LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — September 7, 2010, Page 2

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and applying of the collective will of the Synod’s congregations. Ecclesiastical supervision does not include the
responsibility to observe, monitor, control, or direct the day-to-day activities of individual members of the
Synod, whether in the conduct of their work or in their private lives [cf. Bylaw 2.14.1 (a)]. Further, those
constitutional articles and bylaws pertaining to ecclesiastical supervision shall determine the full definition of
ecclesiastical supervision.

As the ecclesiastical supervisor of all members within his district—both individual and congregational
members (see Constitution Art. V and Bylaw sections 2.3 and 2.6)—not only does a district president
have supervision over the doctrine, life, and official administration of the ordained or commissioned
ministers in his district under Bylaw 4.4.5, he has similar responsibilities with respect to member
congregations. Bylaw 4.4.4 includes the following duties and authority:
The district president shall, in accordance with the Constitution of the Synod, in his ministry of ecclesiastical
supervision visit the congregations of the district.
(a) He shall arrange in advance for an official visit to each congregation of his district.
….
(e) In his visits he shall include fraternal discussion in regard to worship and Communion attendance;
participation by the congregation in missions and the work of the church at large; the congregation’s evangelism
and education endeavors; its cultivation of sound stewardship principles; all aspects of compensation for
professional church workers; the need for maintenance of purity of doctrine; the strengthening of the bond of
Christian fellowship; and the provision of resources, opportunities, and assistance so God’s people can grow in
their faith, hope, and love.

When a controversy exists within a congregation, Bylaw 4.4.6 grants further authority:
The district president, even without formal request therefor, may through the proper channels arrange for an
official visit or investigation when a controversy arises in a congregation or between two or more congregations
of the district or when there is evidence of a continuing unresolved problem in doctrine and practice.
(a) He shall ask for a full report on the case in order that he may have a clear understanding of the situation.
(b) If he authorizes anyone to represent him in such matters, his representative shall be accorded the same rights
as the district president.

Further discussion of the authority and role of the district president in such internal disputes is discussed
under question 2 below.
Beyond these specifically enumerated responsibilities of a district president, it should be noted that the
Constitution of the Synod is also the constitution of each district. As set forth in Bylaw 4.1.1.2, “The
Constitution of the Synod is also the constitution of each district. The Bylaws of the Synod shall be
primarily the bylaws of the district.” In that regard, the ecclesiastical supervision duties of the President of
the Synod as regards the Synod as a whole are also the ecclesiastical supervision duties of a district
president in his district. Article XI B of the Constitution includes these duties and authority:
B. Duties of the President
….
3. The President has and always shall have the power to advise, admonish, and reprove. He shall
conscientiously use all means at his command to promote and maintain unity of doctrine and practice in all the
districts of the Synod.
4. The President shall see to it that the resolutions of the Synod are carried out.

A district president has primary responsibility to supervise the doctrine and practice of the congregations
in his district, to advise and admonish, and, if necessary, to take action to discipline up to and including
expulsion of a member under his supervision, whether individual or a congregation.
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