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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 498

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

498

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

constituting convention of Synod in 1847 consisted of sixteen
voting delegates. Of those only four were lay delegates. A year later
there were six voting lay delegates and 25 voting pastoral delegates.
That was a significant imbalance, but there is no evidence that
anyone was bothered by it since the opportunity was given for
significant lay participation along with the clergy.
If there are 473 multi-point settings comprised of 989 congregations
(Source: LCMS Rosters and Statistics, April 20, 2018), and given
that there are approximately 6,100 congregations in the Synod, such
a change would permit 6,100 voting lay delegates to 5,095 pastoral
delegates.
Granted, these numbers could change 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 multi-point
settings were each allowed a voting lay delegate, pastoral delegates
may still outnumber the lay delegates in general.
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 real examples of) multi-congregation settings 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 representative with a voice at their
district conventions.
WHEREAS, “Article V Membership, A. Voting Members” of the
Synod’s Constitution deals with voting members of 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 “or 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 and 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, concerning the Church, Thesis VII, “As visible
fellowships [Gemeinschaften] 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 genuine 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 invisible

2019 Convention Workbook

Church hidden in them, even if there were only two or three
[believers]” (2012 Edition, 76); 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 bearing all the
characteristics of the Church; and
WHEREAS, The restructuring of the LCMS passed by the
delegates at the 2010 Synod convention included the provision that
congregations of the Synod would directly vote for the Synod
President (2010 Res. 8-17, “Congregations Walking Together in
Mission as They Elect President and First Vice-President: To Elect
the Synod President,” Proceedings, 167); and
WHEREAS, Requiring that multiple congregations share a vote or
voice disenfranchises one or more of the congregations in so-called
multiple congregation settings who are forced to share
representation at district conventions and election of Synod
President; and
WHEREAS, The idea of congregations electing the Synod
President and having an opportunity to vote at a district convention
enhances the representative nature of the election and the district
convention; and
WHEREAS, The Res. 3-07A of the 2013 convention of the LCMS,
“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
[Yes: 981; No: 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 (2013 Proceedings, 119); and
WHEREAS, The use of the term parish has led to confusion and
the denial of voting rights to certain congregations; and
WHEREAS, Allowing every congregation an independent voice at
the district convention and the election of Synod President does not
change the one layman and one pastor representation at the Synod
convention; and
WHEREAS, At the last Synod convention a majority voted to
amend the constitution to address this inconsistency, but a twothirds (2/3) majority (66.67%) needed to amend this inconsistency
failed by three votes [Yes: 635; No: 321] or 66.42% (2016
Proceedings, 200); and
WHEREAS, Further discussion has taken place in the Synod over
the past triennium; therefore be it
Resolved, That The 49th District Convention of The Oklahoma
District memorialize the LCMS at its 2019 convention to:
• Give all organized congregations that hold membership in
the Synod the opportunity to vote for Synod President and to
be represented by a lay delegate and a pastoral delegate at
district conventions (Bylaw 3.1.2.1 [c] allows representation
at circuit forums and regional caucuses);
• Retain a single vote for a pastor who represents more than
one congregation
• Amend Const. Art. V A;
and be it further
Resolved, That Const. Art. V A be amended as follows: