LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 205

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9. STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
Voting Delegates
3.1.2.1
Elections of voting delegates shall take place in
accordance with established policy and procedure.
…
(d) Each pastor who is called and installed to a
congregation of the circuit in a non-assisting capacity
and not a specific ministry pastor shall be eligible for
election.
(1) Each voter may write in the names of two such
pastors on the initial ballot. The three pastors (or
more, in case of a tie vote) who receive the highest
number of votes in this preliminary ballot shall be
placed on the next ballot.
(2) Each voter shall now vote for only one candidate.
Balloting shall continue with the lowest candidate
being removed from each succeeding ballot until one
pastor shall have received a simple majority of all
votes cast, whereupon he shall be declared the
pastoral delegate.
(3) The congregation or congregations served (in
other than an assisting capacity) by the elected
pastoral delegate shall be removed from
consideration for supplying any other voting delegate
or alternate for that particular convention.
(e) Prior to the meeting of the electoral circuit, each
congregation may nominate one layperson (i.e., not a
commissioned or ordained minister), either from its
congregation or from the circuit. These names must be
submitted to the circuit visitor prior to the day of the
circuit meeting and shall constitute the slate of
candidates. All congregational nominees, except those
who have been eliminated through the election of the
pastoral delegate, shall be eligible for election.
(1) Each voter may write in the name of two of the
remaining lay nominees on the initial ballot. The three
laypersons (or more, in case of a tie vote) who received
the highest number of votes in this preliminary ballot
shall be placed on the next ballot.
(2) Each voter shall now vote for only one candidate.
Balloting shall continue with the lowest candidate
being removed from each succeeding ballot until one
layperson shall have received a simple majority of all
votes cast, whereupon he/she shall be declared the lay
delegate.
(3) The congregation from which the lay delegate has
been elected shall then be removed from
consideration for supplying any alternates to that
particular convention.
(f) All other pastors who received votes in the initial
write-in ballot, except those who were eliminated
through the election of the lay delegate, shall be eligible
for election as the alternate.
(1) Each voter shall now vote for only one candidate.
(2) Balloting shall continue with the lowest
candidate being removed from each succeeding ballot
until one pastor shall have received a simple majority
Resolutions

of all votes cast, whereupon he shall be declared the
alternate pastoral delegate.
(3) The congregation or congregations served by him
shall be removed from consideration for supplying the
remaining lay alternate.
(g) All lay nominees except those who have been
disqualified through the procedures listed above shall be
eligible for election as the alternate lay delegate. The
election of the alternate shall follow the same procedure
as in paragraph (f) above.
(hd) All four persons elected shall come from four
different member congregations or multi-congregation
parishes of the circuit. (No lay delegate or alternate shall
come from a congregation served by the pastoral
delegate or alternate.)
(e) The electoral circuit shall determine whether the
elections start with the lay or pastoral voting delegate.
The elections shall then proceed alternating between lay
and pastoral delegate elections followed by the election
of the alternate delegates.
(f) For the election of the lay voting delegate: Prior to
the meeting of the electoral circuit, each congregation
may nominate one layperson (i.e., not a commissioned
or ordained minister), either from its congregation or
from the circuit. These names must be submitted to the
circuit visitor prior to the day of the circuit meeting.
Nominees not disqualified by other delegate elections
shall constitute the slate of candidates.
(1) Each voter shall vote for only one candidate.
Candidates receiving zero votes and the candidate
receiving the least number of votes shall be removed
from each succeeding ballot until one layperson shall
have received a simple majority of all votes cast,
whereupon he/she shall be declared the lay delegate.
(2) The congregation or multi-congregation parish
from which the lay delegate has been elected shall
then be removed from consideration for supplying
candidates for the other delegate elections for that
particular convention.
(g) For the election of the pastoral voting delegate:
Except those who have been disqualified by other
delegate elections, each pastor who is called and
installed to a congregation of the circuit in a nonassisting capacity and not a specific ministry pastor shall
be eligible for election and their names shall constitute
the ballot.
(1) Each voter shall vote for only one candidate.
Candidates receiving zero votes and the candidate
receiving the least number of votes shall be removed
from each succeeding ballot until one pastor shall
have received a simple majority of all votes cast,
whereupon he shall be declared the pastoral delegate.
(2) The congregation or congregations served (in
other than an assisting capacity) by the elected
pastoral delegate shall be removed from
consideration for supplying candidates for the other
delegate elections for that particular convention.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2023 (68TH) LCMS CONVENTION | 205