# LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters Minutes_St. Louis Missouri_June 10 1995_S2
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Will my ongoing service in a congregation as a Licensed Deacon preclude my continuing as a member
of the District Board of Directors?
A second question was also raised, namely,
I have been nominated as a candidate to the Synodical Board of Directors at this summer's convention.
Will my status as Licensed Deacon have an effect on my eligibility for that office?
In a personal response, the Secretary had stated the following:
My personal response to your question would be:
1.

Your service as a Lay Minister who has been licensed as a Deacon will not affect
your continuing membership on the Minnesota North District Board of Directors; and

1.

Your status as a Licensed Deacon will not affect your eligibility to be a nominee for
the Board of Directors of the Synod.

The only way in which your eligibility would be affected would be by action on the part of the
convention which would designate Lay Ministers as Commissioned Ministers of the Synod. As you
may know, there are efforts being made to have that action taken. If the Synod in convention were to
adopt a resolution to that effect, then you could no longer serve as a lay member of either the district or
synodical Board of Directors.
After reviewing this response, the Commission ratified it as its own response.
128. Central Illinois District Handbook/Bylaws (Ag. 2007) : The Central Illinois District had forwarded a
copy of its Handbook adopted in 1994 for review by the Commission. The Secretary had reviewed the
document and had responded to the District President, citing a number of concerns. Included among those
which were noted are the following:
1.

The biggest concern is that references to the synodical Handbook are not to the 1992 edition but
are based on the 1986 edition. I would cite the following:
1.

p. 17. The bylaw reference 3.803 should be 3.950

1.

p. 25. The bylaw reference 5.13 should be 5.15 and bylaw reference 5.17 should be
5.03

1.
2.

p. 31. The bylaw reference 3.213 should be 3.809.

Use of the 1986 rather than the 1992 Handbook of the Synod has resulted in some procedures
which are no longer applicable.
1.

p. 19. Present Bylaws 2.01 and 2.03 provide for reception of congregations by District Board of
Directors approval. They need not be taken to the convention. Note that actions on revisions of a
congregation's documents are not submitted to the convention for ratification but are reported to
the convention.

1.

p. 20. The national Synod no longer has a Commission on Ministerial Health. There are no
duties for such a committee included in the Handbook. CI Bylaw 2.34 should be deleted or