LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 282

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282 STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION

7-124

To Amend Bylaw re Selection of Convention
Floor Committees

WHEREAS, Enhanced participation from all] areas of the Synod in
the deliberations and decisions of the Synod in convention is al-
ways desirable; and

WuerEAS, Past efforts to open participation to more segments of
the Synod have proved to be fruitful as evidenced in the work of
the expanded Committee for Convention Nominations; and

WHEREAS, The Synod could benefit by involving a more repre-
sentative group of individuals in the selection of convention floor
committees; and

Wuereas, The Presidents of the Districts of the Synod would
be such a representative group; and

Wuereas, The District Presidents’ awareness of the qualifica-
tions and capabilities of the delegates from their various Districts
would be of great value in assisting the synodical President in the
appointment of individuals to convention floor committees; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That Bylaw 3.19 f (p. 38 in the 1998 Handbook of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod) be amended as follows:

f. All reports and overtures accepled by the President in ac-
cordance with the foregoing paragraphs shall be referred by him
to convention commiitees 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 submitted by said
Council. Ordained ministers, commissioned ministers, and
laypersons shall be represented on all committees.

(The rest of the bylaw continues as written.)
St. Matthew, Gulfport, MS; Grace, Naples, FL

7-125

To Regulate Membership and Function
of Convention Floor Committees

Wuereas, Holy Scripture makes no distinction between clergy
and laymen: “One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are
brethren” (Matt. 23:8). “The princes of the Gentiles exercise do-
minion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon
them, but it shall not be so among you” (Matt. 21:25-26); and

WHEREAS, There is no provision in the LCMS Handbook on the
structure of committees which are formed at a synodical conven-
tion, that is, the apportionment between clergy and laypeople, nor is
there any provision as to how committees shall conduct their busi-
ness; and

WHEREAS, There is a provision in the LCMS Handbook that
District conventions shall be governed by the Bylaws adopted by
the Synod for its convention; and

WHEREAS, The LCMS Handbook is silent on how the Synod
shall form committees at a synodical convention and conduct their
business, with the result that there is no direction to a District as to
how to form committees at a District convention and how such
committees will conduct their business; and

Wuereas, At the 2000 District convention of the PSWD the
District President organized the committees with a majority of the
persons on each of the committees working for the church, which
clearly discriminated against the laypeople of our church and is a
direct violation of Holy Scripture in that we are all equal in the
kingdom of God; and

WHEREAS, There is a definite need to establish in the LCMS
Handbook how committees are to be formed at synodical and Dis-
trict convention, and how the committees are to perform their func-

2001 Convention Workbook

tion so as to give life to the statement of our Lord that clergy and
laymen are equal in the kingdom of God; therefore be it

Resolved, That the LCMS convention in 2001 adopt the follow-
ing recommendations:

1. Committees appointed at a synodical or District convention
should have an odd number, not less than 15, and in order to
bring the needed perspective of the clergy and commissioned
ministers, one pastor and one commissioned minister shall be
appointed. As to the balance of the members of the committee,
no more than one person may work for the church.

2. That votes of the members of the committee shall be public and
recorded by the chairman as a part of his report to the conven-
tion.

3. That at any meeting of the committee, initial or otherwise, any
person, delegate or otherwise, who is a member of an LCMS
congregation should have the right to address the committee on
overtures that have been assigned to it. A second or subsequent
statement by a member to a committee shall be at the discretion
of the chairman.

4. At the initial meeting of a committee, the committee members
shall elect the chairman. Any meeting of a committee shall be
preceded by a notice of at least two weeks of the intention to
meet, citing time and place.

5. The so-called Behnken rule should be abolished. This rule is the
means whereby a chairman of a convention can arbitrarily rule
from the chair that a proposed amendment is a substitute, not an
amendment, and then the proponent has two minutes to explain
why the convention time should be consumed to take up the
measure. No part of the two minutes can be used to explain the
merits of the proposal, only why it should be taken up. The exis-
tence of this rule is means whereby a committee chairman and
the presiding officer at a convention can effectively keep buried
in a committee a measure that a convention should discuss. It is
the means whereby an institution can sweep under the rug an
issue that needs discussion in the church but is considered con-
troversial or politically incorrect.

Our Savior, Fullerton, CA; Trinity, New Haven, MO;
Immanuel, San Antonio, TX; St. John, Cedar Rapids, NE;
Trinity, Bridgeton, MO; Concordia, Fair Haven, MN;
Redeemer, John Day, OR; Immanuel, Van Buren, MO; St.
Paul, Mondovi, WI; Our Redeemer, Cushing, OK; St. Paul,
Iron River, MI; St. Paul, Memphis, MO

7-126

To Promote Truth and Integrity
in Convention Overtures

WHEREAS, It has become possible and even acceptable to dis-
seminate untrue or misleading information through convention
memorials; and

Wuereas, Memorials to both synodical and District conven-
tions have included such misrepresentation; and

WHEREAS, Such misrepresentation needed and sometimes re-
ceived clarification and defense during the process of open hear-
ings before the convention itself; and

Wuereas, Not everyone who might read and/or further dissem-
inate information contained in convention memorials benefits from
such discussion at the open hearings; therefore be it

Resolved, That those who submit convention memorials assume
complete responsibility for the truthfulness of information con-
tained therein; and be it further

Resolved, That any memorials that are found by the relevant
committee or by the convention assembled to be factually in error
or contain any misrepresentation of truth or of character will be so
noted and deleted by public action of the Synod in convention; and
be it finally

Resolved, That Bylaw 3.19 be amended to include a statement
that any congregation or other entity which has carelessly or know-