# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2013_S234
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

234

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
(1) It shall receive such reports as it requests on the
operations and policies of the mission boards,
commissions, offices, and councils.
(2) It shall have the right to request review of any
action or policy of a mission board, commission,
office, or council which primarily relates to
business, property, and/or legal matters and,
after consultation with the agency involved and
when deemed necessary, require modification
or revocation thereof, except opinions of the
Commission on Constitutional Matters.

(b) The Corporate Synod’s budgeting process and the budget itself shall
be designed to support the worldwide mission and ministry of the
Synod.

(1) The board shall establish policies and guidelines
relating to the preparation of the annual budget of
the Synod.
(2) The board shall adopt the annual budget of the
corporate Synod.
3.3.4.6 (d) Regarding the Synod’s seminaries, the board shall,
together with national fund-raising operations, establish
policy guidelines for the distribution of grants of the
Synod (restricted and unrestricted) and efforts for securing
additional financial support from other sources.
3.3.4.7 (e) Regarding the Synod’s colleges, universities, and
seminaries, the board shall approve capital projects in
relation to campus property management agreements and
institutional master plans, and shall establish and monitor
criteria for determining institutional viability, fiscal and
otherwise.
3.3.4.8 To the extent of its responsibilities relative to the general
management and supervision of the business and legal
affairs of the Synod:
(a) It shall receive such reports as it requests on the operations and policies of the boards, commissions, offices, and councils.
(b) It shall have the right to request review of any action or policy of
a board, commission, office, or council which primarily relates to
business, property, and/or legal matters and, after consultation with
the agency involved and when deemed necessary, require modification or revocation thereof, except opinions of the Commission on
Constitutional Matters.

3.3.4.69 The Board of Directors shall exercise general oversight
over the operations and activities of the synodwide
corporate entities, the Concordia Plans, and Concordia Plan
Services as required of it in the Constitution of the Synod
and specified in these Bylaws.
(a) It shall assure itself that their accounting, budgeting, and financial
policies comply with generally accepted accounting standards.
(b) It shall assure itself that audits are performed by internal auditors or
independent certified public accountants for the Synod’s

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)

synodwide corporate entities;
colleges, universities, and seminaries;
districts;
Concordia Plan Services; and
the Concordia Plans.

(c) It shall be furnished with copies of these and any interim financial
reports it requests.

3.3.4.710 The Board of Directors shall serve as the custodian of
all the property of the Synod as defined in Bylaw 1.2.1 (q).
Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, it shall have
the authority and responsibility with respect to the property
of the Synod as is generally vested in and imposed upon a
board of directors of a corporation.
(a) It shall, however, delegate to district boards of directors the authority
to buy, sell, and encumber real and personal property in the ordinary
course of performing the functions which the district carries on for

2013 Convention Workbook

the Synod in accord with general policies (which shall be applicable
to all districts) established from time to time by itself or the Synod
in convention.
(b) It may, however, delegate to any agency of the Synod powers and
duties with respect to property of the Synod for which such agency
of the Synod has direct supervisory responsibility.
(c) Such delegation shall be in writing and shall be subject to change at
any time by the Synod’s Board of Directors, provided that reasonable deliberations, as determined by the Board of Directors, take
place with such agency prior to the change.

3.3.4.811 The Board of Directors shall be empowered to
authorize the Chief Financial Officer of the Synod to
borrow capital funds after the board has determined the
amounts and the conditions under which these capital
funds shall be borrowed, for capital-fund outlay, for site
acquisition, or for construction projects that are authorized
by conventions of the Synod.
(a) It and the responsible officers of the Synod are empowered to do all
things necessary to effect such capital-fund borrowings if and when
required, including the pledging of real and other property belonging to the Synod in order to secure loans to obtain the necessary
funds.
(b) The borrowed capital funds shall not be used for any operating expenditures and shall be subject to provision for amortization.

3.3.4.912 The Board of Directors of the Synod may appoint other
officers, subject to the approval of the President of the
Synod, may appoint other officers and staff required from
time to time to carry out the business and legal affairs of the
Synod.
Commission on Handbook
6-13

To Restore Balance to Composition of LCMS
Board of Directors
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is a
gathering of congregations walking together in confession of faith;
and
Whereas, The LCMS has historically provided balanced representation between pastors and laity on the various boards and
commissions at the Synod level; and
Whereas, The 2010 LCMS convention adopted Res. 8-16A,
amending Bylaw 3.3.4.1 regarding the composition of the Synod’s
Board of Directors to provide for four ministers of religion—
ordained, one minister of religion—commissioned, and up to ten
laypersons; and
Whereas, Concern was expressed from the floor of the convention about the imbalance in the composition of the Board of Directors
between laity and ministers of religion; and
Whereas, the original proposal of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on
Synod Structure and Governance maintained that near balance (eight
ordained/commissioned ministers and nine laypersons) by increasing the representation both of pastors and laity; and
Whereas, The 2010 LCMS convention increased the number of
laypersons while reducing the number of pastors to below previous
levels; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Central Illinois District memorialize the 2013
LCMS convention to amend Bylaw 3.3.4.1 as follows:
3.3.4.1 The Board of Directors shall consist of no more than 15 voting members, as follows:
1. One layperson elected from each of the five designated geographical
regions