# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_February 23 2013_S37
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

President
Responsibilities and Duties—Ecclesiastical and Administrative
3.3.1.3 The President shall have responsibilities and duties that are both ecclesiastical and
administrative….
(f) As ecclesiastical supervisor, he shall provide leadership to all officers, agencies, and
national office staff of the Synod. Through the Chief Mission Officer, he shall
(1) coordinate the content of communications, public relations, and news and
information provided by the Synod.;
(2) oversee and coordinate (consulting with the Board of Directors of the Synod
when necessary) and supervise all fund-raising and planned giving activity by the
national Synod and its agencies.; and
(3) serve the Synod by providing leadership, coordination, and oversight for preseminary education programs, seminary education, and post-seminary continuing
education, and by providing advocacy for pastoral education and health within the
Synod.

(G) Role of Commission on Handbook When Bylaws are Amended
Rationale
When the 2010 LCMS convention created the Commission on Handbook (Bylaw 3.9.4ff.) and
assigned duties to the commission relating to proposed amendments to the Bylaws of the Synod (Bylaw
3.9.4.2 [a]), mention of those duties was not made in Bylaws 7.1.1 and 7.1.2. To eliminate confusion
regarding the differing duties of the Commission on Handbook and the Commission on Constitutional
Matters with respect to bylaw amendments, the Commission on Handbook proposes that Bylaws 7.1.1
and 7.1.2 be amended as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
7.1

Amendments to the Bylaws may be made using one of two procedures, provided they are not
contrary to the Constitution of the Synod.

7.1.1

Amendments may be made by conventions of the Synod.
(a) They shall be presented in writing to a convention of the Synod.
(b) They shall be specified as bylaw amendments and considered by a convention floor
committee.
(c) They shall be examined by the Commission on Constitutional Matters prior to presentation
to the convention to determine that they are not in conflict as to content with the Constitution
and Bylaws of the Synod.
(d) They shall be examined by the Commission on Handbook prior to the convention to
determine that they are in agreement in language (terminology) with the current Handbook.
(e) They shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the delegates present and
voting.

Page 107 – 02.23.13 – COH Minutes