LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 126

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126 ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

He is also designated in the Bylaws as a member of the
Board of Trustees of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Foundation.

Furthermore, the Synod has made the Secretary an advisory
member of the new Commission on Structure, which conducts
a continuing review of the organizational structure of the
Synod and acts as a resource committee to convention floor
committees and to Districts.

Since the introduction of the procedures for congregations
to nominate men for President and First Vice-President, the
Synod has placed the responsibility for organizing and con-
ducting that process on the synodical Secretary.

Since the 1981 convention he also has the added responsi-
bility for all preliminary work for the synodical Committee for
Convention Nominations. That committee, elected at the
various District conventions, has approximately six months’
time to do its work. Itis therefore incumbent upon the Secretary
to secure nominations, biographies, evaluations, and to devise
a process for the committee. This was done for the first time in
the fall of 1982. Three meetings of three days each with a
detailed process were recommended to the committee, which
adopted the recommendation of the Secretary. The process
worked exceedingly well since the committee needed only two
of three scheduled meetings to finish its work except for a few
additional items which were then handled by a small sub-
committee. The initial experience has been exceptionally good.
But it did involve a tremendous amount of work on the part of
the Secretary’s office.

Closely associated with that responsibility is also the
requirement for the Secretary to maintain and update an
election manual for each succeeding Elections Committee.

The new Bylaws further state that the Secretary shall
“supervise the maintenance of the official roster of member
congregations, clergymen, and teachers on the basis of infor-
mation supplied by the District Presidents.” Formerly this was
the responsibility of a department which was responsible to the
Board of Directors, whose responsibility in turn is largely
financial and legal. The membership function very properly
belongs in the area of the secretary of the corporation. But
again, this does involve considerable correspondence and
consultation with District Presidents and many others.

The Secretary has the duty to keep on file all governing
instruments of Districts and agencies of the Synod and of its
Districts. This new provision has not yet been fully imple-
mented, especially with reference to the latter categories.

The most recent convention also adopted a Bylaw designat-
ing the synodical Secretary as editor of The Lutheran Annual.

IV.

There are other responsibilities which at least during the
past biennium have been entrusted to the Secretary in addition
to those prescribed in the Constitution and Bylaws.

The Board of Directors has an Executive Committee as one
of its standing committees. The Secretary is a member and
secretary of that committee. He also served once again as a
member of Committee 2 (Organization, Policies, and Personnel)
of the board.

The Secretary’s office maintains a complete file of the
membership of all boards and commissions.

During the past biennium the Secretary of the Synod again
supervised the carrying out of the process of constitutional
amendments voted by the 1981 convention; these needed to be
ratified by the congregations of the Synod. The ratification
was secured.

He functioned once again as one of the three Missouri Synod
representatives to the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A. After
completing his third and final permissible term as president of
the council, he was elected secretary once again in May 1982.
He was also elected a member of the council’s Committee on
Planning and Development, which evaluates the programs of
the council and recommends changes in functions and struc-
ture of the council, and of the Committee on Constitution and
Bylaws.

One of the most stimulating temporary assignments given
to the Secretary was that of developing a proposal concerning
the “Minister of Religion” issue. The 1981 synodical convention
had given that responsibility to the Board of Directors, which

in turn gave the assignment to the Secretary of the Synod.
While this appeared at first to be an almost hopeless assign-
ment, there has been fine cooperation and a ready acceptance
on the part of most persons involved. At the present time the
study is still continuing, and refinements will be expected
before the Board of Directors finalizes its recommendation to
the convention. The experience has deepened within this
individual an appreciation not only of the clergymen of our
Synod, but also of the teachers, directors of Christian educa-
tion, andthe many other church workers who are contributing
so much to the ongoing program of the Synod and its
congregations.

At times the Secretary is called upon to participate in
special ad hoc committees that are asked to address themselves
to specific problems. This has been the case once again in the
past biennium with reference to a few trouble spots.

Somewhat late in the process of planning and building the
new International Center, the undersigned was asked to serve
as chairman of the Art Committee. This is always a stimulating
type of assignment!

In this litigious society of ours, the Synod is being involved
more and more in lawsuits regarding, among other matters,
the conduct of professional workers. The extent of the Synod’s
legal liability in recruitment, admission, certification, assign-
ment, transfer, and general administration of church workers
needs to be studied closely. A special committee has been
created for this purpose. The synodical Secretary has been
appointed a member and the convener of this committee.

He was reappointed to a 17-member commission in the state
of Missouri dealing with safeguarding in court trials the rights
of the accused, of the press, of the judiciary and legal profes-
sion, and of the public. He is one of three representatives of the
public at large. The commission has been chaired by a justice of
the Supreme Court of Missouri.

While still technically continuing as liaison person of the
Board of Directors with the Canadian units of the Synod, the
Secretary was not asked to function during the past two years
in this capacity.

It was the privilege of the Secretary to represent the
President at one District convention, that of the spirited SELC
District. What a happy family that is!

Instead of merely serving on the board of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod Foundation as a member, that board
elected him also as secretary of the board.

* * *

Several years ago it was necessary for the Secretary of the
Synod to sign an affidavit to the effect that congregations,
pastors, and teachers in joining the Synod subscribe to the
Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod, which includea process
for settling disputes. Since our church body does have such a
process, in the eyes of the law it is regarded as having a
“hierarchical” dimension. This has disturbed many folks.

At the 1981 convention the Secretary was asked to explain
to the floor of the convention the legal technicalities involved.
He did so, “‘off the cuff ” but apparently to the satisfaction of
the floor, which asked that his remarks be incorporated into
the Proceedings. We were reluctant to do so. Perhaps such
reluctance was a mistake, since the issue has been kept alive at
least by one publication read by some in our circles.

Perhaps it is necessary to state once again very clearly that
a synodical polity, especially as practiced in the Missouri
Synod, places great emphasis and stress on the congregation's
right of self-government. It does this to such an extent, in fact,
that we often refer to ourselves as having basically a congre-
gational form of government. This is correct. There are,
however, certain agreements which a congregation makes in
joining the Synod. It agrees to exercise its autonomy in concert
(Synod—a “walking together’) with other congregations. It
pledges that it will teach only a certain doctrine, that it will call
only certain pastors and teachers, that it will participate in
carrying out the objectives of the Synod, etc. In the eyes of the
law this implies a “hierarchical” element.

Wedo hope that the members of the Synod will bearin mind
that legal definitions do not always coincide with our ecclesi-
astical conceptions. Since the days of the Reformation, Luther-
ans have had an inbred distaste for anything that smacks of a
“hierarchy.” Strictly speaking, the word refers to the rule of the