# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S225 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 225 Identical or similar: 5-26B and 5-26C Towa District West Ellis Nieting Board of Directors, Michigan District R. Schlecht 5-27 To Develop Plan for More Equitable Representation at Conventions WHEREAS, The members of the Synod are not being repre- sented equally by the present method of choosing delegates for synodical conventions, as some electoral circuits have as few as 1,500 communicants and others as many as 10,000: and WuHeEREas, A simple plan of one-fifth vote for each 1,000 communicants would bring about more equal representation without any realignment of circuits; therefore be it Resolved. That The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod es- tablish the procedure beginning with the 1977 convention that each pastor delegate and each lay delegate carry a voting power of one-fifth vote for each 1,000 communicants he repre- sents. Trinity Lutheran Church Sturgis, Mich. Bruce Schaeffer, Chairman Jack Meyers, Secretary Erwin A. Ruhlig, Pastor 5-28 To Grant Full Representation to All Members of Synod WHEREAS, The Synod through its 125 years of history has added new forms of ministry other than the pastoral ministry, such as teachers, professors, chaplains, and so forth: and WHEREAS, The decisions of synodical and District conventions generally affect these co-workers in the Synod: and WHEREAS, At least one congregation in multiple parishes is denied a vote at District conventions: and WHEREAS, The present system of one delegate per congrega- tion does not take into account the vast variations of communi- cant memberships in congregations: therefore be it Resolved. That the Board of Directors of the Synod be directed to appoint a committee or delegate to an appropriate committee the task of revising our Constitution and Bylaws so that the following objectives may be achieved: 1. That all “ministers of religion” officially members of the Synod be given the right to vote at District conventions and direct representation at synodical conventions. 2. That each congregation of a multiple parish have a voting representation at their District convention. 3. That a proportional schedule of lay representatives be established for congregations, granting larger congregations additional representatives: and be it further Resolved, That these revisions be presented to the Synod assembled in convention in 1977. Jehovah Ev. Lutheran Church St. Paul, Minn. Palmer G. H. Ruschke, Pastor 5-29A To Amend Bylaws re Lay Delegate(s) from Dual Parishes WHEREAS, A Bylaw (3-17) of the Synod provides that for District conventions “if a pastor serves two or more congrega- tions, these shall be regarded as one parish and shall be entitled to only one lay vote”; therefore be it Resolved. That the Southeastern District rememorialize The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod at its 1975 convention to amend its Bylaws to provide that “every congregation holding synodical membership exclusive of its pastoral services” be permitted a voting lay delegate at its District conventions. Southeastern District Ralph Wiechmann, Secretary Identical or similar: 5-29B and 5-29C St. John’s, Waco, Nebr. St. Martins, Alexandria. S. Dak. Harold Malotky R. Mintzlaff 3-30 To Revise Lay Representation at Conventions WHEREAS. The present representation at District and synod- ical conventions is based on an equal distribution of pastors and laymen, one each per congregation at District conventions and the same representation in choosing delegates to the synodical convention; and WHEREAS. This kind of representation is not representative of the actual membership of the Synod and gives the many laymen no more representation than the pastors, and very small congregations equal representation with large congregations many times their size; therefore be it Resolved. That the Synod retain the pastoral representation as it is at present, but that it change its Constitution and Bylaws so as to allow each congregation one lay representative for each 400 communicant members or fraction thereof. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Fairmont, Minn. Willis Hinz, Chairman Charles Backstrom, Secretary To Increase Lay Delegate Representation to Synodical Conventions WHEREAS. The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod has tradi- tionally been said to be a church of laymen and many in the church have expressed a desire to involve the laity to a greater extent in synodical operations: and WHEREAS. The delegates to synodical conventions are split between the clergy and laity, while the laity represents 99 percent of the church; and WHEREAS. The synodical convention is the representative church voice on synodical issues and therefore should attempt to represent the church membership more equally; and WHEREAS. The cost of synodical conventions could be reduced by reducing the number of delegates, thereby freeing funds to extend the various ministries involved in spreading the Gospel: therefore be it Resolved. That the Bylaws of the Synod, Section 1.51 (Voting Delegates), be amended to read that each of the present elec- toral circuits be joined with an adjacent circuit and one pastor be elected to represent both circuits, each electoral circuit continuing to elect a layman from each electoral circuit, thus giving a 2-1 ratio of laymen delegates to pastoral delegates: and be it further Resolved. That the Commission on Constitutional Matters be instructed to make all appropriate changes in the Handbook to implement this change in time for the 1977 synodical conven- tion selection of delegates. Christ Lutheran Church Coos Bay, Oreg. Wayne Buckles, President Curt Aman, Secretary