LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 223

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aged to request from their district president names of ordained
ministers of religion on candidate status who are prepared and
available for a call; and be it further

To Expedite the Dispute Resolution
and Suspension/Expulsion Processes

Resolved, That congregations be encouraged to consider calling
pastors on candidate status for part-time service; and be it finally

RESOLUTION 12-04A

Resolved, That congregations and schools that have requested
but have not received commissioned ministers of religion through
the regular placement process following certification be encouraged
to request from their district president names of commissioned
ministers of religion on candidate status who are prepared and
available for a call.
Action: Adopted (7)
(During discussion, the chair asked for any objection to voting
on the resolution without further discussion. The chair hearing no
objection, the convention adopted Res. 12-02A as presented [Yes:
1,033; No: 14].)

To Amend the Bylaws on Candidate Status
RESOLUTION 12-03
Report R60 (CW, pp. 231–233); Overtures 12-07–08, 12-10, 1243 (CW, pp. 418, 436)
Whereas, Church vocations exist for active service to the Lord’s
Church; and
Whereas, Candidate status and non-candidate status have been
granted to rostered workers of the Synod with the hope and expectation that they eventually return to active status (Bylaw 2.11.1); and
Whereas, Members of the Synod have asked for clarity regarding candidate and non-candidate status; and
Whereas, Candidates and non-candidates in good standing
are eligible to receive a call (CCM Opinion 09-2546); therefore be it
Resolved, That all references to non-candidate status be removed
from the Bylaws (Bylaws 2.11.2.3 et al.); and be it further
Resolved, That with the adoption of this resolution, all current
candidates and non-candidates be granted candidate status, effective immediately; and be it further
Resolved, That candidate status will be for a period of ten years,
and may be renewed for a five-year period upon the recommendation of the applicant’s district president and the approval of
three-fourths (75%) of the Council of Presidents; and be it finally

Report R65 (CW, pp. 297–298); Overture 12-42 (CW, pp.
432–435)
Rationale
Bylaw 1.10.1 speaks of disputes, disagreements, or offenses as a
“grave concern for the whole church” that “should be resolved
promptly.” An oft-voiced concern regarding the current dispute
resolution and suspension/expulsion processes is that they take
overly long to complete.
In addition, current time frames vary between the bylaws governing dispute resolution and those governing suspension/expulsion
processes, often for identical steps in the processes. The following
changes to Bylaw sections 1.10 and 2.14 will conserve time and provide uniformity. The changes to Bylaw section 2.14 are also, upon
adoption by the 2016 convention, to be applied to the 2.15, 2.16, and
2.17 processes as shown in the addendum to this report.
Also proposed is an addition to Bylaws 1.10.4 and 2.14.2 to accommodate unforeseen circumstances that at times make strict
adherence to time frames impossible, also providing authority to
the administrator of the process to grant exceptions and to report
intentional non-compliance to the President of the Synod.
Finally, an additional source of potentially lengthy delay has been
the difficulty experienced by the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations in responding within the time frames established
by bylaws to requests for opinions regarding theological issues surfaced by the dispute resolution and expulsion processes. Included in
the proposed actions below is a bylaw solution that would authorize
the executive committee of the commission to render these opinions within the established time frames.
Therefore be it
Resolved, That the following changes be made to Bylaw sections
1.10 and 2.14 to expedite and provide uniformity throughout the
Synod dispute resolution and suspension/expulsion processes, it
being understood that changes to the Bylaw section 2.14 process
will be applied to the Bylaw sections 2.15, 2.16, and 2.17 processes
during preparation of the 2016 Handbook.

Resolved, That the Commission on Handbook make all necessary Bylaw changes consistent with this resolution.
Action: Adopted (7)
(The chair hearing no objection to voting immediately, Res.
12-03 was adopted as presented [Yes: 990; No: 35].)

“12. Ecclesiastical Supervision and Dispute Resolution”

U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

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