LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 1, 2001, Page 9

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Bylaw 3.175: The Chief Administrative Officer shall
a. meet regularly with the executive officers of program boards, commissions, and
synodwide corporate entities as the liaison with the Board of Directors and the President
of the Synod;
b. provide leadership to assure that the mission and ministry activities of the church
are being carried out in a coordinated, cooperative and efficient manner.
Bylaw 3.51 (Definitions) b: Commission: A group of persons, elected or appointed as
prescribed in the Bylaws, rendering a precisely defined service function of the Synod and
responsible, as the case may be, to the Synod in convention, to the President of the
Synod, or to the Board of Directors of the Synod….
Bylaw 1.07 d: Each…commission that serves the Synod in a specific area of program or
ministry…adopts programs in its assigned area of responsibility; administers the
programs and resources as provided or authorized by the Constitution and applicable
Bylaws, or as assigned by the respective convention or board; and proposes modifications
thereto….It shall report its activities to the respective convention, president, and board.
Bylaw 3.101 C 3 provides that the President, or his representative, has the option to attend all meetings of
three specific agencies of the Synod: (1) its program boards; (2) the boards of all synodwide corporate
entities; and (3) Worker Benefit Plans. This bylaw addresses the very issue that is the subject of the
question. It makes no mention of commissions and this omission leads the Commission to conclude that
the President does not have the authority to personally or by his representative attend all meetings of the
Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support or the Commission on Worship.
The President does appoint the members of these two commissions. However, his appointees are not his
representatives. The duty of a board or commission is to carry out the functions of that board or
commission as enumerated in the Bylaws of the Synod and not to represent the appointing authority,
except when specifically provided in the Bylaws.
How then does the President interact with the Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support and the
Commission on Worship? These commissions are responsible to the President (Bylaw 3.51 b). These
commissions are required to report their activities to the President (Bylaw 1.07 d). The Chief
Administrative Officer is required to meet regularly with the executive officer of each of these
commissions as liaison with the President (Bylaw 3.175). The President has the duty to oversee the
activities of each of these commissions to see to it that they are in accordance with the Constitution,
Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod and has the authority to call up for review any action by either of
these commissions and request that such action be altered or reversed if he is of the opinion that such
action is in violation of the Constitution, Bylaws, or resolutions of the Synod. In addition, the President
always has the right to address these commissions in person, by his representative, or by written
communication to express his concerns, but he does not have the authority to have his representative
attend their meetings as a quasi nonvoting member of the commission.
218. Questions re Appointment of Interim Directors (01-2237)
The President of the Synod, in an October 26, 2001 memorandum, asked two related questions pertaining
to the appointment of interim executive directors or interim chief executive officers by entities of the
Synod. The Commission discussed at length an initial draft response and agreed to consider at a later date
a second draft prepared by its chairman.

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