LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — April 4–5, 2008, Page 1

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MINUTES
COMMISSION ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, St. Louis
April 4–5, 2008

27. Call to Order and Opening Prayer
Chairman Albert Marcis called the meeting to order with all members present. After Philip Esala provided
an opening devotion, several additions were made to the agenda of the meeting.
28. Appointment of Res. 8-06 Task Force Member
Resolution 8-06 of the 2007 convention called for a special task force to study further the composition of
the Hearing Panel under Bylaw sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, and 2.17. The resolution called on the
commission to appoint two members to the task force, one of whom is to be a commissioned minister.
A member of the commission, Philip Esala of Centerville, Ohio, having already been appointed to the
task force at an earlier meeting, the commission discussed the candidates submitted for the commissioned
minister position. Dr. LuJuana Butts of Tuckahoe, New York, was elected. The Secretary will report these
appointments to the President of the Synod.
29. Review of Policy Manuals
The commission reviewed program board policy manuals as time permitted. During the review process, it
was agreed that the Secretary will complete work on a draft document to provide general guidelines to
assist Synod agencies in articulating bylaws and policy statements in a more uniform manner across the
Synod. An early list of topics to be included:


Use of the same rules of grammar and capitalization as are evident in the Synod’s Handbook



Consistent use of the word “Synod” in place of the word “synodical”



Accurate use of the words “agency” (defined in Bylaw 1.2.1) and “entity” (a broader term to
include congregations, auxiliaries, etc., not included in the definition of Bylaw 1.2.1)



Consistent use of term “civil law” when references to “law” are made



Regular use of up-to-date bylaw references from the most recent Synod Handbook for easy crossreferencing



Consistent use of terms such as “national office” and “policy”



Compliance with LCMS doctrine

A. Reviews Pending
The commission reserved for its review at a later meeting the policy manuals of the Board for University
Education (06-2472), the Board for Black Ministry Services (06-2473), and the Board for Human Care
Ministries (06-2474).