# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S180 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 180 RESOLUTIONS Wuereas, The Synod has authorized the selection of a committee of the faculty representing the college or seminary involved to rate the academic and personal qualifications of the nominees; and Wuereas, This faculty committee is empowered to make its choice of the nominees which eliminates all other nominated persons; and WuereaS, The electors cannot add any of the rejected nominees to the list without the approval of the faculty committee; therefore be it Resolved, That Handbook Bylaw 6.117 be amended as follows: PRESENT WORDING The election shall be held on the day designated in the notice published in the official publications of the Synod or as soon thereafter as feasible and after due consideration of the recommendations and statements of qualifications submitted on behalf of all nominees, or of objections to any, there shall be elected from the list of candidates proposed by the faculty committee or as amended by it after mutual consent with the electors, as the case may be, the person best qualified for the position to be filled, or the Board of Control shall be requested by the electors to postpone the election or to issue a new call for nominations as conditions may indicate. PROPOSED WORDING The election shall be held on the day designated in the notice published in the official publications of the Synod or as soon thereafter as feasible. The electors shall give due consideration to the recom- mendations and statements of qualifications and objections submitted on behalf of all nominees. A majority of the electors, with the members of the Board of Control voting as individuals, may add to the list supplied by the faculty committee (6.113), after consultation with the faculty com- mittee. If the electors are unable to complete the election, they may postpone the election and re- quest the Board of Control to issue a new call for nominations. Action: Adopted as amended (14). (After Resolution 6-13 had been presented in Session 2, an amendment was adopted, 516—396: “The electors, in- cluding the Board of Control as individual members, may add any names from the list of nominees to those proposed by the faculty committee after consultation with said com- mittee.” The amended resolution was then taken up again in Session 5. At that time Resolution 6-13 was referred at the request of the committee back to the floor committee for rewording of the amendment which had been previously approved. The committee was also asked to consider the meaning of the word “consultation” in its deliberations. In Session 7 the floor committee presented Resolution 6-13A as a substitute resolution. After some discussion a motion was made to amend the substitute motion to broaden the faculty committee to include representation from the Board of Control, faculty, parish pastors, teachers, and laymen. Discussion was called to a close in order to allow that amendment to be printed in the next issue of Today’s Busi- ness. In Session 14 the convention declined this amend- ment. It then amended substitute Resolution 6-13A, the third and fourth sentences, which had read originally: “The electors and the members of the Board of Control acting as individuals may add to the list supplied by the faculty committee (6.113), after consultation with the faculty com- mittee. If the electors are unable to complete the election, they may postpone the election or issue a new call for nominations.” The convention then adopted as a substitute for Resolution 6-13 the entire Resolution 6-13A as amended and as given above.) To Stress the Recruitment and Training of Students from Minority Groups RESOLUTION 6-14 Overtures 6-51A, 6-51B, 6-59 (CW, pp. 279, 281—282) Wuereas, Blacks, Spanish-Americans, and other mi- nority groups can usually be served best by pastors and teachers from their own social and ethnic background; and Whereas, Representatives from minority groups have indicated that there is need for improvement in the recruitment and training of such students at all of our colleges and seminaries; therefore be it Resolved, That we direct the Board for Higher Edu- cation to study this concern and to implement necessary changes as quickly as possible in all of the schools under their supervision; and be it further Resolved, That the officials and congregations of our Syned be informed of the results of that study and be urged to participate actively in the recruitment and employment of these workers. Action: Adopted (15). To Exercise Caution in Granting Honorary Degrees RESOLUTION 6-15 Overture 6-65 (CW, pp. 283—284) WuereEas, Honorary degrees are properly conferred upon persons rendering outstanding and/or unusually noteworthy service; and Wuereas, The schools conferring these degrees have an obligation to the church to seek out the most deserv- ing candidates and to avoid any appearance of personal favoritism or conflict of interest; therefore be it Resolved, That we advise the faculties at our colleges and seminaries that there is a growing concern in the church about the possibility of abuse in the conferring of honorary degrees; and be it also Resolved, That we ask these faculties to exercise ut- most care in the selection of those who are so honored. Action: None. Referred under omnibus Res. 4-47 to the Board of Directors. To Encourage the Commission on Lutheran Lay Higher Education RESOLUTION 6-16 Report 6-03 (CW, p. 253) Wuereas, The 1969 convention of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod established a Commission on Lay Higher Education; and Wuereas, This commission was appointed after the 1971 convention, but according to its own report, has not been very active; and | i { i