# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S398
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

398

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

and commissions requiring non-regional nominations, since Bylaw
3.12.3.4 (d) states that “All incumbents eligible for re-election shall
be considered to be nominees”; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Commission on Handbook be requested to
prepare bylaw revision language that makes incumbent (and only
incumbent) members of the Board for National Mission who are not
otherwise ineligible for re-election (e.g. under the term limits specified in Bylaw 3.2.4.2), if they have not otherwise been included in the
election slate formed by the procedure defined in 2013 Bylaw 3.12.2.7
(c), eligible for convention floor nominations to be included in the
election slate for the Board for National Mission; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2016 Synod convention be encouraged to adopt
the aforementioned revision of the Bylaws, to be prepared and submitted by the Commission on Handbook, and accept floor nominations
as described above, prior to the election of the members of the Board
for National Mission.
Board for National Mission
St. Louis, MO
11-30

To Declare CCM Opinion 13-2694, re Doctrinal
Resolutions, Null and Void
Whereas, Membership in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod is based on the confessional standard set forth in Article II of
the Synod’s Constitution; and
Whereas, Membership in the Synod is held by congregations
and ministers of religion who confess and accept the confessional
basis of Article II; and
Whereas, Congregations and individuals have joined the Synod
with the assurance that Article II alone is indeed the Synod’s confessional standard (see Art. VI 1); and
Whereas, All matters of doctrine and of conscience shall be
decided only by the Word of God (Art. VIII C); and
Whereas, Doctrinal resolutions come into being in the same manner as any other resolutions of a convention of the Synod and are to be
honored and upheld until such time as the Synod amends or repeals
them (Bylaw 1.6.2 [a]); and
Whereas, The Synod is not infallible and has established a formal dissent process for doctrinal statements when challenges arise
(Bylaw section 1.8); and
Whereas, CCM Opinion 13-2694 in effect amends Article II
by requiring its members to abide by, act, and teach in accord with
majority-approved doctrinal resolutions and statements which are not
mentioned in Article II; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Northwest District in convention memorialize
the 2016 convention of the Synod to declare CCM Opinion 13-2694
unconstitutional in that it, in effect, amends Article II and contravenes
Articles VI, VII, and VIII of the Synod’s Constitution; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod declare CCM 13-2694 to be null and
void; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm its adherence to Article II of its
Constitution as its sole confessional standard.
Northwest District
2016 Convention Workbook

11-31

To Complete Study of Constitution Article VII
Whereas, Membership in the Synod is clearly defined in Article
V of the Synod’s Constitution as being “held and may be acquired
by congregations, ministers of religion—ordained and ministers of
religion—commissioned”; and
Whereas, The conditions of membership in the Synod are also
clearly defined in Article VI, which apply equally to both corporate members (congregations) and individual members (professional
church workers); and
Whereas, The relation of the Synod to its members in Article
VII is not explicit as to how the “advisory” nature of Synod relates to
individual members (both ministers of religion—ordained and ministers of religion—commissioned) compared to corporate members
(congregations); and
Whereas, This lack of clarity is often demonstrated by a de facto
diversity of opinions on the part of many in the Synod, specifically
whether the Synod is “advisory” in relation to individual members
of the Synod in the same manner as it is to corporate members of the
Synod; and
Whereas, 2010 Res. 8-32B “To Study Article VII of Synod’s
Constitution” similarly addressed the clarity of Article VII, assigning the implementation of a synod-wide study to the President of the
Synod; and
Whereas, This task has not been completed; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Northwest District in convention memorialize the 2016 LCMS convention to prioritize the consideration of this
issue of the relation of the Synod to all members of the Synod (both
corporate and individual) with renewed attention; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod convention direct the Commission on
Handbook to obtain a definitive clarification to this question; and
be it finally
Resolved, That the Commission on Handbook report this clarification, with any recommendations for action, to the 2019 convention
of Synod.
Northwest District; Oregon Pastors Conference, Northwest
District
11-32

To Overrule CCM Opinion 13-2694
Whereas, Membership in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod is based on the confessional standard set forth in Art. II of the
Synod’s Constitution; and
Whereas, Membership in the Synod is held by congregations
and ministers of religion who confess and accept the confessional
basis of Art. II; and
Whereas, Congregations and individuals have joined the Synod
with the assurance that Art. II alone is indeed the Synod’s confessional standard (Constitution, Art. VI 1); and
Whereas, In relation to its members, the Synod is not an ecclesiastical government that exercises legislative or coercive powers, and
is but an advisory body (Constitution, Art. VII); and
Whereas, All matters of doctrine and of conscience shall be
decided only by the Word of God, not by majority votes at Synod
conventions (Constitution, Art. VIII C); and
Whereas, All matters of doctrine and of conscience are thus subject only to the Word of God and to the power of evangelical, fraternal
persuasion; and