# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S411
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

in 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.

issuedprovided upon the request of the Board for National Mission
by the president of that district the Missouri District.
(c) Synod staff members: Ordained and commissioned ministers who
are members of the Synod called or appointed by the Synod to serve
the national Synod shall be installed, in accordance with forms and
practices developed by the Synod for that purpose, by the president
of the Missouri District, or by his representative.
(d) Professors and instructional staff members: Ordained and commissioned ministers who are members of the Synod called or appointed
to serve at the Synod’s educational institutions as professors and
instructional staff members shall be installed, in accordance with
forms and practices developed by the Synod for that purpose, by the
president of the district in which the institution is located, or by his
representative.
(e) Second and subsequent installations of ministers: Except as provided in the foregoing paragraphs, Rostered ordained ministers and
commissioned ministers who have been duly called to a positions
of full- or part-time service shall be installed upon authorization
provided by the appropriate district president of the district from
which the call originates. Each installation shall be conducted, in
accordance with forms and practices developed by the Synod for
that purpose, by the district president or by an ordained minister
designated by the district 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
(h) A vacancy in the office of regional vice-president shall be filled in
the following manner:
(1) The lower ranked regional vice-presidents shall advance
in rank, leaving the vacant position to be the office of the
sixth vice-president (i.e., in the vacancy of the second vicepresident, the third vice-president shall become second and
fourth shall become third, etc.)
(2) The President of the Synod shall now appoint a new sixth
vice-president to fill the vacant regional vice-president
position, using the list of nominated candidates for that
region from the previous Synod convention who still reside
within the boundaries of that geographical region, who
received the next greatest number of votes at the previous
Synod convention.
(3) If that candidate is unwilling or unable to serve, the
President of the Synod shall appoint the candidate with the
next greatest number of votes, proceeding until a candidate is
chosen from that list.
(4) If none of the candidates from the previous Synod
convention are able or willing to serve, the district presidents
of that region will convene to nominate, with a two-thirds
majority, a minister of religion—ordained from the clergy
roster of the Synod with residence in its designated region as
candidate for regional vice-president.
(5) The President of the Synod shall now appoint this nominee
as the new sixth vice-president.

Commission on Handbook
11-54

To Amend Process for Filling
Regional Vice-President Vacancies
Whereas, The nominations of the Synod’s regional vice-presidents come only from the congregations of the region over which
they will serve and not from the floor (cf. Bylaw 3.12.2.7 [c, d]); and
Whereas, The election of the Synod’s regional vice-presidents is
done by the entire assembly of delegates to the national convention
(cf. Bylaw 3.12.2.7 [e]); and
Whereas, This method ensures that the initial selection of a
region’s vice-president is of the mutual support of congregations in
that region; and
Whereas, Other vacancies in the Synod’s boards, commissions,
and offices are filled by lists presented by the represented body to be
selected from (cf. Bylaw 3.9.5.3.1 [a] [2]; 3.10.4.4 [a]; 3.10.4.6.2;
and 3.10.5.3); and
Whereas, The current method for filling midterm vacancies does
not ensure that the region’s vice-president is of the same support of
congregations within the region; therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.12.2.7 be amended as follows:
PROPOSED WORDING

Nominations and Elections of Regional Vice-Presidents
3.12.2.7 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 with-

411

Board of Directors
New Jersey District
11-55

To Amend Bylaw Process for Election
of Synod Regional Vice-Presidents
Whereas, The nominations of the Synod’s regional vice-presidents come only from the congregations of the region over which
they will serve and not from the floor (cf. Bylaw 3.12.2.7 [c, d]); and
Whereas, This method ensures that the initial selection of a
region’s vice-president enjoys the mutual support of congregations
in that region; and
Whereas, Regional vice-presidents are elected by the entire
assembly and not the region from which they will represent, support, and provide oversight; and
Whereas, This does not ensure that the region’s vice-president
enjoys the same support of the congregations from within that region;
and
2016 Convention Workbook