# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S396
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

396

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

(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 Synod convention shall select by majority vote each regional vice-president.
(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.

Nominations and Elections of Regional Positions—Board of
Directors and Mission Boards
3.12.2.8 The convention shall elect the regional positions for the
Synod’s Board of Directors and Mission Boards according to the following nominations and elections process.
(a) Approximately 24 months before a regular meeting of the Synod in
convention, the Secretary of the Synod shall solicit from those agencies with positions to be filled descriptions of criteria for qualified
candidates to serve in those positions.
(b) With such criteria in view, the Secretary shall issue the first call for
nominations through a publication of the Synod and on the Synod
website 18 months before the convention, soliciting names from the
agencies and officers of the Synod and the congregational and individual members of the Synod, along with lay persons of the congregations of the Synod. Nominations may be received from persons or
parties outside the region.
(c) All nominees for a particular regional position must reside within
the boundaries of the region for which they are nominated.
(d) All incumbents eligible for reelection shall be considered to be nominees
(e) The qualifications of each nominee shall be submitted together with
the names on forms made available on the Synod’s website.
(f) All suggested names and information for consideration by the Committee for Convention Nominations shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Synod no later than nine months prior to the convention
of the Synod.
(g) All nominations received shall be forwarded to the Committee on
Convention Nominations who shall select candidates according to
the process outlined in Bylaw 3.12.3.6.
(h) Amendments to the slate of candidates developed by the Committee on Convention Nominations shall follow the process outlined in
Bylaw 3.12.3.7.
(i) Voting delegates to the national convention shall elect the members
of all elective regional positions following the process outlined in
Bylaw 3.12.4.2.

2016 Convention Workbook

Committee for Convention Nominations
3.12.3.6 The Committee for Convention Nominations shall select
candidates for all elective offices, boards, and commissions except President, First Vice-President, and elective vice-president positions requiring regional nominations (Bylaws 3.12.2.7; 3.3.4.1; 3.8.2.2; 3.8.3.2).

Committee on Elections
3.12.4.2 The President shall determine and announce a period of
time during the convention for the election of the members of all elective boards and commissions.
(e) Except in the elections of the First Vice-President. and regional
vice-presidents, and regional board members,when a second or succeeding ballot is required for a majority, the candidate receiving the
fewest votes and all candidates receiving less than 15 percent of the
votes cast shall be dropped from the ballot, unless fewer than two
candidates receive 15 percent or more of the votes cast, in which
case the three highest candidates shall constitute the ballot.
3.8.2.2 The Board for National Mission shall be comprised of eleven members:
1. Five laypersons and five individual members of the Synod (one of
each from each region of the Synod) elected in the same manner as
are regional members of the Board of Directors of the Synod (Bylaws 3.12.1 and 3.12.2.73.12.2.8)
2. The President of the Synod or his representative
In 2016, the laypersons elected from the Great Plains and East/
Southeast regions and the individual members of the Synod elected
from the West/Southwest, Central, and Great Lakes regions shall be
elected for three-year terms.
3.8.3.2 The Board for International Mission shall be comprised of
eleven members:
1. Five laypersons and five individual members of the Synod (one of
each from each region of the Synod) elected in the same manner as
are regional members of the Board of Directors of the Synod (see
Bylaws 3.12.1 and 3.12.2.73.12.2.8)
2. The President of the Synod or his representative
In 2016, the individual members of the Synod elected from the Great
Plains and East/Southeast regions and the laypersons elected from the
West/Southwest, Central, and Great Lakes regions shall be elected for
three-year terms.

LCMS Board of Directors
11-28

To Establish Board for National Mission
Representation at Synod Conventions
Whereas, Bylaw 3.1.4.1 (a) states, “Each board or commission
shall be represented [at Synod conventions] by its chairman or another
board or commission member and by its principal staff person”; and
Whereas, Bylaw 3.8.2.4 states, “In carrying out its mission
responsibilities, the Office of National Mission shall receive its
primary focus from the mission and ministry emphases developed
triennially by the national Synod in convention and from policies
developed and determined by the Board for National Mission”; and
Whereas, Bylaw 3.8.2.6 states, “The staff of the Office of
National Mission shall assume a coordinative role for ministry areas
in response to directives from the Synod in convention or upon the
request of two-thirds of the members of the Council of Presidents on
behalf of the districts”; and
Whereas, Bylaw 3.8.2.5 states, “All staff [of the Office of
National Mission] shall be responsible and accountable for their
activities to the President of the Synod (Constitution Art. XI B 1–4)