# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S116
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

116 Proceedings of the 29th General or

The Synodical Constitution.

Committee 2 reported as follows:

Petition 67 advocates adopting a new synodical constitution. Several congregations in Milwaukee support the same. The petition states "that the constitution no longer meets present-day requirements, since it contains so much that is subject to change and therefore should not stand in a constitution"; and further, "that nothing can be achieved by a revision of the present constitution; therefore a new constitution should be drawn up."

We associate ourselves with this and therefore recommend that the Reverend Synod resolve:

1. that the Synod adopt a new constitution, "which meets present-day requirements and takes existing circumstances into account";

2. that "the basic principles of the old constitution be retained as the foundation for the new constitution";

3. that provisions of the kind customarily set out in the bylaws not be included in the new constitution.

Petition 67 also contains a draft of a new constitution. The members of the committee have read it. But since, in a matter as important as the adoption of a new constitution, everything ought to be carefully examined and every sentence weighed for content and wording, and the Synod's session time would probably not suffice to do this; and above all, since we do not consider it our task to examine in depth the draft before us, we refrain from any judgment on it and recommend that the Reverend Synod resolve,

4. that a committee be appointed by the Synod to present it, in three years, with a draft of a new synodical constitution.

This committee report was adopted.

Further resolved, that the president appoint a committee to present the Synod, in three years, with a draft of a new synodical constitution.

Remark. This also disposed of the proposal for a change to the constitution submitted in Petition 66 by an esteemed congregation of the Synod.


Rules of Order for Conducting the Synodical Sessions.

Resolved:

1. to adopt definite but as simple as possible rules for conducting the synodical sessions;