LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 201

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9. STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION
designate on the credentials form which pastor will cast
a vote on behalf of the congregation.
(c) If one or both voters are unavailable, congregations
shall be provided opportunity to select substitute voters
up to a deadline designated by the Secretary.
(d) The registration status of congregations shall be
made available to respective district presidents for the
sole purpose of their encouraging registration for greater
congregational participation. The registration status of
congregations shall not be further disseminated.
G. NOMINATION PROCEDURE
FOR REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS
Rationale
The Office of the Secretary implemented for the first time, in
connection with the 2023 convention, “a secure and
verifiable” online method for submission of congregational
nominations for President, First Vice-President, and regional
vice-presidents of the Synod. The use of a “secure and
verifiable” (possibly electronic) method was enabled by 2010
Res. 3.12.2.4, to which this language in Bylaw 3.12.2 (b–c) is
due. The same convention made the second and following
vice-presidents regional (2010 Res. 8-14A) but copied over the
old procedure used for pre-convention nomination of the
President and First Vice-President (paper ballots, signed by
two officers) rather than adopting the new “secure and
verifiable method” language. At the request of the Office of the
Secretary, the CCM found in its Op. 20-2930 (Minutes, April
24, 2020) that:
[In addition to 2010 Res. 8-14A, which provided
for vice-presidents after the first to be elected
regionally] [t]he 2010 Synod convention also
adopted Resolution 4-07, which made a large
number of bylaw changes pertaining to the
preparations for conventions of the Synod. One
of these bylaw changes altered how the
President and all vice-presidents of the Synod
were to be nominated. The 2010 change to thenBylaw 3.12.1 eliminated the requirement of 3.12.1
(b) that all nominating ballots be signed by the
president and secretary of the nominating
congregation, replacing it instead with a
provision directing the Secretary of the Synod to
provide “a secure and verifiable method that
will offer opportunity to every congregation of
the Synod to submit nominations.” This change
was not, however, incorporated into the 2010
Handbook with regard to the nomination of
regional vice-presidents.
…
Since the procedure for nomination by the
congregations today applies only to the offices
of President of the Synod, First Vice-President,
and the five regional vice-presidents [and no
longer to regional Board of Directors or mission
board offices, which used a parallel paper
process in the 2013 and 2016 conventions], it is
Resolutions

the opinion of the commission that Resolution
4-07, adopted by the 2010 convention, can be
followed in its original intention to allow the
Secretary of the Synod to provide “a secure and
verifiable method that will offer opportunity to
every congregation of the Synod to submit
nominations,” not only for the President of the
Synod and the First Vice-President, but also for
the five regional vice-presidents as well, without
requiring the signature of the president and
secretary of nominating congregations.
In its Item 19-014B, the COH has proposed “finishing the
work” of 2010 Res. 4-07 and amending the language of Bylaw
3.12.2.7 to allow explicitly for the use of a “secure and
verifiable” (possibly electronic) method for the election of the
regional vice-presidents, to parallel exactly the language used
for President and First Vice-President. While it found the
change would only make explicit the sense of Bylaw 3.12.3.7
already determined by the CCM, it found the change
important enough to be presented to the convention for
adoption.
Therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.12.2.7 be amended as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
Nominations and Elections of Regional Vice-Presidents
3.12.2.7 After the results of the first-vice-presidential
election have been announced, the convention shall elect
five regional vice-presidents according to the following
nominations and elections process.
(a) Each member congregation of a region (including
any non-geographic-district congregations in that
region) shall have been given opportunity, through a
secure and verifiable method provided by the Secretary
of the Synod, to nominate two ministers of religion—
ordained from the clergy roster of the Synod with
residence in its designated region as candidates for
regional vice-president.
(b) The Secretary of the Synod shall receive such
nominations (signed by the president and secretary of
the nominating congregation).
(cb) The names of the five ministers of religion—
ordained residing within the boundaries of each
geographic region who receive the most nominating
votes shall form the slate from which the Synod
convention shall select by majority vote each regional
vice-president.
(dc) … (subsequent subparagraphs re-lettered similarly)
H. ELECTION OF DISTRICT PRESIDENT
AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
Rationale
In CCM Opinion 22-2987, a review of district bylaws, the
commission noted that Bylaw 4.7.3 specifies a procedure for
successive balloting for offices of the districts other than
president and the vice-presidents. It is customarily
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2023 (68TH) LCMS CONVENTION | 201