# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2007_S234 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 234 PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION policies of corporate Synod and the agencies of the Synod, and civil laws. [1.5.12.1 (b)} (1) Activities shall not be entered into which may be detri- mental to the interests of the Synod i tes. >) Any inappropriate activity shall cease or the position will be vacated. (1.5.12.1 (b) (1), (5)] (2) Information acquired in the course of carrying out duties of the Synod shall not knowingly be used in any way that would be detrimental to the welfare of the Synod end-te-egeneies. (1.5.12.1 (b) (2)] No one shall vote on any transaction in which the individual she# might receive a di- rect or indirect financial gain. [1.5.12.1 (b) (3)] (4) Gitte; The Board of Directors shall establish policy re- ifts, entertainment, or favors ##-e% from any individual or outside concern which does or is seeking to do business with the corpo- Tate Synod or #9 the agencies of the Synod shel-net-be-aeeepted. {1.5.12.1 (b) (4)] (¢) Individuals, prior to accepting elected, er appointed, efftee or staff positions, ‘shall i sign state- ments stating that they have received, understand, and agree to abide by this bylaw and the Synod’s conflict of interest policy ef 66 A ” [1.5.12.2] Removal from Board or Commission Membership ¢ duties of their offi in go ith and with th V: i vice- i in ji - c Vice- i —Finance— i incl Tr Ww i XI rf nstitution. *Ageney Organization 1.5.4 Every agency of the Synod shall meet at least quarterly unless _ Otherwise stipulated in the Bylaws. Exceptions require the ap- proval at least annually of the President of the Synod. 1.5.8] 15.4.1 Ad-egenetes At the initial meeting after election or appoint: boards shall organize themselves as to offers chair, vice. chair, secretary, and after-eleetion-orappeintment ws and shall conduct business in accordance with accepted parliamentary rules. £1.5.2] 15.4.2 All egenetes-mey-empley program boards, commissions, and governing boards may make use of executive commit- tees to act in times of emergency between plenary meetings and to act on delegated assignments. [1.5.3] (a) Executive committees May not perform acts specifically re- quired by the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod to be performed by the agency, nor may they overtum actions of the agency. [1.5.3 (a)] (b) All executive committee actions shall be reported to plenary sessions of the agency. [1.5.3 (b)] 15.4.3 Fre-ageneies All mmission: V- ering boards may also delegate a specific assignment for a limited time to a committee composed of its own members. {1.5.3 (c)] 1.5.4.4 Bearde-and-commissiens All program boards, commissions. and governing boards may appoint standing committees of _ Specialists to provide professional or technical assistance to the board or commission and may delegate certain responsi- bilities to such committees while retaining supervision. din it may be made up of or include non- board or F commission members. The creation of standing committees shall be reported to the President and the Board of Directors of the Synod. [1.5.11] 1.5.4.5 All egeneies program boards, commissions, and governing boards shall maintain and make available upon request end at a reasonable price a verbatim copy of the minutes of their meetings except for executive sessions. [1.5.7] Full Financial Disclosure 15,5 The Synod and each of its agencies shall fully disclose their financial books and records to any member congregation of the Synod. [1.5.13] (a) Full disclosure includes all information (including, but not limited to, information required to be made available under state law) recorded in any fashion, except the following: (1) Information that would violate the expected confiden- tiality of donors. (2) Personnel files or other information that would violate the expected confidentiality of effeers-and employees. (3) Information that relates to in-process negotiations of fi- nancial matters. (4) Information the disclosure of which would breach a legal obligation of the Synod or its agencies or affect pending litiga- tion or claims against the Synod or its agencies. (5) Information that is preliminary in nature or otherwise has not been finalized in its form and content. {1.5.13 (a)] (b) Salaries of elected officers of the Synod, as identified in Constitution Art. X A, shall be published annually in an official periodical. [7.5.13 (b)] (c) The accounting department of the Synod shall publish annu- ally in an official periodical an invitation to request full, audited financial statements and summary operating budgets of the Synod or its agencies. {1.5.13.1] (d) The Synod and its agencies shall share, upon request, the quarterly financial statements as reported to the respective gov- erning boards. {1.5.13.1 (a)] (e) All information produced for normal publication or distribu- tion shall be provided free of charge. [1.5.3.1 (b)] (f) Requests for detailed financial information or the inspection of financial records shall be made in writing to the respective corporate boards by a member congregation and shall state the records desired and the time period to be covered. {1.5.13.2] (1) All responses to requests for information involving re- search or compilation shall be billed to the member on the basis of actual costs. (2) Any inspection of financial records shall be done by (a) member(s) of the congregation or its stated authorized agent at a mutually agreeable time and place. (3) The board may decline to provide the information re- quested if the board can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that the member*s congregation’s request is with the specific intent to cause harm to the Synod or one of its agencies or with the sole intent of deliberately and significantly disrupt- ing the operations and affairs of the Synod or one of its agen- cies.