# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1911_S309
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 95 —

...and duties that belong to him under the Synod's constitution or
under special synodical resolutions; but in exercising such rights and
duties, insofar as they have not been expressly restricted to his own
person, he may have himself represented by any member of the Presidial
College. In particular it is his task, first and foremost, to take
charge of the theological side of the General Presidency, watching
over purity and unity of doctrine and keeping a watchful eye on
churchly practice (which is of course not meant to say that he need
not concern himself at all with the other functions of the Presidency);
to visit the Synod's institutions of higher learning regularly, where
possible once every year; to attend at least a third of the district
synods; to be present at the meeting of the so-called Distribution
Committee; to represent the Synod externally and either conduct
inter-synodical negotiations himself or have himself represented in
them by committees; to publish from time to time reports on the state
of synodical affairs, as well as other articles on burning questions of
the day, in the *Lutheraner*; to give, as occasion allows, lectures or
lecture courses before the students of the theological seminaries on
particular dangers, needs, and movements within the Church; and
together with the other members of the Presidial College to settle the
distribution of presidential functions among the vice-presidents in
whatever way seems most conducive to building God's kingdom.

If he is to do all this, it is easy to see that he will not be able to
hold another full office alongside the General Presidency.

2. The Conference further proposes that the office of first
vice-president likewise be so burdened that it too requires nearly the
full strength of one man, and that its holder could at most hold,
alongside the service assigned to him by the Synod, an auxiliary office
that does not hinder him in discharging his presidential duties.

The duties of this first General vice-president would of course
likewise presuppose a theologian. He would have to attend about a third
of the district synods and otherwise assist the General *Präses* in
the exercise of presidential duties, or represent him. But he would
chiefly have to occupy himself with the Synod's finances; he would have
to inform himself precisely about the state of the synodical money
matters and about the contributions coming in from the various
districts, and direct his efforts toward seeing that the Synod's three
main treasuries — the Synodal Treasury, the Synodal Building Fund, and
the Mission Treasuries — everywhere receive the consideration that
rightfully belongs to them. He could do this by addressing Christians
through our church papers, and by corresponding with the officers of
the districts, with entire conferences, or otherwise with individual
members of the Synod...