LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1989, Page 131

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which is not agreed to by the District President shall
be determined by the synedieal President
of the Synod.

¢_1 the Distriet-Presid Jecli

Praesidium

f. After a complainant has notified the District Pres-
ident in writing that he/she wishes to pursue a matter
which could lead to termination of membership, the Dis-
trict President shall begin investigation of the matter
within 60 days. If the District President acts by sus-
pending the member, the matter follows the normal ad-
Judication procedure. If the District President acts by
declining to suspend the member, or fails to act within
90 days of receiving the notice of desire to pursue the
matter, the complainant may present a formal complaint
to the Praesidium of the Synod which shall make in-
quiries and may on its own initiative institute proceed-
ings, take administrative action, and, if necessary,
present charges to the appropriate District Commission
on Adjudication. If the Praesidium determines not to
proceed, it shall so inform the complainant and the in-
volved member in writing, which shall terminate the
matter. If the Praesidium takes no action within 180
days, the complaint shall be deemed denied, which shall
likewise terminate the matter.

g. The President and the Vice-Presidents of the Synod
comprise the Praesidium.

Action: Adopted (12).

(An amendment proposing to delete the words which shall
terminate the matter, at the end of the second last sentence of
2.27 f, to add the words determines not to proceed or after prae-
sidum in the last sentence, and substitute complainant may pres-
ent charges to the appropriate district or synodical Commission
on Adjudication for complaint shall be deemed denied, which shall
likewise terminate the matter was declined.)

To Amend Bylaws for Recognized
Service Organizations

RESOLUTION 5-09
Overture 5-13 (CW, pp. 225-26)

Background information. At the 1986 synodical con-
vention, Bylaws were adopted relating to recognition of
service organizations. As various groups applied for rec-
ognized-service-organization status, the Board of Directors
concluded that the Bylaws were ambiguous and could not
be applied in a uniform and consistent manner. They there-

fore declined to grant recognized-service-organization |

status to new groups (other than social-ministry organi-
zations and schools) until the entire matter could be re-
viewed and revised Bylaws be prepared for consideration
and adoption at the 1989 convention. A committee ap-
pointed by the board and including several representatives
of recognized service organizations had dealt with the issue
and had proposed removing many of the stipulations from
the Bylaws and including them in a policy statement of
the Board of Directors. They recommended that the re-

STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION 131

maining Bylaws relative to recognized-service-organiza-
tion status be drastically reduced. The policy statement
and revised Bylaws as proposed by the Board of Directors
had been forwarded to the Commission on Structure,
which after some review, concurred with the board in the
decision to forward the Bylaw revisions to the 1989 con-
vention for consideration and adoption.

Resolved, That present Bylaw 14.03, “Other recognized-
service-organizations,” appearing on pages 154—56 of the
Handbook be deleted in its entirety and be replaced with
the following Bylaw:

14.03 Recognized Service Organizations

a. A service organization, other than auxiliaries, that
extends the mission and ministry of the church may be
recognized by the Synod. As such, recognized service or-
ganizations shall identify themselves with the mission
of the Synod but shall not be a part of the Synod’s con-
stitutional structure. They shall establish and develop
their own objectives, activities, and programs.

6. Recognized service organizations include social-
ministry organizations that have been granted recog-
nized-service-organization status by the Board for Social
Ministry Services. Also included are elementary and sec-
ondary schools that have an identity distinct from that
of a single member congregation of the Synod and are
recognized by the Board for Parish Services and other
organizations formally recognized by boards designated
by the Board of Directors. Councils composed of other
entities and foreign organizations are not eligible for
such status.

c. Applications for recognized-service-organization
status are made to the Board of Directors for assignment
to the appropriate board.

d. Recognition shall be under common policies es-
tablished by the Board of Directors which shall include

1. conditions for recognition;

2. the process for recognition;

3. the responsibilities and privileges of recognition;

4. procedures for recognizing the necessity of respect
for and action which is not contrary to the doctrine and
practice of the Synod as set forth in the Scriptures and
the Confessions and procedures for conforming with the
applicable resolutions of the Synod;

5. assurance that recognition as a service organiza-
tion is not an endorsement by the Synod or a guarantee
of financial responsibility for the debts and obligations
of the organization or for services provided or offered;
and

6. provisions for appropriate boards to establish
additional criteria to meet their unique needs.

Action: Adopted (12).

Report. The Board of Directors further reports that
upon approval by the convention of the above Bylaws, the
following board policy statement will become effective:

Policy Statement—Board of Directors
Recognized-Service-Organization Status

Applications for recognized-service-organization status
shall be made to the Board of Directors through the ex-
ecutive director. Except with respect to social-ministry or-
ganizations and elementary and high schools that have an
identity distinct from that of a single member congregation
of the Synod, the Board of Directors will designate the
appropriate board responsible for processing the applica-
tion and for determining whether or not to grant recog-
nition. Initial recognized-service-organization status may
be granted for a maximum of three years and may sub-