# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2007_S253
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION 253

1. The President has the supervision regarding the doctrine and
the administration of
a. All officers of the Synod;
b. All such as are employed by the Synod;
c. The individual districts of the Synod;
d. All district presidents.
and

WHEREAS, “It is the President’s duty to see to it that all the
aforementioned [in Art. XI B 1] act in accordance with the Synod’s
Constitution, to admonish all who in any way depart from it, and, if
such admonition is not heeded, to report such cases to the Synod”
(Art. XI B 2); and

WHEREAS, “The President shall perform all additional duties as-
signed to him by the Bylaws or by special resolution of the Synod
in convention” (XI B 7); and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.11.1 (c) in regard to staff states that “All
positions requiring called ministers shall be filled in consultation
with the President of the Synod subject to all appropriate provi-
sions of the Constitution and Bylaws as well as the respective board
of director’s policy manual”; and

WueEREAS, The Bylaws of the Synod designate that “the Presi-
dent shall have powers and duties that are both ecclesiastical and
administrative” (Bylaw 3.3.1.3) but lack clear direction regarding
the role of “consultation” the president shall be afforded and shall
exercise in the calling or placement of staff who are LCMS ros-
tered professional church workers or non-rostered executives who
will be among “all such as are employed by the Synod,” over
whom he has been charged with “supervision regarding the doc-
trine and the administration” (Art. XI B 1 b); and

WHEREAS, The Bylaws do detail the President’s role in “con-
sultation” regarding the calling or placement of certain staff who
are LCMS rostered professional church workers or non-rostered
executives “employed by the Synod” over whom he has been given
“supervision regarding the doctrine and the administration,” such as
in Bylaw 3.3.1.3 (d), which states, “He shall engage in consulta-
tion with each program board, commission, and the governing
board of each synodwide corporate entity to reach mutual concur-
rence on a slate of candidates for the position of executive director
or chief executive officer,” and again, in Bylaw 3.4.2, which states,
“The Chief Administrative Officer shall be an officer of the Synod
and shall be appointed by the Board of Directors of the Synod in
consultation and mutual concurrence with the President of the
Synod”; and

WHEREAS, It would be in good order to define the role and the
scope of the powers and duties of the President of the Synod re-
garding “consultation” in the calling or placement of staff who are
LCMS rostered professional church workers or non-rostered exec-
utives who will be “employed by the Synod” and over whom he
has been given “supervision regarding the doctrine and the admin-
istration”; therefore be it

Resolved, That the 2007 Synod convention add the following
provision to the Bylaws of the Synod in regard to the President’s
Powers and Duties—Ecclesiastical and Administrative (Bylaw
3.3.1.3): “He shall engage in consultation with each program board,
commission, and synodwide corporate entity or their respective ex-
ecutive director or chief executive officer, as the situation may
apply, to reach mutual concurrence on a slate of candidates for the
calling or placement of staff who are LCMS rostered professional
church workers or non-rostered executives who will be “employed
by the Synod” and over whom he has been given “supervision re-
garding the doctrine and the administration” in accord with Art. XI
B | of the Synod’s Constitution.

Trinity
Roselle, IL

7-49

To Establish Term Limits for Office of President

WHEREAS, We encourage the office of the Synod President to
be viewed as a station of service, not of attainment or status; and

WHEREAS, Long office terms have the potential to allow for bar-
riers to be created, which control or prevent the consideration of
sincere but opposing viewpoints; and

WHEREAS, Term limits are a well-established practice within the
secular realm and within some LCMS-affiliated organizations,
(e.g., LCEF Board); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Bylaws be amended to specify that the max-
imum length of service of the President be nine years, if he be
elected to three terms, or six years plus an initial partial term, if he
succeed another President before that President’s elected term ex-
pires naturally.

St. John, Arlington, MN; Worthington Circuit, Minnesota
South District; Redeemer, Burnsville, MN; Zion, Crosby,
MN

7-50

To Allow First Vice-President
and Vice-President—Finance-—Treasurer
to Vote on Board of Directors

WHEREAS, The Board of Directors of the Synod is structured as
follows: “The Board of Directors shall consist of 15 voting members,
1. Thirteen members are elected by the Synod in convention and
serve a maximum of two six-year terms: four ordained ministers,
one commissioned minister, and eight laypersons. No more than
one of these may be elected from one District.
2. The President and Secretary shall be voting members of the
board.
3. The First Vice-President and the Vice-President-Finance—Trea-
surer of the Synod shal! be nonvoting members” (Bylaw 3.3.5.1);
and

WHEREAS, The First Vice-President and Vice-President-Fi-
nance—Treasurer are duly elected officers of the Synod and mem-
bers of the Board of Directors elected by the Synod in convention;
and

WHEREAS, The First Vice-President and Vice-President—Fi-
nance—Treasurer can be named as parties to legal action against
the Synod based upon the action or inaction of the Board of Direc-
tors; and

Wuereas, The wisdom of the First Vice-President and Vice-
President-Finance—Treasurer is recognized by the church and
would serve well this decision-making entity of the church; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That the First Vice-President and the Vice-Presi-
dent-Finance—Treasurer be granted voting privileges on the
Synod Board of Directors; and be it further

Resolved, That Bylaw 3.3.5.1.2. be changed to read, “The Pres-
ident, the First Vice-President, the Secretary, and the Vice-Presi-
dent-Finance—Treasurer of the Synod shall be voting members of
the board” and that current Bylaw 3.3.5.1.3 be deleted.

Trinity, Roselle, IL; Lord of Life, Leawood, KS

7-51

To Censure and Disqualify Certain Synod
Board of Directors Members

Wuereas, | Cor. 6:1-7 urges believers to avoid taking disputes
before the ungodly for judgment and instead to settle their differ-
ences by laying them before the “members of the brotherhood”;
and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 1.10.1.1 states the Synod, in the spirit of
1 Cor. 6, calls upon all parties to a disagreement, accusation, con-
troversy, or disciplinary action to rely exclusively and fully on the
Synod’s system of reconciliation and conflict resolution for the ex-
clusive and final remedy for those who are in dispute; and this spirit
and letter of the law have been transgressed by certain members of
the Synod’s BOD as they have urged and/or participated in legal