LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 147

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SYNOD REPORTS
The 8-06 Task Force also wishes to note the following:
While it is beyond the scope of the assignment given to the task force,
the 8-06 Task Force also recommends for floor committee consideration
that the Secretary of the Synod be designated as administrator for the processes involved in 2.14, 2.15, and 2.17. While this recommendation does
not speak directly to the composition of the Hearing Panels or Final Hearing
Panels, it would help to alleviate the impression that the district presidents
are in control of the entire process.

Res. 8-06 Task Force
R8-01

Commission on Structure
The members of the Commission on Structure (COS) appointed by
the LCMS Board of Directors for the 2007–2010 term are Rev. Alan
Barber, Rev. Carl Anton, Mr. Bruce Dannemeyer, Dr. Walter Rosin,
and Rev. Marvin Temme; ex officio members are Synod Secretary Dr.
Raymond Hartwig and Chief Administrative Officer Mr. Ron Schultz;
and advisory member Dr. Albert Marcis represents the Commission
on Constitutional Matters (CCM).
The COS met for its organizational meeting on Dec. 14, 2007.
Rev. Marvin Temme was elected to serve as chairman and Dr. Walter
Rosin as secretary of the commission. During the course of the
remainder of the triennium until the writing of this report, the commission has met an additional seven (7) times, including one phone
conference meeting.
Bylaw 3.9.5 describes the purpose of the commission: “The
Commission on Structure exists to serve the members of the Synod
in convention by providing direction for ongoing maintenance and
management of the Handbook, that is, the Constitution, Bylaws, and
Articles of Incorporation of the Synod.” In addition, Bylaw 3.9.5.2
offers, “The Commission on Structure shall assist the convention in
maintaining the Handbook of the Synod by identifying and recommending modifications to areas of concern in the Handbook and for
promotion of its ease of use, thereby to enable the Synod most effectively to accomplish its mission.”
During this triennium, the commission has dealt with matters
referred to it by the 2007 convention, matters referred by other commissions or boards, matters relating to the Blue Ribbon Task Force
on Synod Structure and Governance (BRTFSSG), and various new
items that surfaced during this time.
Matters referred by the 2007 convention and acted on by the commission included these:
• Res. 8-06, calling for the commission to appoint two (2) members to a special task force to study further the composition
of Hearing Panels in Bylaws 2.14, 2.15, and 2.17—one of
whom was to be a layperson who is also a hearing facilitator
for the Synod’s dispute resolution process.Mr. Bill Hibbler
and Dr. Walter Rosin were appointed in March 2008 for this
responsibility.
• Res. 8-10, calling for the commission to be in consultation with
the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR)
in reviewing CCM Opinions 02-2296, 02-2309, and 02-2320
“as to how the theological issues are addressed under the most
recent changes to the Bylaws, namely dispute resolution and
ecclesiastical supervision, and the policies implemented by the

147

COP.” This task was completed in the fall/winter of 2009 and
is included in the CTCR’s report to the Synod.
Several 2007 convention overtures were referred to the commission and in turn referred to other appropriate boards or commissions.
Still others were delayed any action, pending the recommendations
and outcome of the BRTFSSG. An example is the circuit forum election process for the election of convention delegates.
On the other hand, the commission has prepared an overture dealing with a matter in Bylaw 5.3.2 to bring it into compliance with task
force recommendations. Another such matter is an overture to amend
Bylaws 7.1.1 and 7.1.2 to bring these bylaws into compliance with
the task force report.
In light of the proposed task force recommendations, considerable time was committed by the commission to a study of the Synod’s
Articles of Incorporation. An overture has been prepared to amend and
restate this document to describe more accurately the objectives, purposes, governance, and activities of the Synod, should the task force
recommendations be adopted.
In response to the BRTFSSG proposal to change the name of the
commission from “Commission on Structure” to “Commission on
Handbook,” the current commission is in agreement with the task
force. The commission has, however, submitted an overture to retain
the membership of the Chief Administrative Officer and an advisory
member from the CCM on the Commission on Handbook. The reason for this request is to continue the valuable resource and historical,
contextual input provided from these two positions.
The commission also addressed matters referred to it from the
LCMS Board of Directors and/or carried over from the previous
commission term. This resulted in recommendations for a change to
the election process at conventions and a proposed bylaw regarding
the removal of board and/or commission members. The commission has prepared overtures on both matters for inclusion in the 2010
Convention Workbook. Much of the commission’s time was spent on
the matter of board member removal.
In addition to referrals from overtures or boards, the commission received requests from both the Lutheran Laymen’s League for
a change in bylaw terminology and the Lutheran Church Extension
Fund for a return to pre-2004 bylaw wording. The commission is in
agreement with both requests and has prepared overtures addressing
both of these matters.
For the sake of clarity and consistency, the commission has prepared overtures on the definition of the terms “Operating Board” and
“Governing Board” for inclusion in Bylaw 1.2.1.
In relation to the commission’s responsibility for “providing direction for ongoing maintenance and management of the Handbook” and
to “assist the convention in maintaining the Handbook of the Synod
by identifying and recommending modifications to areas of concern in
the Handbook and for promotion of its ease of use, thereby to enable
the Synod most effectively to accomplish its mission,” the commission has prepared an overture to bring the Bylaws into consistency
with the Synod’s practice and requirements regarding the calling of
pastors. Another such overture has been prepared to enable meetings
in a manner other than face-to-face, so long as appropriate requirements and conditions are met. Still another overture adds wording to
Bylaw 1.3.4, providing expectations of Synod membership to enable
the Synod better to plan current and future ministry efforts.
Marvin Temme, Chairman

2010 Convention Workbook

2010 Convention.indb 147

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