# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1941_S236
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

236 Constitutional Matters

V. CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

New Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran
Synodical Conference of North America
(Memorial 501)

Article 1. Name.—The name of this organization shall be:
EVANGELICAL LutTHERAN SyNopIcAL CONFERENCE oF NorTH AMERICA,
which hereinafter shall be referred to as the Synodical Conference.

Article 2. Doctrinal Basis.—The Synodical Conference ac-
cepts without reservation the canonical Scriptures of the Old and
.the New Testament as the verbally inspired Word of God and the
Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church constituting
the Book of Concord of 1580 as its confession of faith.

Article 3. Membership. — Membership may be acquired and
held in the Synodical Conference with the consent of all the con-
stituent synods by such Lutheran bodies only as have accepted
without reservation the doctrinal basis mentioned in Article 2 and
uphold the same in practice. o

Article 4. Purpose. — The purpose of the Synodical Conference
shall be: to give outward expression to the unity of spirit existing
among the constituent synods; to encourage and strengthen one
another in faith and confession; to further unity in doctrine and
practice and to remove whatever might threaten to disturb this
unity; to cooperate in matters of mutual interest; to strive for true
unity in doctrine and practice among Lutheran church-bodies.

Article 5. Authority.— The Synodical Conference shall act
only as an advisory body, except in such matters wherein powers
and authority have been specifically conferred upon it by all its
constituent synods. Without the consent of all the synods of the
Synodical Conference none of its constituent synods shall be per-
mitted to enter into actual church-fellowship with any other
church-body.

Article 6. Conventions.

a) Conventions shall be held as stipulated in the by-laws.

b) Constituent synods shall be entitled to send delegates to
the convention of the Synodical Conference in such numbers as
specified in the by-laws. Only the duly elected representatives of
the constituent synods shall have the right to vote at the conven-
tions of the Synodical Conference. However, the privilege of the
floor may be granted to any person who has the privilege of the
floor in one of the constituent synods. ,