# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S488
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

488

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

Resolved, That this become effective upon completion of the
2019 convention and shall affect every Synod and district
convention thereafter; and be it further
Resolved, That bylaw provisions shall be determined for
adoption at the 2019 convention for immediate implementation of
election cycles, terms of office, staggering terms, and any other
necessary issues that arise prior to the 2019 convention; and be it
further
Resolved, That Constitution Article VIII A 1 be amended as
follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING

Article VIII Synodical Meetings
A. Time and Legality of Meetings

and be it further
Resolved, That the President of the Synod, district presidents,
and circuit visitors and their respective staffs utilize the extra year
to accomplish visitation in a more reasonable and equitable fashion;
and be it further
Resolved, That this become effective upon completion of the
2022 Synod convention and shall affect every Synod and district
convention thereafter; and be it further
Resolved, That bylaw provisions shall be determined for adoption
at the 2022 Synod convention for immediate implementation of
election cycles, terms of office, staggering of terms, and any other
necessary issues that arise prior to the 2022 Synod convention; and
be it finally
Resolved, That the Commission on Handbook shall make
changes necessary for a four-year convention cycle.

1. The Synod convenes every threefour years for its regular
meeting.
…

and be it finally
Resolved, That the Commission on Handbook be charged to
change any additional bylaws to bring them into conformity with
such a four‐year cycle.
Board of Directors
Missouri District
Ov. 9-05

To Hold National and District Conventions
Every Four Years
WHEREAS, The estimated cost of this Synod convention is
$4,181,556. The estimated cost per delegate is $3,207; and
WHEREAS, We currently have a three-year convention cycle
resulting in four conventions in 12 years totaling an estimated cost
of $16,726,224; and
WHEREAS, Moving to a four-year convention cycle, there would
be three conventions in 12 years totaling an estimated cost of
$12,544,668. The 12-year savings would be $4,181,556. This does
not include the savings each district convention of the Synod would
realize by moving to a four-year cycle; and
WHEREAS, The overall cost to host a district or national
convention has continued to increase over the years. This cost is
borne by offerings received from congregations, many of which are
struggling financially, and impacting district and national budgets;
and
WHEREAS, Moving to a four-year convention cycle would
provide more time to implement convention actions; and
WHEREAS, Moving to a four-year convention cycle may provide
opportunity for substantial financial relief to congregation, district,
and national budgets; therefore be it
Resolved, That a four-year convention cycle be adopted for the
national and district levels; and be it further
Resolved, That the four-year schedule would be as follows:
• year one: circuits hold convocations and/or local forums;
• year two: districts hold regional theological and missional
convocations;
• year three: district conventions; and
• year four: the national convention;
2019 Convention Workbook

Board of Directors
Iowa West District
Ov. 9-06

To Change the Way
Electoral Circuits Are Formed
WHEREAS, The Synod divides itself into districts and allows each
district to create circuits, and the criteria to create districts and
circuits are determined by the Synod in convention (Bylaw 1.3.2);
and
WHEREAS, Electoral circuits are established for the sole purpose
of sending representative voting delegates to Synod conventions;
and
WHEREAS, The district board of directors of each district is
authorized to determine electoral circuits in its district (Bylaw 3.1.2
[a]); and
WHEREAS, Electoral circuits meet at the call of the circuit visitor
to elect its voting delegates, and the circuit visitor is responsible for
conducting those meetings (Bylaw 3.1.2.1 [a, e, i]); and
WHEREAS, Not all visitation circuits meet the criteria of being an
electoral circuit (currently set at 7–20 member congregations, and
aggregate communicant membership ranging from 1,500–10,000),
so electoral circuits are by definition not necessarily equivalent to
visitation circuits, (Bylaw 3.1.2 [a]); and
WHEREAS, Visitation circuits consisting of small or
geographically distant congregations may find it difficult to reach
Synod’s current criteria for an electoral circuit; and
WHEREAS, Congregations are the basic units of Synod (Bylaw
1.3.1), and congregations, not circuits, are members of Synod;
therefore be it
Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its
2019 convention amend Bylaw 3.1.2 (a) to include that the district
board of directors of each district be allowed to reassign one or more
congregations from one or more adjacent visitation circuit(s) for the
purpose of establishing electoral circuits that meet the criteria for
electing delegates; and be it further
Resolved, That the number of electoral circuits within a district
shall not exceed the number of visitation circuits in that district.
Oklahoma District