LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — February 18-20, 2011, Page 2

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25. Florida-Georgia District Bylaw Review (09-2562)
In a July 27, 2009 letter from the secretary of the Florida-Georgia District, the commission received
notice of bylaw revisions made by the district during its 2009 convention. The commission requested that
a clean copy of the district’s Bylaws to facilitate its review of the changes, and the latest version of the
district’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws were provided.
Upon its review of the documents, the commission offers the following suggestions and recommendations
for change in preparation for the 2012 Florida-Georgia District’s convention:
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Prompted by Article I of the district’s Articles of Incorporation, the commission is providing
a copy of the commission’s “Frequently Noted Aberrations,” calling attention to a number of
general grammatical matters that are not consistent with the usage of the Synod. The
commission is working toward uniformity of grammatical usage in the official documents of
all of the Synod’s agencies. One frequently noted aberration is the varied spellings of “The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod” (“The” is capitalized and the dash between “Church”
and “Missouri” is to be an “em” dash).
Article II 1 would better reflect the structure of the Synod if it read: “1. To unite in a
corporate body the congregations holding membership in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod through the Florida-Georgia District.”
Under Article III, the paragraph regarding qualification of members and the manner of their
admission would do well to reflect the content of Article III of the Synod’s Articles of
Incorporation (2010 Handbook, p. 207).
The commission questions the need for Articles V and VII as continuing articles of the
district’s Articles of Incorporation, they long ago having served their purpose when the
district first became incorporated.
Under Article VIII, the final phrase of the paragraph should read: “…or with the Constitution,
Bylaws, and resolutions of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.”
Under Article XIII, the final sentence is incorrect and should be changed to reflect the
requirements for special sessions of districts provided by paragraph 15 under Article XII of
the Synod’s Constitution (2010 Handbook, p. 22).
Article XIV should include, after the mention of the laws of the state of Florida at the end of
line 3, “Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod” before continuing on with line 4.
Article XIV, beginning in the fifth-last line, should also include “the Commission on
Constitutional Matters of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod” (see Synod Bylaw
3.9.2.2.3 [a]) when speaking of forwarding copies of proposed amendments in advance of the
district convention.
Under Bylaw D1.04, the reference to lay delegates serving as “synodical representatives”
between conventions is incorrect as it stands and requires clarification.
Bylaw D1.06 should better mirror the content of Synod Constitution Articles V and XII. The
mention of “full-time” in paragraph e is not accurate, and paragraph g includes as advisory
members persons not recognized as such in the Constitution of the Synod.
Under Bylaw D1.53, paragraph b is inaccurate in that it does not agree with Bylaw 3.1.3.l
governing the election of advisory delegates to Synod conventions.
Under Bylaw D2.08, the reference in the final phrase to “regulations” is understood to be a
reference to the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod. It would be more clear
were this reflected in the bylaw wording.
Under Bylaw D2.29, paragraph a, it would be helpful to include references to the locations in
the Synod’s Constitution (Art. XII) and Bylaws (section 4.4), where these duties are outlined
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