# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_April 8 9 2022_S15
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Finally, the commission notes the existence of a “District Operations Manual,” which may constitute a
policy manual requiring review by the commission. The district is asked to forward a copy of this manual
for the commission’s review.
136. Pacific Southwest District Bylaws, Proposed (22-2986)
By an email of March 2, the President of the Pacific Southwest (PSW) District submitted a proposed
revision of his district’s bylaws for review. The commission notes the following:
•

PSW Bylaw 1.3.9: The following addition is necessary: “except that members elected to the board
of regents of Concordia University Irvine take office at the close of the district convention at which
they are elected.” (Synod Bylaw 3.2.4 [a])

•

PSW Bylaw 1.4.1.2.1: Due to Synod Bylaw 4.3.1, this should read “Clergy Roster of the District
and shall hold membership in a congregation of the region represented.”

•

PSW Bylaw 1.4.1.2.3: “who reside in the designated regions” should read “who are members of
member congregations of the region.”

•

PSW Bylaw 1.4.1.2.4: The language needs to be revised to indicate the ordering is done by majority
vote. The language of Bylaw 3.12.2.7 (g) should be incorporated instead, adjusted to the correct
number of vice-presidents for the district.

•

PSW Bylaws 8.2.1–2: The commission notes an apparent structure of “affinity circuits” alongside
visitation and electoral circuits, defined in the Synod bylaws. These should at least be defined.

•

PSW Bylaw 10.1: needs to be replaced with: “The Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod, the
Bylaws of the District, any special rules of order the District may adopt, and the rules contained in
the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the district as
parliamentary authorities whereverin all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are
not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the district may adopt and in
decreasing order of precedence as listed.”

Provided the above are addressed as indicated, the commission finds the bylaw proposal as here presented
to be in harmony with the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod and approves it for
presentation to the district convention. The district and its president are thanked for this submission and
reminded to file with the Office of the Secretary, for the commission’s records, a clean copy of the Bylaws
as finally adopted by the convention.
The commission notes its uncertainty whether articles of incorporation adopted by the district, compliant
with Bylaw 1.5.3.6 and 2016 Res. 9-02A, have been filed with the State of California. The district is advised
to review this filing and to submit a clean copy of its articles, for the commission’s files, as filed with the
state.
137. Michigan District Bylaws, Proposed (22-2981)
By an email of January 28, an assistant to the President of the Michigan (MI) District forwarded his district’s
bylaw revision proposal for review. The commission notes the following:
•

MI Bylaw 3.7: The district may wish to clarify that the quorum is of “their respective voting
representatives,” as congregations in multi-congregation parishes may also have advisory lay
delegates and possibly other advisory delegates related to their congregations who would not count
toward the quorum.

•

MI Bylaw 4.1: It would be well to include an additional sentence: “Regional members of the board
must be members of congregations within the region represented throughout their term of service.”

CCM Minutes – April 8–9, 2022 – Page 102