Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2001 · 61st Convention › Page 281
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 281

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

STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION 281

Lutheran Church, have been required to attend District conven-
tions; and

WHEREAS, At District conventions of the Synod every congre-
gation 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

WuereaS, Advisory members cannot be elected by any congre-
gation to be accredited to cast the vote for the pastor; and

WuerEAS, Advisory members cannot be elected by any congre-
gation to be accredited to cast the vote for the lay delegate; and

WHEREAS, This amounts to forcing these advisory members to
attend conventions but does not permit them to vote either as pastor
or lay delegate and therefore completely takes away their right to
vote; and

WHEREAS, Congregations that are located a long distance from
the site of the District convention with a large staff of advisory
members (teachers) must fund the expenses of these advisory mem-
bers; and

WHEREAS, This funding can get to be a very large sum; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That the Bylaws of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, Chapter II, Membership, Section F, “Miscellaneous Provi-
sions with Respect to Members,” Bylaw 2.37, “Duties of Advisory
Members” be changed to read: “Advisory members of the Synod
may attend District conventions, and they may be elected by any
congregation or by any group of congregations as lay delegates to a
national convention of the Synod, and they may be accredited as
such”; and be it further

Resolved, That if a pastor cannot attend a convention, the assis-
tant pastor of the congregation may be elected to be accredited to
cast the vote the pastor of the congregation would have been enti-
tled to cast; and be it finally

Resolved, That if any article of the Constitution of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod requires a congregation’s advisory mem-
bers to attend a convention, the Synod must provide full funding
for these advisory members.

St. John
Portage, WI

7-122

To Include Commissioned Ministers
as Voting Delegates

WHEREAS, The national synodical convention “shall afford an
opportunity for worship, nurture, inspiration, fellowship, and the
communication of vital information”; and

WuerEAS, The national synodical convention “is the principal
legislative assembly, which amends the Constitution and Bylaws,
considers and takes action on reports and overtures, and handles
appropriate appeals”; and

Wuereas, The national synodical convention “establishes gen-
eral synodical positions and policies, provides overall program di-
rection and priorities, and evaluates all such positions, programs,
policies, directions and priorities in order to provide responsible
service for and on behalf of its members”; and

WHEREAS, The Synod’s commissioned ministers are not directly
represented among the voting delegates at District and Synod con-
ventions; and

WHEREAS, These members of the Synod should be allowed to
provide both voice and vote at District and Synod conventions;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS revise Chapter III of the Synod’s By-
laws to read that voting delegates to the synodical conventions shall
consist of one pastor and one layperson from each electoral Circuit
and one commissioned minister per every 60 commissioned minis-
ters in the District; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS revise Chapters TV and V of the
Synod’s Bylaws so that commissioned ministers in the District will,
during the officia] District conferences, elect from among them-

selves one person for every 60 commissioned ministers in the Dis-
trict to serve as a voting delegate at the District convention.

Trinity

Portland, OR

7-123

To Revise Bylaw 3.19 re Convention Floor Committees

Wuereas, The Synod should desire and welcome participation
from all geographical areas of the Synod and from a wide variety of
ministries in the Synod in the deliberations and actions of the
Synod in convention; and

WHEREAS, The Synod has benefited from the participation of a
more representative number of people on various committees, e.g.,
the expanded Committee for Convention Nominations; and

WHEREAS, The Synod could benefit by allowing a more repre-
sentative group of individuals to participate in the selection of na-
tional Synod convention floor committees; and

WHEREAS, The Presidents of the Districts of the Synod comprise
such a representative group; and

WHEREAS, The Presidents of the Districts of the Synod are
aware of the qualifications and capabilities of the delegates trom
the various Districts; and

WHEREAS, That awareness is of benefit in selecting the mem-
bers of the various floor committees; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Northwest District submit an overture to the
2001 convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod that
requests the Synod to revise Bylaw 3.19 f to read as follows (strike-
out of present wording):

All reports and overtures accepted by the President in ac-

cordance with the foregoing paragraphs shall be referred by him
to convention committees appointed by him in the name of the
convention. The membership of these committees shall be
drawn from a list of voting delegates (Bylaw 3.03), advisory
delegates (Bylaw 3.09), and advisory representatives (Bylaw
3.13) submitted to the President by a committee appointed by
the Council of Presidents. Committee chairpersons shall be ap-
pointed by the President with the advice and consent of the
Council of Presidents from a list of nominees provided to the
President by the Council of Presidents. Ordained ministers
commissioned ministers, and laypersons shall be represented on
all floor commitiees. [The rest of the Bylaw continues as written
in the current Handbook. |

Northwest District

2001 Convention Workbook