LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — January 20-21, 2003, Page 4

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This includes doctrinal resolutions that “are to be honored and upheld until such time as the Synod
amends or repeals them” (Bylaw 1.09 b).
Mindful of the objectives of Synod, the conditions of membership, the need for and benefit of
supervision, and the concern for unity of faith and confession, the Synod also provided ecclesiastical
supervision in its Constitution. Article XI B 1 specifically identifies the President as the ecclesiastical
supervisor of all officers of the Synod, all such as are employed by the Synod, the individual Districts of
the Synod, and all District Presidents. Article XII 7 specifically requires that District Presidents
“especially exercise supervision over the doctrine, life and administration of office of the ordained and
commissioned ministers of their District and acquaint themselves with the religious conditions of the
congregations of their District.”
Bylaw 3.101 A 1 summarizes the ecclesiastical powers and duties of the President of the Synod when it
states that the President shall "supervise the doctrine taught and practiced in the Synod, including all
synodwide corporate entities. In the Districts of the Synod, he shall carry out his ecclesiastical duties
through the District's President. The President of the Synod has ecclesiastical supervision of all officers of
the Synod and its agencies, the individual Districts of the Synod, and all District Presidents." Bylaw 2.41 i
states: "Except as expressly otherwise provided in this section, a member shall be under the ecclesiastical
supervision of the President of the District through which synodical membership is held."
Ecclesiastical supervision intrinsically includes all of the following: “supervision regarding the doctrine
and the administration” of all officers, employees, Districts, and District Presidents (Art. XI B 1); “to
admonish all who in any way depart from [the Synod’s Constitution], and, if such admonition is not
heeded, to report such cases to the Synod” (Art. XI B 2); “power to advise, admonish, and reprove” (Art.
XI B 3); to “see to it that the resolutions of the Synod are carried out” (Art. XI B 4); “supervision over the
doctrine, life, and administration of office of the ordained and commissioned ministers….visit and,
according as they deem it necessary, hold investigations” (Art. XII 7); “supervise the doctrine taught and
practiced in the Synod….officially visit or cause to be visited all the educational institutions of the
Synod….meet regularly with the Council of Presidents…to see to it that they are in accordance with
Article II of the Constitution, synodically adopted doctrinal statements, and doctrinal resolutions of the
Synod” (Bylaw 3.101 A); and such other constitutional terminology as “counsel,” “care,” and
“protection” (Art. III 8 and 9).
As indicated above, the Synod has promised its individual members supervision and counsel when the
member is performing his/her official duties. The Synod has further decided that such supervision (and
supervision of necessity includes counsel and admonishment) shall be the responsibility of the synodical
or District President, as the case may be. The President of the Synod and District Presidents are officers of
the Synod. Thus, the Synod, having designated to its members the individuals who will provide to them
supervision and counsel, is itself responsible for the accuracy and content of such supervision and
counsel. Having promised supervision and counsel, the Synod is precluded from taking any action to
terminate the membership of its member who, when performing his/her official duties, follows the advice
and counsel of the ecclesiastical supervisor designated by the Synod.
It would be inconsistent with the above constitutional provisions to place the membership of an individual
or congregation at risk where that member relies on the ecclesiastical supervision and counsel of the
person called and chosen for that role or function. If an act is in fact contrary to Article XIII of the
Constitution, the member who acted cannot be charged since he or she acted according to the advice of
his or her ecclesiastical supervisor. It should be noted, however, that when an ecclesiastical supervisor
discovers error in his counsel, it is incumbent upon that supervisor to correct or amend it. The member
should then be held to consider the corrected counsel. Failure to consider such amended admonition could
form the basis for disciplinary action as provided in Article XIII.
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