# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_undated_S1
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

After a closing prayer by Sommermeyer the meeting adjourned.
Herbert Mueller, Secretary

MINUTES of COMMISSION ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
St. Louis, Missouri, February 2 -March 1, 19
156. After a delay of one-half hour the meeting was opened by the chairman at 9:30 A.M. Vice President
Streufert spoke the opening prayer. Present: Kuenne, Jersild, Streufert, Sonmnermeyer (temporary
secretary). Absent: Luessenhop, who had to return to Sioux Falls from Denver instead of coming to St.
Louis as intended. Delayed: Mueller, because of plane connections. Attending intermittently: Wolbrecht.
157. Dr. Wolbrecht introduced the following matters: 1. He pointed out that the Board for Stewardship,
Mission Education, and Promotion (II K) and Armed Forces Commission (VIII H) do not belong where
they are now placed in the Handbook. Perhaps they should be combined with Maternal Organizations
(XIV) and Department of Archives and History (XV) as "Special Ministries." 2. VII Parish Education
should be "Parish Education and Services." 3. The organizations now listed under VII J, K, and L are not
a part of the synodical structure. These are recognized auxiliaries and should be grouped at some other
spot, rather than under Parish Education. 4. The Words "Department of" should be dropped in XII A and
in XV.
158. Sommermeyer reported that the wording of LCUSA Article XVI A has been checked out with
Synod's President, the Council of Administrators, the C.T.C.R., and Synod's lawyer. The word is A.O.K.
all around.
159. Wolbrecht commended the opinion of our commission with regard to basic relations between The
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and the Districts of The Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod.
160. Dr. Streufert questioned the wording of 1.53 "as a rule." This means there can be exceptions. In
Ohio District this phrase caused a great deal of difficulty. It was pointed out that exceptions are made in
cases of vacancy or other necessities. Feeling was expressed that 1.53 and 1.55 should be restudied and
rewritten before the New York convention. (Secretary Mueller arrived in time to participate in this
decision and took over the minutes from here).
161. Minutes: The minutes o! November 4-5, 1966 were adopted as submitted.
162. Handbook Format: Secretary Mueller reported that under the force of circumstances he had made the
following editorial decisions in the hope that they would be approved by the Commission: same size page
and type as in the last edition of the Handbook; sewn paperback binding; artistic white cover, with
colored lettering and mufti-colored synodical seal, on high enamel, soil resistant, flexible paper; lull page
topical photos facing the beginning of each new chapter; page numbering; table of contents for entire
book; detailed index in the rear, geared to page numbers. The Commission approved these decisions.
The Commission then went through the galley shoats of the Handbook, page by page. In addition to
typographical errors and punctuation corrections, the following' decisions, not reflected in earlier minutes,
were made:
163. Contents: each item in the table of contents should be labeled with a page number,`