LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 165

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LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION 165

adopting section A a motion to strike the words “to the extent and
for the purposes determined by the congregations acting through
conventions” from Bylaw 1.05 c was declined. In session 10 del-
egates declined a request for reconsideration of section A for the
purpose of deleting the words “and circuits” from Bylaw 1.05 f.)

* * *

B. To Clarify and Gather Together Scattered
Membership Bylaws

Il. MEMBERSHIP

A. ELIGIBILITY AND ADMISSION OF
CONGREGATIONS

2.01 Applications by Congregations

a. Each application for membership in the Synod by
a congregation shall be submitted to the appropriate
district president and acted upon by the board of direc-
tors of the district at any regular meeting.

b. Upon request by a congregation whose application
for membership has been denied, the district president
shall submit the application and a report concerning its
denial by the district board of directors to the next suc-
ceeding convention of the district, which shall determine
whether to grant the application or to affirm the denial
by the board of directors.

2.03 Constitutions of Congregations

a. A congregation which applies for membership in
the Synod shall, before its application is submitted to
the district board of directors, submit its constitution
and bylaws to the appropriate district president, who
shall refer such to the standing constitution committee
of the district. This committee shall examine the con-
stitution and bylaws to ascertain that they are in har-
mony with Holy Scripture, the Confessions, and the
teachings and practices of the Synod in order that any
necessary changes may be made by the congregation
before the application is acted upon. An application for
membership by a congregation shall not be acted on by
the district board of directors until the congregation has
made such changes as may be deemed necessary.

b. A member congregation which revises its consti-
tution or bylaws or adopts a new constitution or bylaws
shall, as a condition to continued eligibility as a member
of the Synod, submit such revised or new constitution
and/or bylaws to the district president, who shall refer
such to the district’s constitution committee for review
to ascertain that the provisions are in harmony with
Holy Scripture, the Confessions, and the teachings and
practices of the Synod. Upon advice of the constitution
committee and recommendation by the district presi-
dent, the district board of directors shall determine if
the changes are acceptable to the Synod. Upon favorable
action by the district board of directors, the congregation
shall be notified that the changes are acceptable to the
Synod and that the congregation is entitled to continue
to function as a member of the Synod in good standing
under the new or changed constitution or bylaws. Ac-
tions by the district board of directors under this par-
agraph shall be reported to the next convention of the
district.

c. It shall be the policy of the Synod to decline mem-
bership to congregations whose constitutions deny
membership or other congregational privileges to any
Christian because of race or ethnic origin.

2.05 Signing Synodical Constitution

a. The president and secretary of each newly ad-
mitted congregation shall sign the Constitution of the
Synod as the representatives of the congregation in a
special worship service held by the congregation and,
in recognition of the importance of the event, normally
attended by the appropriate district president. Such
shall occur as promptly as possible following approval
of the congregation’s application for membership.

b. The signatures to the Constitution on behalf of the

congregation shall be preserved by the district secretary
and the year in which the congregation is received into
membership shall be noted.

B. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY AND ADMISSION
OF INDIVIDUALS

2.07 Individual Membership

a. “Ministers of the Gospel and teachers of the Evan-
gelical Lutheran Church,” as used in Constitution Ar-
ticle V, have been designated by the Synod as “ministers
of religion, ordained” and “ministers of religion, com-
missioned” respectively. These are the only individuals
eligible for membership in the Synod. They will be re-
ferred to in these Bylaws as “ordained ministers” and
“commissioned ministers” respectively.

b. Individuals who have been declared qualified for
a first call and assigned first calls, in accordance with
sections 2.09-2.11 of these Bylaws, shall, by the rites
of both ordination or commissioning and installation, in
accordance with section 2.13, become members of the
Synod. There is no inherent right to membership in the
Synod, and the decision as to qualification for a first call
and the assignment of first calls shall be in the sole
discretion of the Synod.

c. Each individual shall evidence an intent to accept
membership in the Synod promptly after the assign-
ment of first calls and prior to ordination or commis-
sioning. This is to be done by signing and filing with the
president of the district in which membership will be
initially held a statement, to be supplied by the district
president, which acknowledges subscription to the Con-
stitution of the Synod. Upon installation following or-
dination or commissioning, the signing of that
statement shall be deemed equivalent to the member
having signed the Synod’s Constitution.

2.09 Eligibility for Individual Membership

a. A graduate of an authorized synodical institution
must be declared qualified for a first call and recom-
mended by the faculty of the respective synodical in-
stitution before the effective date of the first call to
service in the church, as assigned by the Board of As-
signments as provided in Bylaw 2.11.

b. Candidates who have satisfactorily completed an
approved synodical colloquy program for the pastoral or
teaching ministry must be declared qualified for a first
call and recommended by the appropriate colloquy com-
mittee (see Bylaws 6.99 and 6.117), before the effective
date of the first call to service in the church, as assigned
by the Board of Assignments as provided in Bylaw 2.1.

c. Candidates who may be declared qualified for first
calls are those who before the effective date of the first
calls will have satisfactorily completed the prescribed
courses of studies and will have received diplomas from
their respective institutions or have fulfilled the req-
uisites for a colloquy. In addition, they must have in-
dicated complete dedication to the ministry and
evidenced a readiness for service in the church. Finally,
to be declared qualified and recommended by the fa-
culties or colloquy committees for their specific types of
service in the church, the appropriate faculty or colloquy
committee must be satisfied that the individual will
meet all personal, professional, and theological require-
ments of those who hold the office of ministry to which
the individual aspires. In addition, an academic year of
supervised internship (vicarage) is required of all sem-
inary students before graduation, ordinarily in the sec-
ond year before graduation.

d. A graduate of one of the Synod’s terminal schools
who desires to continue his or her professional studies
after he or she has completed the prescribed under-
graduate curriculum, or who for any other valid reason
is not ready for a first call to service in the church, shall
continue to be eligible for unqualified recommendation
for a first call as long as he or she can be recommended
by the faculty of the institution from which he or she
has graduated. The respective faculty shall annually