LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1977, Page 54

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54 MINUTES OF THE CONVENTION

Elections

The Elections Committee reported the election of
Rickie Krueger to the Board of Youth Ministry. After
announcing that there had been no further decision in
the recent balloting for unfilled positions, and pointing
out that it would be impossible to complete elections
before the close of the convention, Dr. Scherer,
speaking for the Floor Committee on Elections,
introduced a resolution stating: “Be it resolved, That all
positions not filled through the regular balloting
procedure be filled by appointing the next highest
candidates in the last ballot gathered in this conven-
tion; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary cast
the vote for the winning candidate.” The delegates
adopted this resolution, and Secretary Mueller cast the
following votes in accordance with the resolution:

Committee for Convention Nominations: Edwin C.
Bek, David A. Caspersen, Albert G. Pullmann

Board of Youth Ministry: Deanna Bond

Higher Education

Chairman August Mennicke of the Floor Committee
on Higher Education introduced Res. 6-18 (TB 127—
128), calling for an aggressive recruitment and training
program at the seminary level for pastors to the deaf.
The resolution was adopted as presented. By adopting
Res. 6-26 (TB 130) after the committee had deleted the
words “as soon as feasible” in lines 72—73 (TB 130), sex
discrimination was eliminated in the redistribution of
high school scholarships which had previously been
given only to male graduates of a Lutheran community
high school who enrolled as professional ministerial
students at a synodical college. The Board for Higher
Education was asked to give careful study to the matter
of defining the term “church worker” and to present its
report to the 1979 convention for approval (Res. 6-22,
TB 129). No further changes are to be made in the
present usage of this term until that report is acted
upon. Bylaw 6.80, which deals with the removal of a
faculty member from office, was clarified by adding a
sentence which stated that “the written decisions of the
Commission of Adjudication and the Board of Appeals
required under Bylaw 5.37, including the finding of
fact, the conclusions, and the reasons for such con-
clusions, shall be conveyed in writing to the Board of
Control of the faculty member involved” (Res. 6-25, TB
130). The matter of overlap and ambiguity in the
responsibilities of the Board for Higher Education and
the Boards of Control and the faculties of synodical
institutions outlined in Section VI of the Handbook was
referred to the Task Force on Constitution, Bylaws, and
Structure for study and resolution (Res. 6-16, TB 127).
Since it is unlikely that funds would be available from
the synodical treasury for the specialized training of
future faculty members, administrators of the colleges
and seminaries in cooperation with the Board for
Higher Education were encouraged to solicit fellowship
or scholarship funds from other sources (Res. 6-17, TB
127). The delegates agreed that parish experience was
desirable for college and seminary professors but that it
should not be a requirement for teaching in the schools
of the Synod (Res. 6-19, TB 128). The convention

encouraged the expansion of continuing education,
asking the Board for Higher Education to make a
variety of educational programs for the church’s
professional workers available through the synodical
schools, and to plan a system of continuing education
units, if feasible, implementing it through these schools
(Res. 6-20, TB 128). This resolution also urged con-
gregations to make time and funds available to their
full-time church workers for continuing education.
Overture 6-25 (CW 240) was respectfully declined, and
the convention agreed to retain the present eligibility
standards for membership on Boards of Control (Res. 6-
14, TB 125). Jt declined a resolution calling for the
sponsorship of a pastoral education Sunday (Res. 6-21,
TB 129), but agreed that Overture 6-30 (CW 241) should
be declined and that faculty members should not be
required to subscribe to “A Statement” since it was not
the intention of the Synod in adopting it to demand
that individual members of the Synod sign a declara-
tion subscribing to it (Res. 6-23, TB 129). Since it was
felt that the present Handbook provisions are adequate,
the delegates agreed that overtures suggesting changes
in the colloquy procedures should be declined (Res. 6-10,
TB 124). After declining an amendment to delete the
third whereas and the reference to Valparaiso in the
second resolve, Res. 6-27 (TB 131) was adopted,
encouraging members of the Synod to utilize oppor-
tunities for Lutheran Lay Higher Education which are
available at the colleges and seminaries of the Synod,
at Valparaiso University, other Lutheran colleges and
universities, and the programs provided by the various
departments of the Synod. With the adoption of this
resolution the work of the Floor Committee on Higher
Education was completed.

Theology and Church Relations

Chairman Happel of the Floor Committee on
Theology and Church Relations introduced Res. 3-21
(TB 66). By adopting it the delegates reaffirmed the fact
that the Synod understands the term “Word of God” to
describe both the Holy Scriptures as the written Word
of God and Christ as the “incarnate” Word and rejected
any understanding of the term which would limit its
use to one sense or to the other. After adding
“Scriptural and” by mutual consent to the second
resolve, they adopted Res. 3-22 (TB 66), reaffirming that
the Law as well as the Gospel is the Word of God, and
reaffirmed the Scriptural and confessional Lutheran
position with respect to the threefold use of the Law as
a curb, a mirror, and a rule. The convention asked the
Synod to continue to express its public opposition to
public sins of our society and to engage in continual
efforts to offer our people guidance from God’s Word on
the moral issues which confront them (Res. 3-23, 7B 67).
After striking the words “comprised of three Canadian
Districts” in lines 39—40 (TB 199), the delegates
adopted Res. 3-24A (TB 199), asking the Commission on
Constitutional Matters, the CTCR, and the Canadian
District Presidents to study the advisability of amend-
ing the Synod’s Bylaws to grant Canadian Districts
authority to negotiate towards fellowship in Canada
through the Lutheran Church—Canada and to report