# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_February 3 2025_S9
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

also the ultimate responsibility for shaping, staffing, and supervising all program areas of the district’s work
(see above, as well as Bylaws 4.14.4–4.15.1.1). This responsibility is not assigned to the district president
and may well come to interfere or compete with those duties that are assigned exclusively to him. The
commission’s concerns regarding this model were expressed at length in its previous opinion.
Nonetheless, the commission approves the changes proposed (except as indicated above, and with the
additional required changes made) to the articles and bylaws for presentation to the district convention. The
district is thanked for sending these documents for review and reminded to file a clean copy, as adopted,
with the commission after the district convention.
87. Iowa East District Bylaw Proposal (25-3045)
By an email of January 9, the Iowa East District Secretary forwarded for the commission’s review a
memorial to revise Iowa East (IE) District Bylaws 1.2, 4.6, 6.1.2, 7.1, and 9.1, only the last two of these
revisions being substantive. The commission finds these changes consistent with the Constitution, Bylaws,
and resolutions of the Synod and approves them for presentation to the district convention for adoption.
In its review of the district’s bylaws in general, last reviewed in Op. 20-2931, the commission notes the
following:
•

•

IE Bylaws treat only the election procedure for the president and vice-presidents of the district (IE
Bylaw 5.2) and the ratification procedure for circuit visitors (IE Bylaw 4.5). The election procedure
of Synod Bylaw 4.7.3 (c) applies with regard to “all other elections.” The district could:
o

Include reference to Synod Bylaw 4.7.3 in its Bylaw section 4 (“Elections of district officers
and members of the board, as well as all other elections conducted by the district, shall be
conducted according to the procedures specified in the Synod Bylaws (Bylaws 4.7.3, 5.2.2 [g–
h])”).

o

In Bylaw 5.3, remove the subparagraphs (a–c) and replace “in the following manner:” with “as
prescribed in Synod Bylaw 4.7.3.”

In Bylaw 16.2, the district may include, if it wishes, the provision (styled on Synod Bylaw 7.1.2)
that the BOD may, upon CCM approval and by a 2/3 vote, effect such changes in the district Bylaws
as are required by the Synod convention’s changes to its own bylaws.

The district may make the above changes, in addition, and approve them without further approval by the
commission.
The district is thanked for sending the documents for review and reminded to send, for the commission’s
files, a clean copy of its bylaws as adopted.
88. Northern Illinois District Bylaw Amendment Proposal (25-3048)
At the request, on Feb. 3, of the Northern Illinois (NI) District President and District Secretary, the
commission reviewed a proposed district convention resolution (2-02), “To Align the Term Limits of
District President and Vice Presidents.” The commission observes that the change proposed would be
consistent in substance with the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod, but must be stated in
terms of an explicit bylaw amendment for presentation to the district convention; in such a form it is
approved for presentation. The commission notes that in the district Handbook shared by the Secretary, the
change referred to by the rationale, to allow an additional term to the district president, does not appear to
have been incorporated into district bylaws. This should be done (if the change was effected as indicated in
2022), and this change, as well, is approved. The commission notes it did not perform a complete review
of the NI District Bylaws otherwise, given the shortness of time it had for review.
89. Plan for Next Meeting
The commission set March 21–22 as the dates for its next in-person meeting, in St. Louis.
CCM Minutes – February 3, 2025 – Page 66