LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 327

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OPINIONS OF COMMISSION ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
5.4.1 Membership shall be terminated by transfer to a sister
congregation, by joining a congregation outside the
fellowship of this congregation, by excommunication or
self-exclusion, or by death.
5.4.2 Communicant members who conduct themselves in an
un-Christian manner shall be admonished according
to Matthew 18:15.20 and the congregation’s stated
and adopted guidelines.32 If they remain impenitent
after proper admonition, they shall be excommunicated.
Each case of excommunication or self-exclusion shall
be presented to the voters assembly for a decision. A
two-thirds majority vote of the voters assembly shall be
required.”
6.0 CALLED CHURCH WORKERS
Member congregations of the Synod are required to call and be
served only by ordained ministers who are members of the Synod, candidates for the pastoral ministry who have satisfied the qualifications
and requirements for assignment of first calls by Synod, or ordained
ministers who are members in good standing of church bodies that have
been formally recognized to be in altar and pulpit fellowship with the
Synod when agreements for such calls are in place (Bylaw 2.5.2).33.
They may also only call commissioned workers who are members of the
Synod, candidates of LCMS colleges and universities who have satisfied the qualifications and requirements for assignment of first calls by
the Council of Presidents, commissioned ministers who are members in
good standing of church bodies that have been formally recognized to
be in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod when agreements for
such calls are in place34 (Bylaw 2.5.3).35 This article establishes how the
congregation extends such calls and should indicate who is eligible to be
called, the manner of removal from office, and how vacancies in called
positions are to be handled (Bylaw 2.5.1).36 The example below reflects
the way this is done in most congregations.
Example:
“The voters assembly of this congregation shall have the exclusive
right to call ordained ministers. The right to call commissioned ministers also belongs to the congregation and ordinarily shall not be delegated to a smaller body and never to an individual.
6.1
The pastoral office shall be conferred only upon ordained ministers who are members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, candidates for the pastoral ministry who have satisfied
the qualifications and requirements for assignment of first calls
by Synod, or ordained ministers who are members in good
standing of church bodies that have been formally recognized
to be in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod when agreements for such calls are in place.
6.2
Only those commissioned ministers shall receive a call who adhere to the confessional standard set forth in this constitution,
who are qualified for the work of the ministry to which they
are called, and who have been endorsed by and are members of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, who are candidates of
LCMS colleges and universities who have satisfied the qualifications and requirements for assignment of first calls, or who
are commissioned ministers in good standing from church bodies that are in altar and pulpit fellowship with The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod.
6.3
The right of calling ordained or commissioned ministers shall
be vested in the voters assembly and shall not be delegated otherwise.
6.4
Called ordained or commissioned ministers may be removed
from office in Christian and lawful order by a two-thirds majority ballot vote of the voters assembly for one of the following
reasons: persistent adherence to false doctrine, scandalous life,
willful neglect of the duties of office, the inability to perform
those duties, or domineering in office.
6.5
When a vacancy occurs in an office of an ordained or commissioned minister, the congregation shall notify the president
of the district to receive assistance in temporarily filling the
vacancy and to receive his counsel in calling a new pastor,
teacher, or other church worker (Bylaw 2.5.1).”

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7.0 AUTHORITY OF AND WITHIN THE CONGREGATION
At times there is lack of clarity in a congregation regarding the extent of the authority within the congregation to make certain decisions.
It is therefore wise to include an article that will obviate this difficulty.
The following is one possible model.
Example:
“The voters assembly shall be the governing body of this congregation and shall be empowered to administer and manage all its
affairs.
7.1 The establishment and conduct of all organizations and
societies within the congregation or related directly to
the congregation shall be subject to the overall authority
and general oversight of the voters assembly.
7.2 All matters before the voters assembly shall be
decided by a majority vote unless otherwise specified
by this constitution or bylaws. Matters of doctrine and
conscience shall be decided only on the basis of the Word
of God.”
8.0 MEETINGS
Constitutions of congregations should establish how the meetings
of the voters assembly or governing entities will be called and how a
quorum will be determined. Not requiring a specific number of voting
members in attendance permits a meeting to be valid so long as it has
been properly called.
Example:
“Meetings of the voters assembly shall be held as determined
in the bylaws.
8.1 Announcements of regular meetings shall be made in the
services of the two previous Sundays.
8.2 Announcements of special meetings shall be made
in the services of the two previous Sundays or in the
services of the previous Sunday when accompanied
by notification by mail. Such special meetings may be
called at the request of the pastor, chairman, church
council, or ten (10) voting members.
8.3 All voting members present at a properly called meeting
shall constitute a quorum.”
9.0 OFFICERS AND BOARDS
Congregations are at liberty to determine their own organizational
and operational structures consistent with local and state requirements
for not-for-profit corporations. Constitutions should establish only those
offices, boards, and other committees that form the essential framework
of the congregation. (The Synod encourages every congregation to include in its organizational structure a board or committee for stewardship [Bylaw 2.2.1 (a) (1)]).37
Description of duties in the constitution should be limited to basic responsibilities, with detail to be provided in the bylaws or in job
descriptions. This will allow congregations or other authorized entities
within congregations to create (and to dissolve) additional offices and
committees and determine their responsibilities as necessary. As previously noted, many organizational structures are possible. Two examples, one involving a coordinating church council and the second that of
a board of directors, are provided.
In accordance with the teachings of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, women are not to be placed in offices which call upon them
to carry out the specific functions of the pastoral office.
Example:
“This congregation shall have the following officers and boards in
addition to any which the congregation shall establish from time to time.
The officers and the chairpersons of the boards, and the pastor as an advisory member, shall constitute the membership of the church council.
Those officers identified by state law shall serve as legal representatives
of the congregation.
9.1 The officers of this congregation shall be:

2013 Convention Workbook