LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1971, Page 161

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RESOLUTIONS 161

To Decline to Provide for Appeals
to Synodical Convention
RESOLUTION 5-20
Overtures 5-52, 5-68 (CW, pp. 265, 270)

Wuereas, The Synod has provided and is in the
process of improving procedures for the airing of
grievances and the adjudication of rights and privileges
of its members and to correct any violations of the
Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod; and

Wuereas, “The principle of accountability” does not
presuppose that synodical conventions are the proper
forum for the airing of grievances and the adjudication
of the rights and privileges of its members, officers,
commissions, and boards; and

Wuereas, To convert the synodical convention into
such a forum would not only be time-consuming and
contribute to divisiveness, but would interfere with its
primary purpose to consider the many challenges to its
ministries and to formulate and adopt policies for its
ministry to God’s people and the extension of His king-
dom; therefore be it

Resolved, That we respectfully reject Overtures
5-52 and 5-68.

Action: Adopted (16).

To Study Collegialism
RESOLUTION 5-21
Overtures 5-44—5-49, 5-55 (CW, pp. 263—264, 266)

WHEREAS, Overtures 5-44, 5-45, 5-46, 5-47, 5-48
5-49, 5-55 seek either to establish collegiality (shared
responsibility) with the Council of Presidents, or dilute
and take away certain of the duties and obligations of
the office of the President of the Synod; and

Wueneas, The establishment of collegiality between
the President of the Synod and the Council of Presi-
dents is not compatible with the spirit and intent of our
Constitution in the following particulars:

1. “Synod is not an ecclesiastical government exer-
cising legislative or coercive powers, and with respect
to the individual congregation’s right of self-government
is but an advisory body” (Art. VII, Handbook, p. 17);

2. “(1) The President has the supervision regarding
the doctrine and administration of (a) all officers of the
Synod; (b) all such as are employed by the Synod; (c)
the individual Districts of the Synod; (d) all District
Presidents. (2) It is the President’s duty to see to it
that all the aforementioned act in accordance with the
Synod’s Constitution, to admonish all who in any way
depart from it, and, if such admonition is not heeded,
to report such cases to the Synod. (4) The President
shall see to it that the resolutions of the Synod are
carried out. (7) It is the duty of the President to be
present also at the meetings of the Districts, to advise
them, and to report at the next session of the Synod.

(9) When business matters that permit of no delay
turn up between conventions of the Synod, the Presi-
dent is authorized to submit them to a vote of the con-
gregations by means of the official synodical organs.
In such cases at least one-fourth of the congregations
must register their vote” (Art. XI, B, 1 a—d, 2, 4, 7, 9,
Handbook, p. 20);

3. “All officers of the Districts have the same rights
and duties as those outlined in this Constitution for the
officers of the Synod but only insofar as these apply to
the District and only within the boundaries of the Dis-
tricts” (Art. XII, 6, Handbook, p. 22);

4. “The District Presidents shall, moreover, espe-
cially exercise supervision over the doctrine, life, and
administration of the office of the pastors and teachers
of their District and acquaint themselves with the re-
ligious conditions of the congregations of their District.
To this end they shall visit and, according as they deem
necessary, hold investigations in the congregations,
Their assistants in this work are the circuit counselors,
who therefore shall make their reports to the District
President” (Art. XII, 7, Handbook, p. 22);

5. “Furthermore the District Presidents shall —

(a) see to it that all resolutions of the Synod which
concern the Districts are made known to the Districts
and are carried out by them;

(b) submit an annual report of their administration
to the President of the Synod and, in general, permit
him to obtain all necessary insight into their official
activities as District Presidents” (Art. XII, 9, a and b,
Handbook, p. 22); and

WuHereas, The foregoing constitutional specifications
of duties and responsibilities of the respective office of
President of the Synod and District Presidents are de-
signed to make each Primarily servants and agents of
the member congregations which they serve and over-
seers of the faith we should share in unity; and

Wuereas, The foregoing provisions of the Constitu-
tion clearly rule out the Synod as an ecclesiastical body
wherein a hierarchy rules over its members but, on the
contrary, clearly makes it a servant of its members in
the areas of the conservation and promotion of the unity
of the true faith and to stand as a united defense against
schism and sectarianism; the joint extension of the
kingdom of God; the training of pastors and teachers;
the publication of Bibles, church books, school books,
religious periodicals, and other books and literature; the
effort to bring about uniformity in church practice and
custom in congregational affairs; the furtherance of
Christian education; the supervision of ministers and
teachers; and the protection of pastors, teachers, and
congregations in the performance of their duties and
the maintenance of their rights (Art. III, 1—8); and

Wuereas, The idea of collegialism is to provide for
the sharing of responsibilities in a church body of rulers
and is therefore incompatible to the administration of
a church body whose purpose is to serve, not rule, and