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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 278

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

278

Structure and Ecclesiastical Matters

Resolved, That overtures that commend, memorialize, or express
sentiment be presented to individual congregations for their information and action; and be it further
Resolved, That a statement of purpose and a fiscal impact statement
and a rebuttal/support statement from church officials accompany the
overtures to the congregations; and be it further
Resolved, That such overtures be submitted to the district for distribution no less than nine months prior to the convention; and be it
further
Resolved, That district officials develop a clear and simple process
with timelines for amending overtures; and be it further
Resolved, That district officials establish the timeline, the process,
and the method for congregations to individually submit their final
vote on all such overtures; and be it finally
Resolved, That a final disposition report of such overtures be disseminated to congregations and be reported upon at the convention.
Circuit 10 Forum
Northwest District
7-39

To Provide Alternative Voting Procedures
for Congregations
Whereas, In the 21st century, God has blessed our land and
church with amazing communication technology; and
Whereas, Gathering in convention is extremely expensive and
requires the expenditure of increasingly scarce financial resources;
and
Whereas, Current Synod Bylaws provide for the election of the
Synod president at the congregational level; and
Whereas, Most congregations already have the ability to participate fully and vote by electronic or digital means; and
Whereas, Congregations are required to establish a procedure for
complying with Synod Bylaw voting requirements; and
Whereas, Our growing church and shrinking resources place continuing pressure to expand our representative governance and thereby
reduce rather than expand personal involvement in the affairs of the
church; therefore be it
Resolved, That district officials explore or develop processes for
congregational voting on issues in conjunction with convention; and
be it further
Resolved, That congregations prepare for and develop individual
transition and resource plans for future voting procedures.
Circuit 10
Northwest District

Whereas, There are electronic means to ensure secure, private,
and confidential voting by teleconference or e-meetings that utilize
the Internet and other technologies; and
Whereas, There is a place, time, and need for face-to-face meetings among us, but the currently understood requirement for all circuit
forum meetings to be face-to-face imposes an unnecessary and burdensome requirement on our geographically large circuits and likely
other entities as well; therefore be it
Resolved, That circuits, districts, the Synod, and Synod agencies
be encouraged to consider e-meeting technologies when their use may
save substantial resources.
Florida-Georgia District
7-41

To Establish Clarity in Voting for Synod President
Whereas, Each congregation or parish now has two votes for the
election of the Synod President; and
Whereas, One of those votes is the ordained minister, i.e., the
pastor of the congregations; and
Whereas, Pastors may accept calls and congregations enter
vacancy at any given time; and
Whereas, The majority of congregations or parishes have only
one pastor and would then naturally have no ability for an alternate
pastoral delegate; therefore be it
Resolved, That congregations should not be disenfranchised a pastoral vote simply because they are on vacancy; and be it further
Resolved, That the man in the position of senior or sole pastor at
the time of the election shall be the voting pastor for the congregation or parish; and be it finally
Resolved, That the following section in the Synod Handbook be
revised as follows:
3.12.2.3 Four weeks prior to the national convention, the Secretary
of the Synod, using lists of delegates in attendance at the prior year’s
district conventions as submitted by the secretaries of the districts, shall
provide, via a secure and verifiable method, opportunity for two voting
delegates from each congregation. The pastoral delegate shall be the
pastor of the congregation or parish at that time of the Synod election, or
a designated pastor from among a multipastoral staff. The lay delegate
shall be the person who was in attendance at the his or her previous district convention and who remains a member of the congregation(s) they
he or she represented. These delegates are to vote for one of the candidates for President. If one or both delegates are unavailable, congregations or parishes shall be provided opportunities to select substitute
voters. The Secretary shall, with the approval of the Board of Directors
of the Synod, obtain the assistance necessary to accomplish this task.

Board of Directors
New Jersey District

7-40

To Allow E-Meetings for Voting by Circuits,
Districts, and Synod Agencies
Whereas, The Synod requires specific meetings of circuits and
various other entities for the purposes of voting; and
Whereas, There are instances where circuits are geographically
quite large and driving to a meeting for voting can require extensive
travel in order to attend a meeting that may be quite brief; and
Whereas, We are called to be good stewards of our time and
resources; and

2013 Convention Workbook

7-42

To Strengthen District Boards of Directors
Whereas, The boards of directors of districts are to be commended for their fine work within each district; and
Whereas, The districts of the LCMS find that new challenges and
opportunities are facing them as they seek to sustain their service to
the Synod in an increasingly challenging and exciting time of theological and missional opportunities; and
Whereas, District boards of directors are blessed when they
include members with a specific set of skills, including knowledge
in the areas of theology, mission, finance, law, investments, human