# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_2004_S123
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

2. District and Congregational Services
To Revise Bylaw 3.821, “Board for District
and Congregational Services
Membership”
RESOLUTION 2-01A
Overture 2-37 (CW, p. 155)
Rationale
An examination of the composition of elected and appointed boards and commissions in the 2001 Handbook indicates that nearly 50 percent of ordained/commissioned
ministers are required to be actively serving in parishbased ministries.
Furthermore, since the Board for District and Congregational Services (DCS) exists to serve Districts and congregations in their various ministries, it is desirable that
the Board members are actively involved in one or more of
these ministry areas in their own congregations, understand the issues congregations face, and have worked
within their Districts to address these issues.
In addition, it would be extremely beneficial to insure
that membership on the Board for District and Congregational Services be limited to ordained and commissioned
ministers who are actively parish based and, therefore, in
the best position to contribute to the work of DCS.
The “at-large members” included with the formation of
the Board for District and Congregational Services in 1995
has not resulted in a representation of laity of the church as
intended.
The present wording of Bylaw 3.821 does not specifically
address whether the ordained and commissioned ministers
must be parish-based and active in congregational ministry.
Resolved, That the following revision of Bylaw 3.821 be
adopted:

Committee 2 Chairman William Ameiss

To Ensure Uniformity in Catechism
Translation
RESOLUTION 2-02A
Overture L2-54 (TB, p. 32)
Preamble
In 1986 the Synod in convention adopted a new translation of the Small Catechism (Res. 2-16). In addition to updating Luther’s explanations, the Small Catechism Task
Force chose to use the New International Version in those
places where Scripture is quoted. In 1989, the Synod resolved that all future printings of Lutheran Worship (LW)
use the new version of the Small Catechism (Res. 2-04). One
of the unfortunate results of this change is that existing
copies of LW have different versions of the Small Catechism,
making it difficult to use in corporate worship.
The Commission on Worship intends to include the
Small Catechism in the Lutheran Service Book (LSB proposal, pp. 49−51). However, in order to avoid the future
problem of different versions of the Small Catechism appearing in the LSB, the Commission proposes making the
change at this time to the English Standard Version in
those places where Scripture is quoted in Luther’s Small
Catechism. Exceptions to this are the:
• First Commandment—omission of the words “before me”
(following Luther’s original)
• Fourth Commandment—omission of the words “that your
days may be long…” (following Luther’s original)
• Office of the Keys—the quotation of John 20:23 will use
the New King James Version.

PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
The Board for District and Congregational Services
shall consist of 8 eight members to be elected by the
Synod in convention: 2 pastors, 2 commissioned ministers, 2 laypersons, and 2 at-large members two ordained ministers (one of whom must be a parish pastor), two commissioned ministers currently serving in
a congregation or Lutheran school (early childhood
through higher education, including school associations), and four laypersons;

and be it further
Resolved, That these changes be incorporated in the
election process of the 2007 convention.
Action: Adopted (2)
(After the committee made several changes to the printed version of the proposed resolution and moved its adoption, the resolution was amended by replacing this 2004 with the 2007 in the
final resolve and by replacing secondary with higher education in
the proposed bylaw wording. The amended motion was adopted
[Yes: 759; No: 438].)

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2004 Convention Proceedings