LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — February 18-20, 2011, Page 6

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Under “Elected Officers” (p. 4-19), paragraph II A describing the use of the term “bishop”
should at least insert the word “informally” after the word “used” in the first line; also,
mention of “inter-church relations” as a function of the president of the district conflicts with
Synod Bylaw 3.3.1.1.2 which gives responsibility for representing the Synod in official
contacts with other church bodies to the president of the Synod or his representative.
Under “Elected Officers” (p. 4-19), paragraph II E (et al.), the commission is unaware of the
mentioned “Executive Handbook” and requests to receive a copy as part of its document
review responsibilities.
Under the “Executive Assistant to the President: Business and Finance and Treasurer” (p. 422), mention should be made that the Treasurer is an officer of the district (LCMS
Constitution, Art. XIII 3).
Under the “Executive Assistant to the President: Business and Finance and Treasurer” (p. 422), paragraph 2’s mention of the treasurer being “contracted” does not clearly reflect the use
of the words “elected or appointed” in Synod Bylaw 4.3.2.
Under the “Executive Assistant to the President: Vice-President—LCMS, English District”
(p. 4-23), further clarification of/information regarding the document mentioned in
parentheses (“LCEF, LCMS Position Document”) would be helpful.
Under “Board of Directors” (p. 4-25), the commission has noted the mention of a “Board of
Directors Manual” and requests a copy in order to carry out its responsibilities for reviewing
all such documents of agencies of the Synod.
Under “Committee for Stewardship” (p. 4-25), the word “Article” in the parenthetical
Handbook reference should be replaced with “Bylaw section.”
Under “District Archivist (p. 4-25), this section would be helped by calling attention to or
incorporating content from Synod Bylaw 3.6.2.2.3 (2010 Handbook, p. 128) and related
bylaws.
On page 4-31, the manner of mentioning “Bishop” in the flow chart appears more
pronounced than intended by past CCM opinions.
On page 4-32 under “Membership,” paragraph a would be clarified by the insertion of
“Canadian” before “congregations.”
On page 4-34 under “Removal and Vacancy of a Director,” this section will need to be
changed to reflect the new section in the Synod’s Bylaws governing the removal of board
members (Bylaw 1.5.7ff., 2010 Handbook, pp. 36f.).

The commission thanks the English District for its cooperation and for providing its Bylaws and
Corporate Operations Manual for review. A similar review of the district’s Articles of Incorporation will
also be important. The commission asks that it be given opportunity to review any amendments proposed
to the district convention as a result of this opinion, prior to their submission to the convention.
28. Minnesota North District Bylaw and Constitution Commission Minutes Review (10-2582)
Upon request of the commission, the secretary of the Minnesota North District provided a copy of the
district’s Bylaws to facilitate its review of proposed bylaw amendments. Upon receipt and review of the
entire handbook of the district, the commission offers the following comments and recommendations:
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Under Article II, Section 3, paragraph a of the Articles of Incorporation (p. 6), the word
“qualified” is not defined and could be problematic. The commission recommends mirroring
the language contained in Article III of the Synod’s Articles of Incorporation (2010
Handbook, p. 207).
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