# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_June 11 12 1976_S7
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

the Edmonton college to the AlbertaBritish Columbia District and had asked whether this was
constitutional. The Commission decided to inform him that since this action had only recently been taken
the District had not yet contacted the Commission for an official evaluation. In the meantime the
Commission informs him that such a proposal would be contrary to the present Bylaw 3.07 and that it
would be necessary for the District to memorialize the Synod for a change in the Bylaws if the Synod
indeed wished to turn Edmonton over to the District. Reference was made to Bylaw 2.107b. It was
decided that the District president should receive a carbon copy of the reply.
79. Emeritus Status as Voting Delegate (Ag. 964): In reply to a carbon copy of a letter from President
John Ellermann to Rev. William Kennell the Secretary had reminded President Ellermann that in order for
a pastor to be a voting delegate he must be on the clergy roster of the Synod, must have received a regular
call from a member congregation, and must have been installed as pastor of that congregation upon
authorization of the District president. This would mean that such a pastor had come out of retirement in
order to return to the active ministry. The Commission ratified this communication.
80. Emeritus Eligible for Election (Ag. 965): The Secretary had informed President Arthur Ziegler that
the Commission had already in 1970 ruled that an emeritus pastor was eligible for election to a District
Commission of Adjudication. The Commission ratified this reply.
81. Emeritus Voting Rights (Ag. 986): President Heckmann of the Texas District had again protested that
an emeritus on modified service should be granted voting rights at a District convention. The Secretary
had replied to the contrary, quoting a previous letter. The Commission ratified this reply.
82. Emeritus as Advisory Member (Ag. 988, 988A,B): In an exchange of correspondence with retired
pastor August H. Meitler and then later with Rev. Herbert Fritze the Secretary had maintained that emeriti
have always been regarded as advisory members of the Synod and are therefore to be included among
advisory members for delegate purposes and could be eligible for election as a delegate to a convention of
the Synod in addition to being in their own right delegates to the District conventions. The Commission
ratified the letters which the Secretary had sent to Rev. Meitler and to Rev. Fritze. It was also resolved to
inform Rev. Fritze that the letter of the Secretary to Rev. Meitler had now been ratified by the
Commission and was therefore the latest ruling of the Commission on this particular question.
83. Heckmann on Emeriti and Seminex Pastors (Ag. 1003): The Commission also ratified a letter which
the Secretary had written to President Heckmann, again reminding him that emeriti pastors were not
eligible to serve as voting delegates and also calling his attention to a published ruling to the effect that
Seminex graduates cannot serve as voting or advisory pastoral delegates at a District convention.
84. Vice-Presidential Succession (Ag. 967): The Secretary in a memo to Dr. Preus had ventured the
opinion that Bylaw 2.38 says that succession to vacancies among the vice-presidents of the Synod is
determined by the number of votes cast in the last election ballot instead of the votes cast in the
nominating ballot for First Vice-President. The Commission formally ratified this reply.
85. Charles Born Status (Ag. 955B,C); Williard E. Mueller Inquiry Regarding Eligibility for District
Board of Directors Membership (AA: 959A); Joint Study with CMMC and CTCR (Ag. 300): The
Commission took note of these items and decided to remove them from the agenda.
86. South Dakota District Bylaw Revision (Ag. 962): The Commission resolved to ratify the proposed
amendment dealing with the nomination and election of president and vice-presidents of the District.
87. California-Nevada District Bylaws (Ag. 966): It was decided to hold this item on the agenda for the
time being.