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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 417

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

ECCLESIASTICAL SUPERVISION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
could give to congregations without a regularly called pastor; and
be it further
Resolved, That district presidents as strongly as possible counsel and otherwise encourage congregations to consider calling such
candidates when appropriately matched to the congregations; and
be it further
Resolved, That district presidents provide to congregations all
requested PIFs and the accompanying “Self‑Evaluation Tool” (SET)
of eligible pastors (those not on restricted or suspended status); and
be it finally
Resolved, That the Res. 3-10A task force’s report, recommendations, and any necessary bylaw changes be given full consideration
during the 2016−2019 triennium, and that additional action based on
that report be considered at the 2019 LCMS convention.
Pilgrim
Kilgore, TX
12-05

To Specify Inactive Members
in Official Publications
Whereas, LCMS Bylaw 2.11.2 identifies three different classifications of inactive members (emeritus, candidate, and non-candidate);
and
Whereas, The official publications of the LCMS Roster (e.g.,
The Lutheran Annual and the LCMS website) do not currently differentiate between the various classifications of inactive members;
therefore be it
Resolved, That in all future official publications of the LCMS
Roster (including but not limited to The Lutheran Annual and the
LCMS website), the classification of inactive membership shall be
indicated for all such ministers of religion who are inactive members
on the LCMS roster.
Emmaus
South Bend, IN
12-06

To Work to Resolve the Issue of Qualified
Candidates Remaining without Calls
Whereas, The 65th Regular Convention of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod approved Res. 3-10A “To Appoint a Task
Force to Study the Call Process for Returning Missionary and Military
Chaplains and Other Rostered Church Workers without a Call” by a
vote of 884 to 25; and
Whereas, The task force duly appointed in fulfillment of the
above resolution stated in its report, “Short of changing Synod’s
bylaws that will accommodate the placement of candidate status ministers as they do for first call graduates, we must continue to follow
the existing call process”; and
Whereas, Efforts to encourage congregations to call ordained
ministers on candidate status within the current process have proven
inadequate to remedy the issue of qualified candidates without calls;
therefore be it
Resolved, That in response to the task force’s report, Bylaw
2.11.2.2 be amended with this addition:

417

PROPOSED WORDING
2.11.2.2 A “candidate” member is one who is eligible to perform
the duties of any of the offices of ministry specified in Bylaw section
2.11 but who is not currently an active member or an emeritus member.
…
(d) The Council of Presidents is authorized to place ordained ministers
on candidate status at their request to congregations that have asked
for a candidate each spring, under the following conditions:
•

All new seminary graduates have received their first calls.

• The candidate’s district president approves the candidate’s
request for a placement. Such a request in no way restricts
a candidate from receiving a call in the regular manner. A
candidate who has requested placement by the Council of
Presidents shall immediately inform his district president
upon reception of another call. He shall then be removed
from consideration for a placement that year, excepting such
circumstances as the congregation extending said call offers
inadequate remuneration for the candidate to support himself
and his family. If the reception of a call occurs between the
placement decision by the Council of Presidents and the
announcement of such a placement, or if for some other
reason the candidate placed declines the call, the Council
of Presidents shall at its next meeting place a candidate
to that congregation, if the congregation still desires. The
announcement of the placement for ordained candidates
shall take place at that year’s second placement service
after the announcement of calls issued to seminarians. If
placements take place at the subsequent meeting, they shall
be announced at that time.
• If the candidate’s district president rejects the candidate’s
request for placement, the candidate may appeal to the
Synod’s Pastor Colloquy Committee to adjudicate, with both
the candidate and his district president appearing before
it according to rules to be established by the Colloquy
Committee and approved by the Council of Presidents.
(e) The Secretary of the Synod and a member of the Council of Presidents selected by that body shall act as the Directors of Placement
for all ordained candidates receiving placement by the Council of
Presidents. These Directors of Placement shall both receive and
examine from each candidate the same placement application paperwork used by the seminaries. They shall then either both or, according to a division mutually agreed upon by them, one of them
shall interview each candidate and, if the candidate is married, the
candidate’s wife by phone or, if convenient, in person to better ascertain where a good placement for the candidate might be.
(f) The Council of Presidents, in consultation with the seminary Directors of Placement and the Secretary of Synod, shall at their first
meeting following the passage of this resolution establish a deadline
for ordained candidates to request placement by the Council of Presidents. This deadline may be changed by the Council of Presidents
in consultation with the seminary Directors of Placement and the
Secretary of Synod, but any such change shall take effect only after
the next spring placement occurs.

and be it further
Resolved, That a committee competent to address the specifics of
placement of commissioned ministers be appointed to draw up similar changes, or that such an amendment be considered friendly to
this resolution.
Jacksonville Circuit
Central Illinois District
2016 Convention Workbook