LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 181

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NATIONAL/DISTRICT SYNOD RELATIONS
5.25 21 Expenses
The Circuit Counselor is authorized to draw on the
District treasury for his expenses.

Action: Adopted (3)
(An amendment to add the words and participating in the sufferings of Christ at the end of paragraph d, 4, of proposed Bylaw
4.71 was declined. The resolution was adopted without amendment [yes: 725; no: 384].)

That Synodical Vice-Presidents Two
through Five Continue to be Elected
and Serve Synodwide and that They
Be Placed on the Ballot
by Congregational Nomination
RESOLUTION 8-02
Report 8-01 (CW, pp. 115–17); Overture 8-31 (CW,
pp. 115–17)
WHEREAS, The history of the election and function of the
Second through Fifth synodical Vice-Presidents assumes
action by and service to the entire Synod (for example, as
synodical representatives to all the District Conventions)
as distinct from Districts whose elected regional Vice-Presidents relate primarily to specific areas of the Districts; and
WHEREAS, There is no compelling reason for change in
the current practice, since the Task Force on National/District Synod Relations “envisioned no additional duties for
the Second through Fifth Vice-Presidents (Task Force Report, p. 115, CW 2001); and
WHEREAS, The Task Force on National/District Synod
Relations on page 108 of its report stresses the necessity of
having a nomination process in the election of District Presidents and Vice-Presidents that provides sufficient published information for delegates prior to voting; and
WHEREAS, The current process of nominating synodical
Vice-Presidents two through five makes it impossible to
publish sufficient accurate information to the delegates,
hampering their ability to make informed selections; and
WHEREAS, The current process of nominating synodical
Vice-Presidents two through five by primary ballot on the
convention floor can result in name recognition or support
by a particular interest group becoming the determining
factor in terms of which individuals are placed on the ballot; therefore be it
Resolved, That the synodical Vice-Presidents two
through five continue to be elected and serve synodwide;
and be it further
Resolved, That starting with the 2004 convention, synodical Vice-Presidents two through five be nominated by
congregations in the same manner as are the synodical
President and First Vice-President; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.960 a be amended to read, “Each
voting congregation shall be entitled to nominate from the
clergy roster of the Synod two ordained ministers as candidates for President and two ordained ministers as candidates for First Vice-President, and four ordained ministers
as candidates for ‘other Vice-Presidents in line of succession’”; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.960 d be amended to read, “The

181

Secretary of the Synod, with the approval of the Board of
Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, may
engage an external auditing firm to tabulate the nominations and shall report to the convention by means of the
convention manual the names and tallies of all clergymen
who have received nominating votes for the offices of President, and First Vice-President, and other Vice-Presidents
in line of succession”; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.960 e be amended to read,
“Groups and individuals within and without the Synod are
urged to refrain from circularizing the Synod or areas
thereof relative to favoritism in nominations for President,
and First Vice-President, and ‘other Vice-Presidents in line
of succession’ ”; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.961 a be amended to read, “Candidates for the office of President and First Vice-President
shall be in each instance the five ordained ministers receiving the highest number of votes in the nominating ballots of the congregations, and the candidates for the offices
of Vice-Presidents two through five shall be the twenty ordained ministers receiving the highest number of votes in
nominating ballots of the congregations for other Vice-Presidents in line of succession”; and be it further
Resolved, That should one or more of the properly nominated candidates for the offices of Vice-Presidents two
through five be elected President or First Vice-President,
their name(s) shall be removed from the ballot without requiring the addition of other names to the ballot; and be it
further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.961 e be amended to read, “The
Secretary of the Synod shall publish in the convention manual brief biographies of the five candidates for President,
and the five candidates for First Vice-President, and the
twenty candidates for Vice-Presidents two through five, giving adequate information on each candidate. This report
shall contain such pertinent information as age, residence,
number of years in the Synod, present position, District or
synodical offices previously held, year of ordination, former
pastorates, involvement in community, government, or interchurch affairs, and any other specific experience and
qualification for the office”; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaws 3.970, 3.973, and 3.975 a be eliminated; and be it further
Resolved, That new Bylaw 3.967 Election of Vice-Presidents Two through Five read, “a. After the results of the
first vice-presidential election have been announced, the
convention shall take action as outlined in Bylaw 3.961 f
and g on the slate of candidates for Second through Fifth
Vice-Presidents and shall then elect these other Vice-Presidents in line of succession”; and be it further
Resolved, That current Bylaw 3.975 b become Bylaw
3.967 b; and be it finally
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.977 be renumbered 3.969.
Action: Adopted as amended (6)
(The resolution was introduced by the committee in session 3,
when it was amended by adding the seventh resolve. By common
consent the words in line of succession were consistently added
after the words other Vice-Presidents upon the advice of the Commission on Constitutional Matters. When discussion resumed in
session 6, a motion to amend the resolution by deleting the fifth
resolve failed. The resolution was adopted [yes: 901; no: 186].)

200l Convention Proceedings