# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_April 24 25 1981_S1
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

181. Revision of Colorado District Bylaws (Ag. 1185,B-F; 1480,A-F) : The Commission resolved that the
following changes needed to be made:
11.1D. “Voting member” should be changed to “communicant member.”
3.03,A,4. The Nominating Committee should be elected by the convention and additional
nominations from the floor should be permitted. For the next convention, however, the present
arrangement of an appointed nominating committee may be followed as long as nominations
from the floor are also permitted.
The Commission was happy to note the change made in Bylaw 2.21,C,5 with reference to the Church
Extension Fund. With the provisions listed above, the Commission resolved to approve the revisions in
the District Bylaws.
182. North Dakota Bylaws (Ag. 1262,A) : Since still no answer had been received from the North Dakota
District it was resolved to write again to the District President referring to the statement in the
Commission's Report to the Convention that this is one District whose Bylaws have not yet been
approved and indicating the Commission's desire to move ahead.
183. Kansas District (Ag. 1414): The Commission took the same action with reference to this District.
184. New England Questions (Ag. 1424,C-E) : It was agreed that this item had already been removed
from the Agenda in the previous meeting by common consent
185. Proxy Voting (Ag. 1497): Secretary B. F. Meschke of the Nebraska District had asked 1) whether
proxy voting should be allowed in the constitutions of congregations and 2) what affect such provision
should have on the quorum requirement. The Commission resolved to inform him that proxy voting
would not be permitted since a congregation is an ecclesiastical organization, without stock transfer
privileges (see Roberts p. 360). The Commission concluded that the second question regarding the
quorum was therefore moot.
186. Absentee Ballots (Ag. 1501): Reverend Joseph A.. Schultz of Antigo, Wisconsin had asked whether
absentee ballots could be permitted in a congregation. The Commission resolved to address the same
reply to him as to the Nebraska District.
187. Right of Appeal, Joseph Koranda (Ag. 1502): This former pastor had asked whether he had any right
of appeal after his name had been removed from the clergy roster. After considerable discussion it was
resolved to inform him that this question does not lie within our jurisdiction but that the Board of Appeals
of the Synod has been given the Handbook responsibility to decide all questions of jurisdiction and that it
would be advisable for him to write to the Chairman of the Board of Appeals to ask whether he still has
any right and if so what the procedures are. A carbon copy is to be mailed to the District President,
Elwood Zimmermann.
188. Adjudication Jurisdiction Regarding Former Teacher (Ag. 1503): Reverend Edward Meyer of the
Southern Illinois District Commission of Adjudication had asked whether that commission has
jurisdiction in a case involving a congregation and "a former teacher." The exact status of that individual
was not set forth in the letter. The Commission therefore adopted the following reply
1. If the person in question is still on the teacher membership roster of the Synod and in the
Southern Illinois District, then the Southern Illinois District Commission of Adjudication has
jurisdiction under Bylaw 5.01.