LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — September 3-4, 2011, Page 18

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2.4.1 (b) that congregations’ constitutions and bylaws are to be in harmony with “the teachings
and practices of the Synod.”
Bylaw 1.3.1, paragraph c, subparagraph 2: It will be more accurate to replace the words “hold a
forum” with the word “meet” (as in Synod Bylaws 3.1.2.1 [a], et al.).
Bylaw 1.33, paragraph a: This paragraph should be clarified to state that a circuit forum consists
of “one pastor of each congregation and one lay member of each congregation.”
Bylaw 1.33, paragraph b: Synod Bylaws 5.3.2 (c) and 5.4.2 (b) require the circuit counselor to
serve as the chairman of the circuit forum, to be reflected also under district Bylaw 1.37,
paragraph a.
Bylaw 1.37, paragraph f: Mention should also be made of two other purposes for the circuit
forum, i.e., to elect circuit counselors (Synod Bylaw 5.2.2) and to suggest mission and ministry
emphases for the next triennium to the district convention (Bylaws 5.3.1 [b] [5] and 4.2.1 [b]).
Bylaw 2.19, paragraph a: The standard understanding of the term ex officio is that such person is
a member by reason of office and a voting member unless otherwise indicated. If this is not the
intention of the district regarding the duties of the district president, additional clarification will
be needed.
Bylaw 2.19 in general: The terminology “pastors and teachers” occurs several times throughout
this bylaw, which would limit the president’s supervision to parish pastors and rostered teachers.
This terminology needs to be changed to “ordained and commissioned ministers.”
Bylaw 2.75, paragraph b: The reference to “pastor” may need to be clarified (“ordained minister?)
to reflect the intention of the bylaw, since “pastor” is used in the bylaws to refer to a pastor
actively serving a congregation or parish.
Bylaw 2.75, paragraph c: The candidates for the office of circuit counselor in each circuit are
selected by circuit forums and reported to the secretary of the district in preparation for
ratification by the district convention (Synod Bylaw 5.2.2 [e]). The same should be reflected in
paragraph d.
Bylaw 2.93, paragraph d: An additional sentence such as the following should be added regarding
changes made to the bylaws as a result of amendments made from the floor of the convention:
“Floor amendments adopted during a district convention are not effective until approved by the
Commission on Constitutional Matters following the convention.” The same statement should be
added in Bylaw 11.01, perhaps as a new paragraph g.
Bylaw 8.01: Clarification may be in order, depending upon the district’s intent. As it stands,
membership on this committee is limited to one parish pastor and one teacher. If the district’s
intention is broader, the wording should be changed to “one ordained minister, one commissioned
minister, and….”
Bylaws 10.01 and 10.03: The Synod’s auxiliaries are voluntary arms of the Synod to aid the
Synod in extending the mission and ministry of the Synod (Synod Bylaw 6.1.1). Language (as in
10.03 b) that encourages district entities to “invite” the participation of the auxiliaries better
serves to reflect this relationship than the “are to be involved” language. These two bylaws might
well be revised and renamed to speak of auxiliary organizations on the one hand and other
organizations such as Lutheran Youth Fellowship on the other.
Bylaw 11.01: An additional sentence such as the following should be added regarding changes
made to the bylaws as a result of amendments made from the floor of the convention, perhaps as
a new paragraph g: “Floor amendments adopted during a district convention are not effective
until approved by the Commission on Constitutional Matters following the convention.”

The commission continues to provide copies of its “Frequently Noted Concerns and Aberrations
Document” with its review of agency documents to assist in preparing documents that mirror grammatical
usage in the Handbook and other publications of the Synod.
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