# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S231
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 231

5-48A

To Grant Voting Privileges
to Lay Ministers

WHEREAS. Each congregation or parish in the Synod is
entitled to two votes at District conventions, one to be cast by
the lay delegate and one by the pastoral delegate: and

WHEREAS, Many parishes are being served by lay ministers,
and these parishes are thereby denied one of their votes, namely
the vote of the pastoral delegate: and

WHEREAS. These lay ministers perform all the functions of
the pastoral office, such as conducting services, preaching,
administering the sacraments, and conducting funerals: the
only function being denied them is that of performing marriages:
hence they are in fact fulfilling the pastoral office; and

WHEREAS, The Handbook of the Synod limits voting privileges
to pastors; therefore be it

Resolved. That the Synod grant lay pastors serving congre-
gations as pastors the right to exercise the pastoral vote of the
congregation.

South Dakota District
Timothy L. Grassinger, Secretary

Identical or similar:

5-48B

Board of Directors, Man.-Sask. Dist. Philip Fry

5-49

To Provide for Advisory Members
to Serve as Voting Delegates

WHEREAS. The delegate status (voting franchise) in The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, at conventions of the Synod
and its Districts, has been accorded to pastors and lay persons
by their respective congregations or Circuits according to
Articles V (A and B) and XI (A and B) of the Synod’s Constitu-
tion: and

WHEREAS, Said lay persons’ status is defined as one who
is not a professional church worker and said pastoral status
is defined as an ordained pastor serving a parish in the Synod:
and

WHEREAS. Other professional church workers exist in the
midst of this duality, being by definition neither lay persons
nor pastors; and

WHEREAS, These professional church workers are members
of The Lutheran Church-— Missouri Synod and as members of
their respective parishes are allowed to take part in and are
accorded the rights of voting membership: be it therefore

Resolved. That the Southeastern District memorialize The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod at its 1975 convention to de-
termine a method for allowing those individuals currently
identified as Advisory Members under Articles V (A and B) and
XII (A and B) of the Constitution of The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod to be enfranchised (eligible to serve as voting
delegates) to any convention of the Synod or its Districts: and
be it further

Resolved. That this method be presented for action at the
following synodical convention.
Southeastern District
Ralph Wiechmann, Secretary

5-50

To Clarify Bylaw 1.57
(Advisory Delegates)

WHEREAS, Synodical Bylaw 1.57, in speaking about advisory
delegates to conventions, states that there shall be one ad-
visory delegate for ‘‘approximately”’ every 30 advisory pastors
and teachers: and

WHEREAS. The same Bylaw indicates that ‘‘fractional group-
ings shall be disregarded .. .": and

WHEREAS. Uncertainty could result for Districts whose ad-
visory members are not in exact multiples of 30: therefore be it

Resolved, That the convention clarify this Bylaw, deciding
whether the word “approximately” or the expression “fractional

groupings .. .” should be deleted.
Board of Directors
Florida-Georgia District
Theodore W. Eisold, Secretary
3-51A

To Give Voter Privileges to ALC
Pastors Serving Missouri Synod
Congregations

WHEREAS. Certain Missouri Synod congregations are denied
pastoral voting privileges at Circuit, District, and synodical
levels because their pastors, although duly called and ordained,
are members of The American Lutheran Church: and

WHEREAS. The American Lutheran Church shares pulpit
and altar fellowship with The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod: therefore be it

Resolved. That said pastors be allowed and encouraged
to represent said congregations with full voting privileges at
all levels in The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod: and be
it further

Resolved. That the Synod’s Bylaws be amended accordingly.

Faith Lutheran Church
Kirksville, Mo.

Wade Coorts, President
Eileen Coleman, Secretary

Identical or similar:
5-51B

St. Paul, Memphis, Mo. Ollie Alexander, Jr.

To Revise Bylaw 1.61 d (Mission
Area Representatives)

The Board for Missions, seeking to have missionaries
present at synodical conventions, has been following the direc-
tions of Bylaw 1.61 d:

d. Each foreign mission area, as defined and established from time
to time by the Board for Missions, may be represented at a synodical
convention by advisory delegates from within the mission area who
are on furlough at the time of the convention. They shall be elected
at such times and in such manner as the board shall prescribe, at
the rate of one delegate for each ten male missionaries (or major
fraction thereof) within such mission area: provided, however, that
each mission area shall be entitled to at least one delegate.

Since this Bylaw was formulated, the Synod has voted that
women may be delegates to the convention and has changed the
proportion of advisory members who can be represented at a
convention by an advisory delegate. Over the years it became
evident that some wording of the Bylaw was subject to mis-
interpretation. Therefore the Board for Missions in its meeting
of Feb. 6—8, 1975, voted to recommend to the Synod that Bylaw
1.61 d be revised to read as follows:

d. The Synod’s mission program in each mission
area outside the U.S.A. and Canada, as defined and
established from time to time by the Board for Mis-
sions, may be represented at a synodical convention
by advisory representatives from among the mis-
sionaries within the mission area who are members
of the Synod and are on furlough at the time of the
convention. They shall be elected at such times and
in such manner as the board shall prescribe, at the
rate of one representative for each 20 missionaries