LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 165

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Dr. Gude prepared a report on bylaws governing advisory participation in Synod convention-floor committees and statistics on
that participation. From 1924 on, laypersons were required to be
appointed to floor committees; from 1969 on, teachers—and then,
from 1986, commissioned ministers—were also to be included on
all committees. A general revision of bylaws in 1981 made explicit
the advisories’ right to vote when serving on floor committees in
the district. At the same time, it also reduced by half—from onein-thirty to one-in-sixty—the ratio of advisory representation at the
Synod convention.
Each convention since 1924 has had some teachers on some
floor committees, sometimes apparently depending on topics treated; since 1969, teachers and then commissioned members have
been required on all floor committees.
In the early conventions, the number of committees was significantly larger, and some committees were very large. There was
a predominance of pastors and district presidents. There were also
a large number of faculty from the educational institutions of the
Synod and quite a high percentage of these were on floor committees. In the later years, faculty of the institutions of the Synod were
not included on floor committees, with one or two possible exceptions. In the early years, a fairly high percentage of the teachers
who were delegates to the convention wound up also serving on the
floor committees. There were also many districts that did not send
teacher delegates to the Synod convention, or not as many as they
were allowed.
The total number of advisory teacher and advisory pastor delegates was fairly consistent throughout the conventions studied.
In the early years of the Synod, the majority of the advisory pastor delegates would have been pastors who were members of the
Synod, serving independent congregations. In the period reviewed,
this would not have been the case. Prior to the 1970s, the majority
of advisory pastors would have been assistant pastors, with some
emeritus pastors. From the 1980s forward, the majority would have
probably been emeritus or with candidatus reverendi ministerii
(CRM) or candidate status.
The number of voting delegates attending conventions rose
for most of the period but recently has declined. The number of
floor committees also declined in the later period considered, as
did the number of people on the various committees. Given that the
number of district presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Synod has
remained constant, and the committees have grown smaller more
recently, there has come to be a higher percentage of Synod and/or
district officials on the floor committees. Compounding this effect,
some of the advisory delegates (commissioned and ordained) are
also executives of the districts or officers of the district representing the various district boards of directors. (It is also apparent that
the percentage of lay delegates, in relation to the total number of
lay delegates on the floor committees, has decreased. In 1983, there
were 87 rostered church workers and 59 laity on floor committees.
In 2016, there were 129 rostered church workers and 44 laity.)
The committee noted that the full and active involvement of
advisory delegates in the floor committees is an already-available
measure that should be emphasized. In a day of fast-paced conventions with relatively little substantive debate, floor committees are
where the “deep work” happens—and here, if they are included in
the composition of the committees, advisory delegates have both
voice and vote. (Convention time also needs to be allotted to issues
of primary relevance to the work of commissioned ministers; one
committee member noted extensive work on 2019 Floor Commit-

165

tee 12, dealing with important matters for schools and families, that
seemed to receive only “short shrift” at the end of the convention.)

District convention
Time and expense should be allowed for significant advisory
delegate input at the conventions, for a sense of true inclusion and
valued voice. Their input is constitutional and important. Nonetheless, in many districts, their attendance is low. Some district conventions align poorly with school-year events or occur on a weekend during the school year, when time away is especially valued. In
other cases, the value or purpose of attendance may be questioned
or the cost of attendance prove an obstacle. Anecdotally, participation often tends to be by commissioned ministers who are personally interested in Synod or district affairs, but not a priority or
practical possibility for most potential advisory delegates.
A district doesn’t typically cover the attendance cost of advisories, which may vary greatly depending on the geography of the
district and the setting of the convention. While a congregation
or other entity served might reasonably be expected to help bear
attendance costs for those individual members (including advisories) actively serving it, such support does not seem generally to
be provided for the bulk of active commissioned ministers, and
schedules may not even be adjusted to accommodate their convention attendance. Moreover, many advisories are not presently serving in installed positions. It was suggested that financial support
of advisory attendance could make a significant difference in their
attendance rate.
President Allan Buss shared with the committee a practice of
the Northern Illinois District, started some 18–20 years ago, of
having an “advisory poll” prior to the vote of voting delegates on
key convention business. Originally, advisory members attending
the convention received green and red cards to display to the body
prior to significant nonelection votes. Today, those advisories (typically 30–35 wish to participate) register in advance and the district
provides them with polling devices for this purpose. The advisory
delegates who register and receive devices are polled and the result
displayed prior to assembly votes on motions to close debate, on
resolutions, or on substantial amendments thereto. There is some
cost to the district of the additional voting devices but very little
impact on convention pace. The advisory delegates participating
are primarily commissioned minsters, active and emeritus, though
some ordained emeriti also participate. The practice is thought to
have increased somewhat the participation of commissioned ministers in the convention. With approximately 180–200 voting delegates attending, “somewhat more than 30” commissioned register
and participate (not by way of formal representation, but through
choice) in the advisory poll. Buss noted that this “creates good will
with advisories and a more formal opportunity to share opinions.”
It was noted that Northern Illinois District, with 198 active parishes, each representable by a pastor and a lay delegate (ca. 364
voting delegates, accounting for pastoral vacancies), presently has
354 ordained rostered (238 active, 21 of which are SMP; 10 candidates; and 106 emeritus) and 911 commissioned rostered (471
active, 160 candidate, and 280 emeritus). This makes for a theoretical total of 198 lay delegates, up to 198 ordained ministers voting
on behalf of parishes and, theoretically, 1,065 advisory ordained
and commissioned delegates. If 30–35 advisories typically register
for and attend the district convention as active participants, this
indicates by how much—at least in some places—reality falls short
of the ideal of Bylaw 4.2.3, that “all … shall, unless they present
a valid excuse, serve as advisory delegates” and—at least in a
2023 Convention Workbook