# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S172
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

172 RESOLUTIONS

recommended clarification of Bylaws 1.57 and 1.61;
therefore be it

Resolved, That Bylaw 1.57 shall be amended to read:

a. Each District shall send one advisory dele-
gate for every unit of 30 advisory clergymen and
one advisory delegate for every unit of 30 teachers
on the roster of the Synod. These selections shall
be made by the respective groups meeting at the
call of the District secretary during the District
conventions. Fractions of less than half a unit
shall be disregarded except that each District shall
be entitled to at least one advisory delegate in
each category.

b. Advisory members of the Synod who are
eligible to serve as advisory representatives to the
convention under the terms of Bylaw 1.61 shail not
be counted in determining the number of advisory
delegates from a District; neither shall they par-
ticipate in their selection nor be eligible to serve
as such advisory delegates;

and be it also
Resolved, That Bylaw 1.61f. be deleted.

Action: None. Referred under omnibus Res. 4-47 to
the Board of Directors.

To Clarify Delegate Election Procedures
RESOLUTION 5-27

Report 5-02, II, Overtures 5-28, 5-29, 5-30, 5-31, 5-32, 5-33,
5-34, 5-35, 5-36A, 5-36B, 5-36C (CW pp. 207—208, 221—
223)

Whereas, The Bylaw on the election of delegates to
synodical conventions is derived from the terms of the
Constitution which explicitly describe the Synod to be
a federation of congregations which alone possess the
franchise and have the power to determine who shall
exercise the pastoral and lay vote at synodical conven-
tions; therefore be it

Resolved, That Bylaw 1.53 be amended to read:

a. Each electoral circuit shall meet at the call
of the Counselor(s) to elect its delegates not later
than 9 months prior to the opening day of the con-
vention. The election shall be by written ballot.
All pastors who are not advisory members under
Article V B shall be eligible for election. The
privilege of voting shall be exercised by one pastor
and one layman from each member congregation
of the circuit. Multiple parishes shall be entitled
to a lay vote from each member congregation.
Each delegate shall vote for two pastors, and ballot-
ing shall continue with the lowest candidate being
removed from each succeeding ballot until one
pastor shall have received support from a majority
of the voters, whereupon he shall be declared the
pastoral delegate. The congregation or congrega-
tions served by the elected pastoral delegate shall
be removed from consideration for supplying any
other voting delegate or alternate for that par-
ticular convention.

b. Prior to the meeting of the electoral circuit,
each congregation shall nominate one layman,
either from its congregation or from the circuit,
the name to be submitted to the Circuit Counselor.
All congregational nominees shall be eligible for
election. The election shall follow the same pro-
cedure as in paragraph “a” above, until a lay
delegate has been chosen by majority vote, where-
upon he shall be declared the lay delegate. The
congregation from which the lay delegate has
been elected shall then be removed from considera-

tion for supplying any remaining voting delegate or
alternate to that particular convention.

c. Balloting shall continue in the same manner
on the remaining pastoral candidates until another
has gained majority support, whereupon he shall
be declared the alternate pastoral delegate. The
congregation or congregations served by the elected
alternate pastoral delegate shall be removed from
consideration for supplying any other voting dele-
gate or alternate for that particular convention.

d. Balloting shall continue in the same manner
on the remaining lay candidates until another has
gained majority support, whereupon he shall be
declared the alternate lay delegate.

e. The Counselor(s) shall report the results of
the election to the Secretary of the District in
writing immediately after said election. If neither
the delegate nor the alternate (pastoral or lay)
can serve, the vacancy shall be filled by the Dis-
trict President in consultation with the respective
Circuit Counselor(s).

Action: Adopted as amended (16).

(This was discussed in Sessions-14 and 16. The minutes
for Session 16 detail the action which included amendments
and a point of order. Amendments: elimination of a second
whereas, “Whereas, granting the vote at synodical conven-
tions to advisory members of the Synod would destroy the
historic constitutional concept of congregational families,”
and the recasting of the final words of a, b, and c to include
the words “voting” and “or alternate.” The committee also
stated by way of clarification that in the initial ballot in
both categories — pastoral and lay—each voter shall vote
for two persons, but in subsequent ballots for only one
person until both a delegate and an alternate in both cate-
gories have gained majority support.)

To Establish a Constitutional Study Committee
RESOLUTION 5-28

Report 5-03, Overtures 5-04, 5-05A, 5-05B, 5-05C, 5-05D,
5-05E, 5-05F, 5-05G, 5-05H, 5-051, 5-053, 5-05K, 5-06, 5-07,
5-11, 5-16, 5-61, 5-62, 5-93A, 5-93B, 5-95 (CW, pp. 211—
214, 216—217, 228—229, 238—239)

Wuereas, The Constitution of the Synod has served
well in providing a solid base of direction for our Synod
for 125 years, and its Bylaws have spelled out specifics
for the concepts contained in the Constitution, thus in-
dicating that any changes in the Constitution itself
should be made very cautiously and deliberately; and

Whereas, The CTCR intends to complete its docu-
ment on the mission of the church before reviewing the
revision proposed by the CMMC (1969 Proceedings,
Res. 1-15A); and

WuereEas, There have been requests for continued
study, evaluation, and revisions; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Board of Directors be directed
to appoint a task force for an ongoing study of the Con-
stitution and Bylaws and that this task force be directed
to consider:

1. A study of the Constitution itself to determine
whether possible clarification or additional articles
are necessary;

2. A study of the Bylaws for clarification, better co-
ordination, and simplification;

3. A study of the Synod’s organization and structure;

and be it further

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