# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S206
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

-206 Constitutional Matters

Memorial 510
Memorial 510 from a congregation asks, in the first place, for
a change in Article VII of the Constitution, on the relation of Synod
to its members. The report of Committee 6 on Memorial 501
covers the first point. As for point 2, that “Synod shall have no
' equity in the local properties of member congregations by virtue
of the latter’s membership in Synod,” Committee 6 is not in favor
- of rewording Article VII of the Constitution, but recommends that
Synod reaffirm the position it has always taken, namely, that mere
membership of a congregation in Synod gives Synod no equity in
.the property of the congregation. ‘
Regarding the last two points, which refer to the activities of
Visitors, Committee 6 recommends that the congregation making
_the overture submit the matter to the new committee to be ap-
pointed to review the Proposed Synodical Handbook.

Enlarging Electoral Circuits

o (Memorial 504) .

The Michigan District Council, in meeting today, adopted the
following resolution as an overture to Synod in convention at
Saginaw next June:

Wuenzas, Paragraph 131 of the proposed new By-Laws to the
Constitution of Synod provides that “every five to ten member
congregations shall form an electoral circuit which shall elect one
pastor and one layman and their alternates to represent them at
the conventions of Synod,” etc; and

Wuergas, Paragraph 137 of the proposed new By-Laws to the
Constitution of Synod provides that “every circuit of approximately

- fifteen advisory members of the clergy and approximately every
fifteen teachers of Lutheran elementary schools shall be entitled to
one representative,” etc; and ,

Wuenrzas, It is evident that many District Electoral Circuits are
much larger than the old. or the proposed ‘By-Laws to the Con- .

stitution of Synod stipulate; and ;

. Wuereas, The attendance at the conventions of the Delegate
Synod is ever growing, making it more and more difficult to enter-
tain the conventions; therefore be it ,
~ Resolved, That we recommend to the honorable Synod, in con-
vention at Saginaw, Michigan, from June 21 to 30, 1944, to change
paragraph 131 of the proposed. new By-Laws to its Constitution to

-Tead:. “Every ten to fifteen member congregations shall form an
electoral circuit which shall elect one pastor and one layman and