LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 201

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4.4.8

5.2.3

president and ask for a transfer of membership.
The district president shall forward such transfer
to the president of the sister district.
(d) Upon receipt of the transfer and of a request
for installation from the minister of religion, the
district president of the sister district shall install
or authorize installation of such minister.
(e) He shall regularly forward roster reports to
the Secretary of the Synod for publication in The
Lutheran Annual.
The district president shall revise annually the official
rosters of ordained ministers and of commissioned
ministers for publication in The Lutheran Annual.,
with the assistance of his district’s circuit visitors,
promote and pursue unanimous participation by
congregations in the submission of annual statistical reports as an expectation of membership in the
Synod.
Each circuit visitor shall assist the district president
within the circuit.
(a) He shall serve under the direction of and be
accountable to the district president and shall
serve as his spokesman when so authorized and
directed and shall assist him in doctrinal and spiritual supervision.
(b) He shall serve in a servant role.
(c) He shall seek to remind and encourage members of the circuit of their responsibilities as God’s
people and the privilege they have in being about
His mission.
(d) He and any other officers of the circuit shall
have the primary responsibility for maintaining
liaison between the circuit and the Synod at the
national and district levels.
(e) He shall be conversant with and supportive
of Synod-wide and district resolutions and programs.
(f) He shall seek to strengthen the spirit of cooperation among pastors, commissioned ministers,
and congregations.
(g) He shall assist in the development and attainment of Synod-wide mission and ministry
emphases.
(h) He shall assist the district president, as
requested, in promoting and obtaining unanimous participation by congregations in the
submission of annual statistical reports.
(hi) He may, when requested to do so by the
district president, serve as a mediator to effect reconciliation of disputes within the circuit not under
dispute resolution of the Synod as outlined in section 1.10 of these Bylaws.
(ij) He shall regularly convene the pastors of his
circuit for circuit conferences.

“11. Structure and Administration”

(jk) He shall regularly report on his activities to
the district president.
(kl) The district president shall meet with the circuit visitors of the district at least once per year
to discuss their work, to encourage them, and to
conduct ongoing training for congregational and
pastoral visits.
(lm) The circuit visitor is authorized to draw on
the district treasury for his expenses.
____________
B. Submission of Circuit Visitor Nominee Names
Preamble
A bylaw provision requiring the submission of names of circuit
visitor nominees prior to the day of the circuit forum to elect the
circuit visitor was inadvertently omitted when the current process
was adopted by the 2010 LCMS convention. Such a provision does
currently exist in the circuit forum election process for national
convention voting delegates.
The Commission on Handbook proposes restoring this day-prior
requirement for submission of names of circuit visitor nominees,
thereby mirroring the language of Bylaw 3.1.2.1 (e) by amending
Bylaw 5.2.2 paragraphs (b) and (d). Therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 5.2.2 paragraphs (b) and (d) be amended
to restore the day-prior requirement for submission of names of
circuit visitor nominees, as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
5.2.2

The circuit visitor shall hold his position by virtue of
his selection by the circuit forum and ratification by
the district convention.
(a) Circuit forums shall meet at the call of their
circuit visitors to select their circuit visitors no
later than the time established by the district.
When in-person meetings are burdensome (e.g.,
geographically large circuits), a circuit may select
another manner of meeting (e.g., e-meeting technologies) that is suitable and made available to all
participants, taking into consideration the need to
provide for an open and fair exchange of ideas and
secure, private, and confidential voting.
(b) Prior to the day of the circuit forum, Nnominations for candidates for the office of circuit
visitor may be submitted by a voting congregation of the circuit and suggested by the district
president, in consultation with the praesidium of
the district.
(c) Each circuit may adopt procedures and methods that will insure efficiency and accuracy,
including the use of mechanical, electronic, or
other methods of casting, recording, or tabulating votes. The privilege of voting shall be exercised
by the representatives from each member congregation of the circuit, who shall have been selected
U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

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