LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 403

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STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION
approximately 6,100 congregations in the Synod, such a change
would permit 6,100 voting lay delegates to 5,558 pastoral delegates
(see lcms.org/aboutus).
Granted, these numbers could change significantly according to
changing demographics, but currently, if every congregation sent a lay
delegate, on average across the various districts lay delegates would
outnumber clergy by a ratio of less than 1.1 to 1. And it is likely that
a sizable minority of congregations who are able to send lay delegates
do not, so that even if congregations in multipoint parishes were each
allowed a voting lay delegate, pastoral delegates may still outnumber the lay delegates in general. In any case, we are a significant way
from the imbalance of the early days of our Synod.
Regarding the objection that granting a voting lay delegate to
every congregation would change the historic precedent, it should
be noted that other aspects of our structure have changed significantly since 1847. For example, we now have the possibility for (and
numerous examples of) dual parishes consisting of congregations in
different districts. In those cases, the congregations in a district other
than the district in which their pastors are members receive no representation with a voice at their district conventions.
Proposed Action
Whereas, The Synod Constitution Art. V A deals with voting
members of the Synod and states: “All organized congregations that
have joined the Synod hold voting membership. At the meetings of
the districts of the Synod every congregation or parish is entitled to
two votes, one of which is to be cast by the pastor and the other by
the lay delegate”; and
Whereas, The term parish is used for the first time in the
Constitution and only in this place has it been interpreted to mean
“multiple congregations served by the same pastor(s)”; and
Whereas, “Multiple congregations” are only allowed to send a
single lay delegate to district conventions, which does not respect
the equal dignity, gifts, and authority of all member congregations.
Rather, it creates degrees of voting membership in the Synod because
every congregation is allowed a vote in some places but not in others
(see chart in Preamble); and
Whereas, The basic meaning of parish is more geographical
than the basic meaning of congregation (congregation membership
is not limited by geography, and a parish would, strictly speaking,
include many people [even members of other denominations, as well
as unbelievers] who are not members of an LCMS congregation); and
Whereas, The presence of a pastor is not what determines the
presence of a congregation. According to C. F. W. Walther’s Church
and Ministry (tr. J. T. Mueller) concerning the church, Article VII,
“As visible congregations that still have the Word and the sacraments
essentially according to God’s Word bear the name ‘church’ because
of the true invisible church of sincere believers that is found in them,
so also they possess the authority that Christ has given to his whole
church, on account of the true visible church hidden in them, even
if there were only two or three [believers]” (emphasis added); and
Whereas, The polity of the LCMS is based on congregations and
not on parishes; and
Whereas, The emphasis of our polity on the representation of
congregations is intrinsically connected to the scriptural and confessional understanding of a congregation’s bearing all the characteristics
of the church; and
Whereas, The restructuring of the LCMS passed by the delegates
at the 2010 convention included the provision that congregations of
the Synod would directly vote for the Synod President (Congregations
Walking Together in Mission as They Elect President and First

403

Vice-President, Res. 8-17 “To Elect the Synod President,” 2010
Proceedings, p. 167); and
Whereas, Requiring that a congregation’s two votes for Synod
President be cast by those individuals who represented the congregation at the previous district convention disenfranchises the
congregations in so-called multiple-congregation settings who are
forced to share representation at district conventions; and
Whereas, The idea of congregations electing the Synod President
enhances the representative nature of this election; and
Whereas, 2013 convention Res. 3-07A, “To Further Promote
Mission Awareness, Support, Collaboration, and Coordination for
Rural and Small Town, Urban and Inner City, and Suburban Ministry”
was adopted by an overwhelming majority (981 to 15), the final
resolve of which stated: “That the LCMS in convention continue to
respect the equal dignity, gifts, and authority of all member congregations, regardless of demographics or size,” (Proceedings, p. 119); and
Whereas, The use of the term parish has led to confusion and
the denial of voting rights to certain congregations; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 48th district convention of the Oklahoma
District memorialize The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its
2016 convention to
• give all organized congregations that hold membership in the Synod the
opportunity to be represented by a lay delegate and a pastoral delegate
at district conventions (Bylaw 3.1.2.1 [c] allows such representation
at circuit forums and regional caucuses);
• retain a single vote for a pastor who represents more than one
congregation;
• and amend Art. V A of the Synod Constitution as follows:

PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
All organized congregations that have joined the Synod hold voting
membership. At the meetings of the districts of the Synod every congregation or parish is entitled to two votes, one of which is to be cast by the
pastor and the other by the lay delegate. In the case of a single pastor
representing two or more congregations, no individual shall cast more
than one vote. At the meetings of the Synod a number of congregations
shall form a group which shall be represented by two voting delegates,
one a pastor and one a lay delegate.

Oklahoma District
11-45

To Allow All Congregations
in a Multi-Congregation Parish a Voting
Delegate at District Conventions
Whereas, Each congregation is a member of the district; and
Whereas, Multiple-congregation parishes have only one lay vote
at district conventions; and
Whereas, Sister congregations are then deprived of representation; therefore be it
Resolved, That each congregation be afforded the right to have
representation at district conventions; and be it further
Resolved, That each congregation in a multiple-congregation parish may send a voting delegate to the district convention.
Arlington Circuit, Minnesota South District; Zion, Green
Isle Township, MN; St. Paul’s, Green Isle Township, MN
2016 Convention Workbook