# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S236 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 236 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS WHEREAS. District Presidents are responsible for carrying out the directives of synodical conventions within their Dis- tricts: therefore be it Resolved. That District Presidents and First Vice-Presidents be elected by the synodical conventions: and be it further Resolved. That one half of the District Presidents and Vice- Presidents be elected at each synodical convention for 4-year terms. Christ Lutheran Church Coos Bay, Oreg. Wayne Buckles, President Curt Aman, Secretary 3-68A To Provide Procedures for Removal of Synodical President and Vice- Presidents from Office for Cause WHEREAS. The Constitution is careful to protect its pastors, teachers, and congregations in the performance of their duties and the maintenance of their rights (Art. III, 8): and WHEREAS. The President and the Vice-Presidents as the highest officers of the Synod are responsible to provide that protection: and WHEREAS, There is inherent in that protection the right of protection against those who use power unscrupulously: and WHEREAS. There has been demonstrated recently in Amer- ican politics the wisdom of the power to remove from office one who misuses power: therefore be it Resolved. That the 1975 convention of the Synod instruct the Council of Presidents to appoint a committee to propose to the 1977 convention specific Bylaw changes to provide pro- cedures for the removal of the President and Vice-Presidents from office for cause. Pilgrim Lutheran Church Indianapolis, Ind. Glenn Hackman, President Theodore Mesh, Secretary Identical or similar: 5-68B St. Mark's, Milwaukee, Wis. David Rockrohr 5-69 To Change Method of Filling Vice-Presidential Offices WHEREAS, Elected officers of the Synod are to be representa- tives of the Synod, are to reflect the views of the Synod, and are to carry out freely and willingly the resolutions of the Synod: and WHEREAS, Handbook Section 2.38, on filling vacancies in the office of Vice-President, limits the filling of such vacancies to only those who were on the ballot at the preceding convention in which elections were held, and further limits the filling of such vacancies to the person receiving the next-highest number of votes cast: and WHEREAS. This could easily bring about a situation in which someone who is representative of a very small group, who represents a small minority point of view, and who originally received the support of only a few scattered congregations and a few votes, nevertheless would have to be appointed to the office of Vice-President: therefore be it Resolved. That Section 2.38 of the Synod’s Handbook be changed to read: A vacancy in a Vice-Presidency shall be filled by advancing the lower ranking Vice-Presidents. The remaining vacancy shall then be filled by a joint meeting of the Board of Directors of the Synod and the remaining Vice-Presidents. Each member of the Board of Directors and each remaining Vice-President shall have one vote for this election. This joint group may call for nominations by the congregations of the Synod as is done for other positions in the Synod, and it may consider those who were nominated at the pre- vious election. Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church Richfield, Minn. Leonard Arndt, President Jerome Rollay, Secretary To Elect a Sixth and a Seventh Vice-President WHEREAS, It is desirable that all officers be elected by ma- jority vote: therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention assembled elect a Sixth and a Seventh Vice-President. These shall have no duties but shall succeed to the higher ranking Vice-Presidencies if these become vacant. St. James Lutheran Church University City, Mo. John Essen, President Carl Meinecke, Secretary Tom Baker, Pastor To Require Reporting of Tally in Elections WHEREAS, The 1973 convention resolved (Res. 5-02) that the tally of the votes cast for each candidate should be announced after each ballot in all elections: therefore be it Resolved. That this provision be incorporated in the Bylaws by adding the following paragraph to Bylaw 2.125: c. The tally of the votes cast for each candidate shall be announced after each ballot in all elections. Commission on Constitutional Matters Herbert Mueller, Secretary To Declare Many New Orleans Resolutions Null and Void WHEREAS, The New Orleans convention of The Lutheran Church ~ Missouri Synod in July 1973 forced closing of debate on Resolution 3-01 by a special closing vote that did not gather the necessary two-thirds vote required also for such a special motion icf. “Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised’. pp. 3, 4, 222 — 27, 517 ff., 115 ff.) but rather closing was obtained on a vote of 548 for and 479 against (cf. Proceedings 1973, p. 34): and WHEREAS, This ruling applied to all subsequent business conducted by the convention in 1973 since the rule of closing via simple majority was thereafter applied: and WHEREAS, The ruling of the chairman of that session indi- cating that closing based on such a vote was legal was chal- lenged not only at the time of the ruling but also later with no apparent answer given to such challenge: therefore be it Resolved. That all business conducted by the 50th convention of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod in New Orleans in 1973 after the ruling on closing by simple majority be con- sidered null and void and of no effect. Peace Lutheran Church New Berlin, Wis. Donald Schwerin, President Jan Blanchard, Secretary Martin W. Bangert, Pastor