LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 254

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254

Structure and Ecclesiastical Matters

(a) The total number of voting delegates shall be set at 10 percent of the
number of congregations in the Synod six months prior to the start
of the first district convention. Such number shall be rounded to the
higher even number to enable delegate pairs (lay and minister of
religion—ordained).
(b) Two factors shall be averaged to determine the number of delegates
from each district:
(1) The percentage of the district’s member congregations
compared to the number of member congregations of the
Synod; and
(2) The percentage of the number of confirmed members of
the district’s congregations compared to the number of
confirmed members of the Synod’s congregations.
(c) The most recent available roster statistics shall be used to determine
all matters related to delegate representation.
(d) One-half of the district’s total allotment of delegates shall be laity
from member congregations of the district, and one-half shall be
ministers of religion—ordained with membership in the congregations of the district.
3.1.2.1 Elections of voting delegates to the Synod convention shall
ordinarily take place as follows:
(a) The district board of directors shall determine how its electoral clusters will caucus in light of its prescribed number of delegates to the
next Synod convention. Such groupings shall take into consideration
geographical and other such factors as will provide reasonable and
equitable congregational representation in and as a result of the delegate selection process to occur not later than nine months prior to
the opening day of the Synod convention.
(b) Candidates for election as delegates to the Synod convention shall
be the delegates attending the district convention, except for those
unwilling or unable to serve.
(c) Time shall be allotted on the district convention agenda to allow the
delegates from each electoral cluster to caucus in order to select its
delegates to the following Synod convention.
(d) A circuit counselor appointed by the president of the district shall
chair the caucus. Nominations shall be received and delegates elected in the following order: (1) minister religion—ordained delegate;
(2) lay delegate; (3) alternate minister religion—ordained delegate;
and (4) alternate lay delegate.
(e) A majority ballot vote is required for the election of each delegate.
(f) Delegates elected shall come from four different member congregations.
(g) The circuit counselor selected to chair the caucus shall report the
results of the election to the secretary of the district in writing immediately after said election.
(h) If neither the delegate nor the alternate (minister religion—ordained
or lay) is able to serve, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment by
the district president in harmony with Bylaw 3.1.2.1(a).
(i) Delegates are certified by the submission of their names and addresses to the Secretary of the Synod by the secretary of the district
using official registration forms provided by the Secretary of the
Synod.
3.1.2.2 Delegates shall serve from the time of election until the next
district convention, functioning as resource persons to the congregations
they represent and to the district and the Synod, assisting in the dissemination and implementation of reports and resolutions of the Synod
convention.
(a) Delegates are responsible to the congregations they represent and
shall attempt to discover the sentiment of the members thereof, but
the congregations shall not require them to vote in accordance with
specific instructions.
(b) Delegates shall attend all sessions of the convention and present
written excuses to their respective district president for all absences,
late arrivals, and early departures.
3.1.3.1 Each district shall select one advisory delegate for every 120
advisory ordained ministers and specific ministry pastors, and one advisory delegate for every 120 commissioned ministers on the roster of the

2013 Convention Workbook

Synod. Fractional groupings shall be disregarded except that each district shall be entitled to at least one advisory delegate in each category.

Pacific Hills, Omaha, NE; Texas District Board of Directors 7-13
7-15

To Improve Process for Calling Pastors
Whereas, All congregations rely on the district offices for important information (Pastor Information Form [PIF] and Self-Evaluation
Tool [SET] forms) about pastoral candidates; and
Whereas, It is common for calling congregations to wait several weeks for requested information to arrive from the district office
because other districts do not always respond in a timely manner to
requests for information and because the information provided by the
pastor is not always up to date; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Northern Illinois District in convention state
that it acknowledges the importance of filling pastoral vacancies in a
timely manner; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention direct our district president to
take any necessary action so that calling congregations can receive
requested call information within one week of their request when
possible; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention direct our district president to discuss this matter with the Council of Presidents so that the call process
may be improved throughout our Synod; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Northern Illinois District request that the Synod
in convention direct the Council of Presidents to develop a more
effective and efficient system of providing information about pastoral
candidates to calling congregations while still exercising ecclesiastical oversight.
Northern Illinois District
7-16

To Address Accusations Against Pastors Properly
Whereas, Pastors are called by God to serve congregations in
the preaching of the Gospel, administration of the Sacraments, and
spiritual oversight; and
Whereas, 2 Timothy 4:2–3 teaches that there are times that a pastor can preach God’s Word purely, even though it is “out of season”
(i.e., people reject it); and
Whereas, Hebrews 13:17 admonishes Christians to be respectful toward their pastors who are called to “watch out for your souls,
as those who must give account,” in order that their pastors may fulfill their sacred calling “with joy and not with grief, for that would
be unprofitable for you”; and
Whereas, 1 Timothy 5:19 says, “Do not receive an accusation
against an elder except from two or three witnesses,” with the understanding from the context that an “elder” is a pastor who “labors in
the word and doctrine” (1 Tim. 5:17); and
Whereas, The Constitution of the LCMS gives as an objective
for the Synod to provide “a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy” (Art. III 1); and
Whereas, The Constitution of the LCMS gives as another objective for the Synod to provide “evangelical supervision, counsel, and
care for pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers of
the Synod in the performance of their official duties” (Art. III 8); and
Whereas, The Constitution of the LCMS gives as another objective for the Synod to provide “protection for congregations, pastors,