# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1981_S141
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

y know of and celebrate the ministry pursued by
h congregation, may review and discuss the work of
Fe Circuit Forum, and may receive information on
jous phases of the work pursued through Districts
ind the Synod; that its emphasis be on inspiration,
ducation, and motivation.

. Action: Adopted as amended (13).

(Amended by common consent by substituting “will” for
he encouraged to” in points 1 and 4. The convention declined
1 amendment to delete point 1, (b).)

To Broaden the Franchise
RESOLUTION 2-14

Report 2-01, IV, I, 1-6 (CW, p. 49); Overtures 2-
08A—2-13 (CW, pp. 132—133)

Resolved, That the following Task Force II recom-
mendations, Section I, be adopted, as amended:

1. That as a general rule every congregation shall be
entitled to two votes at a District convention;

; 2. That, since it is the congregation which basically

decides who is to cast its two votes, a congregation
- should be free to choose anyone it wishes from its
communicant membership to cast its nonpastoral vote,
so that the congregation may choose a layperson, a
parochial school teacher, or any communicant member
of that congregation who is on the clergy or teacher
roster of the Synod in some other capacity;

3. That when the pastoral office is vacant in the
congregation at the moment, the congregation shall
still be entitled to two votes, to be cast by members
chosen by the congregation;

4. That ina dual parish or multiple parish the pastor
shall be entitled to one vote; the parish shall be entitled
to at least one additional vote, and shall have a third
vote if at least two congregations in that parish have at
least one hundred communicant members each (in this
way, if two rather large congregations form a dual
parish, both would be entitled to a vote in addition to the
pastoral vote; however, if the parish consists of several
small congregations, the parish would have only one
vote in addition to the pastoral vote). Any necessary
determination of procedure or alternation shall be made
by the District Board of Directors;

5. That the same principles be applied basically also
to synodical conventions; that every congregation be
free to nominate any person from the total communicant
membership of the congregations within that Circuit as
a candidate for the second delegate position and its
alternate. This person shall preferably be a layperson,
but all individuals holding communicant membership

PRESENT WORDING

Article V Membership
Membership in the Synod is held and may be

RESOLUTIONS 141

are eligible, including clergymen who are not called as
parish pastors, and teachers.

Action: Referred to special committee (14).

(In answer to a question whether consideration was out of
order since Res. 2-01 had been adopted, the chair ruled that
consideration was in order since the specific matter referred to
in Res. 2-14 had not been considered. The delegates sustained
the ruling of the chair. In answer to another question whether
it would not be more proper to consider Res. 2-15 first, the
delegates agreed to continue discussion of Res. 2-14. An
amendment “that the congregation decide who is to cast its two
votes, one to be cast by a called pastor or a called professional
who has signed the Constitution of the Synod and the other by
a layperson chosen from its communicant membership” was
declined by a vote of 326 to 497. After still another suggestion
had been offered, the delegates adopted a motion: “Whereas,
Very little time is available to discuss Res. 2-14 and 2-15 at this
convention; therefore be it Resolved, That action on the
proposed Res. 2-14 and 2-15 be deferred until the 1983 conven-
tion; and be it further Resolved, That the President of the
Synod appoint a committee, consisting of one pastor, two
teachers, and three lay persons, which shall report to the 1983
convention.”’)

To Amend Article V and Article XII
of the Constitution

RESOLUTION 2-15
Report 2-01 (CW, p. 51—52)

WHEREAS, Considerable dissatisfaction has been
voiced by dual and vacant parishes since, in their
estimation, they are being deprived of part of their
voting rights; and

WHEREAS, Congregations with lay ministers have
voiced concerns that their lay ministers cannot serve as
a pastoral delegate, with the result that the congrega-
tion has only one vote; and

WHEREAS, Teachers have long been ineligible to
serve in any capacity as a voting delegate; and

WHEREAS, Many clergymen who are not called
pastors cannot be available to their congregations,
which might wish to use them as their second delegate;
and

WHEREAS, The concept was firmly established that
every member congregation should be entitled to two
votes; and

WHEREAS, Equity seems to require that the congre-
gation should be free to choose its second delegate from
the entire communicant membership (the pastor being

chosen by the congregation as its pastoral delegate at
the time of issuing his call); therefore be it

Resolved, That in addition to required Bylaw
changes, the following constitutional amendments be
adopted:

PROPOSED WORDING

Article V Membership
(No change)