region who
is recommended by a majority of the district presidents within the
region.

(d) No opportunity shall be provided for additional nominations from
the floor of the convention.
(e) Voting delegates to the national convention shall be entitled to vote
for one of the candidates from each region. If no candidate receives a
majority of the votes cast, the three candidates receiving the highest
number of votes shall be retained on the ballot.
(f) Balloting shall continue with the candidate receiving the least number of votes eliminated until one candidate from each region has
received a majority of the votes cast.
(g) Upon the election of the regional vice-presidents, a final election
will take place ranking the vice-presidents by separate ballots with
a simple majority of voting delegates determining the second, third,
fourth, fifth, and sixth vice-presidents in line of succession.

and
Whereas, The current method of electing the Synod’s regional
vice-presidents, as found in Bylaw 3.12.2.7 (e), requires the vote of
the entire assembly of delegates to determine the vice-president for
each and every region; and
Whereas, In this method of electing the Synod’s regional vicepresidents, the vice-president favored by the congregations of a
specific region may not be elected, thereby depriving the congregations of the specific region the right to choose their own regional
vice-president; therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.12.2.7 is amended as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
After the results of the first-vice-presidential election have been announced, the convention shall elect five regional vice-presidents according to the following nominations and elections process. (This shall also
be the process used for all other regional elections.)
(a) Each member congregation of a region (including any non-geographic-district congregations in that region) shall have been given
opportunity to nominate two ministers of religion—ordained from
the clergy roster of the Synod with residence in its designated region
as candidates for regional vice-president.
(b) The Secretary of the Synod shall receive such nominations (signed
by the president and secretary of the nominating congregation).
(c) The names of the five ministers of religion—ordained residing within the boundaries of each geographic region who receive the most
nominating votes shall form the slate from which the delegates to
the Synod convention from that geographical region shall select by
majority vote each the regional vice-president for their own geographical region.
(d) No opportunity shall be provided for additional nominations from
the floor of the convention.
(e) Voting delegates to the national convention from each region shall
be entitled to vote for one of the candidates from each the region to
which the delegate belongs. Delegates may not vote for vice-presidential candidates from regions to which they do not belong. If no
candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the three candidates
receiving the highest number of votes shall be retained on the ballot.
(f) Balloting shall continue with the candidate receiving the least number of votes eliminated until one candidate from each region has received a majority of the votes cast by the delegates from his region.
(g) Upon the election of the regional vice-presidents, a final election
will take place ranking the vice-presidents by separate ballots with
a simple majority of voting delegates from all geographical regions
determining the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth vice-presidents
in line of succession.
(h) In the event a regional vice-president’s position becomes vacant, the
President of the Synod shall appoint as a replacement the candidate for that regional vice-president’s position who received the next
greatest number of votes from the delegates of that region at the last

391

Board of Directors, Southeastern District; CaliforniaNevada-Hawaii District; First, Hanford, CA; Redeemer,
Fresno, CA
11-16

To Allow Each LCMS Region to Elect
Its Own Vice-President
Whereas, A “region,” as defined by the Bylaws of the Synod
(Bylaw 1.2.1 [r]), is “a division of the Synod for the purpose of
regional elections”; and
Whereas, The current method of electing the Synod’s regional
vice-presidents (Bylaw 3.12.2.7 [e]) requires a vote of the entire
assembly of delegates to the national Synod convention to determine the vice-president for each and every region; and
Whereas, The number of delegates sent to the national convention may differ from region to region, creating unequal voting
constituencies; and
Whereas, The members of one region may not have understanding or clarity regarding the issues faced by the members of other
regions; and
Whereas, The members of a region have a vested interest in the
election of their own vice-president for the purpose of being accurately represented at the national level; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2016 LCMS convention amend Bylaw 3.12.2.7
to allow those voting delegates from each of the Synod’s five regions
the privilege of voting only for the vice-president of their respective
region; and be it further
Resolved, That the regional vice-presidents elected according to
this amended process then be ranked for order of succession by the
Synod convention as stipulated in the Bylaws.
Board of Directors, Northwest District; Florida-Georgia
District
11-17

To Request CCM Review of Constitutionality
of Bylaw 3.12.2.4
Whereas, There is a possible conflict between Art. V A of the
LCMS Constitution and Bylaw 3.12.2.4 regarding the disenfranchisement of congregations not attending district conventions; therefore
be it
Resolved, That the CCM review the constitutionality of Bylaw
3.12.2.4.
Michigan District
2016 Convention Workbook