# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S63 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 63 shall be elected at such times and in such manner as the board shall prescribe, at the rate of one delegate for each ten missionaries (or major fraction thereof) within such mission area: provided, however, that each mission area shall be entitled to at least one delegate. 4. That Bylaw 11.111 a, regarding Personnel and Appoint- ment to the Commission on Worship, be revised as follows: PRESENT WORDING a. A Commission on Worship shall be appointed by the President of the Synod after consultation with the Vice-Presidents. It shall be composed of seven men and include pastors, teachers and laymen. They shall serve for terms of four years in such manner that the terms of three members shall alternate with the terms of the other four members. PROPOSED WORDING a. A Commission on Worship shall be appointed by the President of the Synod after consultation with the Vice-Presidents. It shall be composed of seven persons and include pastors, teachers, and lay mem- bers. They shall serve for terms of 4 years in such manner that the terms of three members shall alter- nate with the terms of the other four members. 5. That the term layman ‘laymen), wherever it appears in the Handbook of the LCMS, be changed to lay member's). C. That the convention — 1) affirm the beginning that has been made in utilizing the gifts of women at all levels in Christian witness, service, educa- tion, and policy making: 2) ask all congregations, Districts, and Synodwide depart- ments and agencies to examine their existing structures and procedures and to work with the Task Force on Women to develop plans to make any necessary changes in — a) personnel practices (hiring, promotion, salarying, etc.), to conform with the Synod's personnel policies: systems of nominating, electing, and appointing men and women to decision-making bodies, and methods of recruit- ing and selecting persons for full-time staff positions; b images and role models of men and women portrayed in church curricula, publications, and actual styles of operation: d) language used in worship materials. D. That the convention adopt the following memorial calling for greater participation of both men and women in the life and work of the church: WHEREAS, God the Holy Spirit has given abundant gifts to His people, both men and women: and WHEREAS, Failing to use these gifts thwarts and quenches the Spirit: therefore be it fe) Resolved. That the Synod reiterate that “the exercise of the franchise offers the privilege of service to the body of Christ rather than the prerogative of power over a political entity” (Report of the CTCR on Woman Suffrage in the Church, Denver convention, 1969) and encourage all congregations to extend the franchise to women: and be it further Resolved, That all of the people of God use all opportunities to put the gifts of the Spirit to work in their daily lives, in the church, and in witness and ministry to others in the world. The Task Force on Women Mrs. Jean Garton, Chairperson Mrs. Louise Mueller, Secretary Prof. Harold Haas Ms. Phyllis Kersten Mrs. Joane Kohlmeier Rev. Eugene Kramer Mrs. Rozelia Richardson Prof. Al Schmidt Mrs. Olive Spannaus Mrs. Florence Montz, Consultant Rev. Samuel Nafzger, Staff 3-02 Report of Commission on Worship At its September 1974 meeting the Commission on Worship took some steps to restructure its work program with a view toward a more workable system—change from a production structure to an educational emphasis that stresses meaningful and effective communication with the church at all levels. This restructuring consisted in a twofold action: (a) a restatement of the job description of the commission itself and its executive, (b) the abolition of certain standing committees that had budget assigned but whose work is the responsibility of counterparts in the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship. The commission felt itself in need of a more practical meeting schedule, envisioning four meetings a year, each with a par- ticular emphasis, rather than the catch-as-catch-can system of the past few years. Since the production of materials has, by convention resolution, been given over to the intersynodical approach, the commission feels the need to have meaningful contact with various areas of leadership in the Synod for educa- tional purposes thence the desire to meet at times when such leadership groups are also meeting). With the advent of the PPBS approach to the budget, the commission felt itself unprepared to enter upon such a program without having a standing committee for planning and budget- ing. The commission also felt its work should take the form of task forces (created for a specific purpose and disbanded when the task is completed), thus freeing the budget from becoming bogged down in a morass of details that work at counterpurposes. The budget request for fiscal 1975 was prepared in the light of this restructured approach to the commission's activity, but the realities of the fiscal picture have caused at least a year's delay in undertaking the new approaches that had been planned. Attention is called to the commission's overture regard- ing the new hymnal and service book to be found elsewhere in the Convention Workbook. A new quarterly newsletter pre- pared for the commission is being distributed to the District Presidents, the chairmen of District committees on worship, and such District office staff as have worship as part of their portfolio. This newsletter is designed to be informative as to what is happening in the world of worship, making it possible for the District leadership to share this information through District media. 1973 Convention Materials Among the proposals submitted to the 1973 convention of the Synod were two overtures from the Commission on Worship (Overtures 2-112, To Approve Calendar Changes: and 2-113, To Approve Lectionary Changes) that did not come before the convention in the form of floor committee resolutions. Since both overtures gave Advent T, 1973, as the target date for beginning both reforms, and since both programs obviously had the endorsement of the Commission on Worship, many congregations across the Synod began to use these new worship aids. With the publication of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship book Contemporary Worship 6: The Church Year Calendar and Lectionary both the calendar and the lectionary reforms have received wide acceptance. Although it was within its authority to do so, the Commission on Worship has refrained from formally making these official for the Synod, preferring to let the congregations and their worship leaders work their way into feeling as “comfortable” with the new as they were with the 1-year lectionary and the former calendar emphases (which also were never “officially adopted” by the church of today). In connection with the 3-year lectionary, various systems of music for the day have been devised, including a listing of choral and instrumental music prepared by the commission’s own musie committee for Series C (Series A and B are yet to be published). These resources afford the church musicians much assistance in their planning for worship. The publication of a series of Hymn of the Day for series A (containing hymn selec- tions from The Lutheran Hymnal and from Worship Supplement) has also received wide acceptance. The 1973 omnibus resolution referred to the Synod’s Board of Directors a number of items which in turn were referred to the Commission on Worship. Among these were Res. 2-05 (To