# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_August 13 14 1976_S5
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

4.

If after the October 15 deadline neither the delegate nor the alternate is eligible, then the bylaws
call for the District president to appoint someone to fill the vacancy in consultation with the
circuit counselor.

5.

If, however, the president himself is a member of the AELC, he cannot appoint an individual to
fill the vacancy.

6.

In that case the Secretary. of the Synod should approach the next District officer in the line of
succession (first vice-president, etc.) to make an appointment.

7:

What if all District vice-presidents are ineligible or refuse to make an appointment? This
question will be discussed at the next meeting of the CCM in October.

119. Iowa East Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws (Ag. 12, 12-A): The Commission approved the
Secretary's critique of these governing instruments and decided to transmit these as recommendations to
the Iowa District East for action.
120. New Jersey District Bylaw re Indemnification of Officers (Ag. 995): This item was a holdover from
the previous meeting. The Commission had asked legal counsel Phil Draheim for his reaction to the
proposed bylaw. No report has been received as yet. The Secretary was asked to urge him to reply as soon
as possible to the Commission's request.
121. Appointive Service (Ag. 1008): President Henry Simon of North Wisconsin had placed before the
Commission several knotty questions regarding the eligibility of one individual to serve in more than one
capacity within the District. The Commission resolved to reply that under the polity of the North
Wisconsin District membership on the Board of Directors and on the mission committee of the District
seems to be really only one office. Service on the constitution committee is, however, another position.
As long as the individual does not hold a third office in the Synod or District (Bylaw 3.35) he could well
serve on the constitution committee. The Commission also decided to ratify Point 2 of the Secretary's
letter to the effect that the "in-house" personnel committee of the Board of Directors is a subcommittee of
the Board of Directors, has no standing programmatic functions regarding the work of the District itself,
and therefore does not fall under the prohibition against holding more than two offices.
122. Women's Votes (Ag. 1011): In answer to a letter from Rev. Paul Welk of Medicine Hat, Alberta, the
Secretary had given the customary reply that the Synod in convention had placed restrictions on the
offices which women could hold but it had placed no restrictions on the issues on which they could vote.
The Commission ratified this standard reply.
123. Tri-Lutheran Chaplaincy (Ag. 1012): Rev. M.H. Lehnhardt of New Orleans had addressed a request
to the CTCR regarding the propriety of Tri-Lutheran institutional chaplaincy in New Orleans. Rev. Sam
Nafzger had forwarded the matter to the CCM. The Secretary in turn had called Rev. Lehnhardt's
attention to the parallel situation regarding campus ministry and the Anaheim Resolutions 2-06 and 207A, incorporating an opinion of the CCM, bearing on this matter. The Commission ratified this reply.
124. Lode Paragraph in Congregational Constitutions (Ag 1016): Rev. Ray Wessler of the Northern
Illinois District Polity Committee had asked whether the Board of Directors of that District was correct in
insisting that an anti-lodge paragraph needed to be incorporated in the constitution of a congregation.
After considerable discussion it was decided to postpone action on the subject to enable the Secretary to
contact Rev. Lochhaas of the Commission on Organizations to ascertain his experience in this matter.