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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 408

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

408

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

The Commission on Handbook therefore proposes the following
changes to Bylaws 3.12.1 (b) and 3.12.2.7 (a).
Proposed Action
Therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaws 3.12.1 (b) and 3.12.2.7 (a) be amended to
establish consistency in the bylaws regarding eligibility for regional
elections, as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.12.1 For all elections requiring regional representation, the Board
of Directors of the Synod and the Council of Presidents, acting jointly,
shall designate five geographic regions.
(a) Regions shall be designated 24 months prior to conventions of the
Synod and shall take into consideration geographical and numberof-congregations information in the interest of fair representation.
(b) For purposes of regional elections, individuals will be considered a
part of the geographical region where their congregational membership is held. Non-geographic-district congregations shall be regarded as members of the region in which they are located. Canadian
congregations will be placed as a whole into the region which the
Board of Directors and the Council of Presidents deem appropriate.
(c) …
3.12.2.7 After the results of the first-vice-presidential election have
been announced, the convention shall elect five regional vice-presidents
according to the following nominations and elections process. (This
shall also be the process used for all other regional elections.)

PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.2.5 Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, vacancies that occur on elected boards or commissions of the Synod, including regional
board member positions, shall be filled by the Board of Directors of the
Synod.
(a) Within 90 days of notification of the vacancy, the Secretary of the
Synod shall be responsible for gathering a list of nominees from the
board or commission where the vacancy occurs, the President of the
Synod, the district boards of directors, and the slate of candidates
from the previous convention of the Synod within 90 days of notification of the vacancy.
(b) In the case of regional board member vacancies, only names of
nominees with residence in the geographical region represented by
the vacant position shall be received, gathered only from the district
boards of directors within that geographical region.
(bc) A list of at least three but no more than five candidates shall be
submitted as soon as possible to the appropriate appointing body.
(cd) This list shall be determined by the chairman and two members
of the Committee for Convention Nominations of the Synod as determined by the committee. The Synod’s Director of Human Resources shall be consulted in developing the candidate list.
(de)

The appointing board may not amend the list of candidates.

Commission on Handbook
11-53

COMMISSION ON HANDBOOK
2016 LCMS Convention

(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.
(b) …

——————
B. Regional Board Member Vacancies
Rationale
Bylaw 3.2.5 states, “Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws,
vacancies that occur on elected boards or commissions of the Synod
shall be filled by the Board of Directors of the Synod.” The bylaw
goes on to outline the process to be used.
The Board for National Mission and the Board for International
Mission are boards elected by conventions of the Synod. Bylaw
3.12.2.7 provides the nominations and elections process for regional
elections but does not provide a process for filling vacant positions.
It is assumed, therefore, that such vacancies are to be filled by the
Synod’s Board of Directors according to the process outlined by
Bylaw 3.2.5. A question remains, however, regarding the gathering
of the list of nominees required by paragraph (a) of the bylaw, given
the regional requirements of a regional board position.
The Commission on Handbook therefore proposes the following
changes to the wording of Bylaw 3.2.5 to clarify and facilitate the
process to fill regional board member vacant positions.

OMNIBUS OVERTURE #2
(Synod Administration)
The Commission on Handbook recognizes that its proposed overtures to the 2016 convention can be grouped together according to
same-subject matter to facilitate the work of the floor committee. This
“omnibus” overture groups the commission’s bylaw change proposals regarding Synod administration into a single overture for the floor
committee’s convenience.
——————
A. To Remove Bylaw Provisions Adopted by the 2013
Convention for Staggering Terms
Rationale
The final paragraphs of Bylaws 3.8.2.2 and 3.8.3.2 were adopted
by the 2013 convention to create staggered terms beginning with the
2016–2019 triennium. Similarly, Bylaw 3.9.4.1 was amended to create staggered terms when the voting members of the Commission on
Handbook are appointed for the 2016–2019 triennium.
Since these were temporary changes that will have accomplished
their purpose with the 2016 mission board elections and 2013–2016
triennium Commission on Handbook appointments, the following
bylaw changes will restore the bylaws to their pre-2013-convention
content.

Proposed Action

Proposed Action

Therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.2.5 be amended to clarify that the Board
of Directors of the Synod is responsible for filling vacancies in
regional board member positions, as follows:

Therefore be it
Resolved, That the following changes be made to Bylaws 3.8.2.2
and 3.8.3.2 by the 2016 convention of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod:

2016 Convention Workbook