Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2016 · 66th Convention, Milwaukee › Page 392
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 392

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

392

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

11-18

11-20

To Clarify Regional Residence/Membership
Requirements

To Seat Entire Committee for Convention
Nominations at Convention

Whereas, The Handbook requires that regional elections are governed by the location of the candidate; and
Whereas, There is a conflict in the wording of Bylaw 3.12.1 (b),
“For purposes of regional elections, individuals will be considered
a part of the geographical region where their congregational membership is held [emphasis added]. Canadian congregations will be
placed as a whole into the region which the Board of Directors and
the Council of Presidents deem appropriate” and Bylaw 3.12.2.7 (a),
“Each member congregation of a region (including any non-geographic-district congregations in that region) shall have been given
opportunity to nominate two ministers of religion—ordained from
the clergy roster of the Synod with residence in its designated region
as candidates for regional vice-president” [emphasis added]; therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.12.2.7 (a) be amended to read:

Whereas, All floor committees except for the Committee for
Convention Nominations (CCN) are comprised of delegates who are
badged and seated; and
Whereas, The ad hoc CCN members are elected by their districts in convention (Bylaw 3.12.3.1) and are not necessarily official
delegates; and
Whereas, The CCN may be called upon for actions during the
convention; and
Whereas, The entire CCN should deal with such requests; and
Whereas, The CCN is the only committee where some members
come as “visitors” at their own expense (or do not come at all) and
are not recognized with badges; therefore be it
Resolved, That any member of the CCN who is not present in
another official capacity be invited and badged; and be it further
Resolved, That such persons be seated in the advisory section;
and be it finally
Resolved, That such persons’ expenses be paid by the Synod.
Mt. Pleasant Circuit
Iowa District East

PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.12.2.7 …
(a) Each member congregation of a region (including any non-geographic-district congregations in that region) shall have been given
opportunity to nominate two ministers of religion—ordained from
the clergy roster of the Synod who hold congregational membership
with residence in its designated region as candidates for regional
vice-president.”

Board of Directors
Kansas District
11-19

To Clarify Function of Committee for Convention
Nominations in Interim between Issuing Final
Report and Convention
Whereas, The Committee for Convention Nominations (CCN)
issues its “final report at least five months prior to the convention”
(Bylaw 3.12.3.6 [b]); and
Whereas, “Final report” seems to imply that the CCN’s work is
finished and no further action is expected; and
Whereas, Subsequent events and situations occur which require
modifications in the slate of candidates provided by the CCN; and
Whereas, Reconvening of the CCN in the interim is timeconsuming, cumbersome, and expensive; and
Whereas, The nominations files are kept in the Office of the
Secretary of Synod and are not accessible from a distance; and
Whereas, The Bylaws do not seem to speak to handling of such
changes when required, or possibly do not permit action except by
the plenary CCN; and
Whereas, Previous CCNs have had to improvise solutions to this
situation, so it needs clarification; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Bylaw 3.2.5 committee selected by the CCN
be empowered to act on behalf of and in the name of the CCN for
actions needed subsequent to the issuing of the CCN’s final report in
February; and be it further
Resolved, That this Bylaw 3.2.5 committee be empowered to
consult with any or all members of the plenary CCN if said 3.2.5
committee, in its sole judgement, deems it prudent to do so.
Mt. Pleasant Circuit Forum
Iowa District East
2016 Convention Workbook

11-21

To Amend Bylaws re District Convention
Attendance as Prerequisite for Voting
for President of Synod
Whereas, The Constitution establishes the principle that each
congregation or multi-congregation parish has two votes at conventions of the district; and
Whereas, The current Bylaws of the Synod require attendance
at a district convention to be eligible to vote in the election of the
President of the Synod; and
Whereas, In the situation in which a congregation is vacant at the
time of its district convention, under the current Bylaws of the Synod
that congregation automatically loses one of its votes for the election
of the President of the Synod, even if that congregation has a new pastor by the time of the election of the President; and
Whereas, A pastor may have an emergency in the congregation
or be hospitalized himself, preventing his presence at the district convention; this also results in that congregation automatically losing one
of its votes for the election of the President of the Synod; and
Whereas, At the 2015 Southern Illinois District convention, 15
percent of the congregations were vacant (most of which will have
a pastor by the time of the election of the President of the Synod),
but those congregations automatically lost one of their votes in that
election; and
Whereas, Following the 2015 convention of the Southern Illinois
District, a pastor of a district congregation who attended the district
convention accepted a call to one of the vacant congregations of the
district, which means that unless the congregation he left is filled by
the time of the election of the President of the Synod, both of those
congregations will have automatically lost one of their votes in that
election; and
Whereas, The purpose of the current process of electing the
President of the Synod is to give all the congregations a voice in the
election of the president; therefore be it
Resolved, That the changes to the following bylaws be adopted: