LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 11–13, 2011, Page 24

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otherwise invites the member’s/members’ ecclesiastical supervisor(s) to use those same Synodestablished procedures to discipline them” (CCM Opinion 11-2589).
Thus, fellowship with one another in the Synod is not a selective fellowship. And the fellowship of the
Synod is not a cafeteria where members can pick and choose, i.e., take what they want and leave the rest
or serve themselves. The nature of fellowship with one another in the Synod is not marked by selective
appropriation or elimination of certain constitutional and bylaw provisions and resolutions—much less
the confessional basis, confessional position(s), and objectives of the Synod. As reflected in the Synod’s
Constitution, Bylaws and resolutions throughout its history, the members of the Synod are in fellowship
with one another. For a further relevant treatment of the matter, the commission calls attention to the
entire CCM Opinions 05-2443, 05-2444, and 11-2589.
79. Review of Wyoming District Bylaws (11-2611)
With an email dated August 26, 2011, the commission received the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
of the Wyoming District for review and approval. After careful review, the commission offered the
following recommendations:
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Article II: Mention of the Constitution of the Synod in the third-last line should also add the
words “and Bylaws.”
The commission recommends the creation of a new article to govern the process for amending the
Articles of Incorporation.
Bylaw Art. I: The commission recommends either deleting the word “ordinarily” in the secondlast line or replacing it with the word “primarily” as in Synod Bylaw 4.1.1.2.
Bylaw 3.03: The commission has begun advocating the consistent use of the term “multicongregation parish” (instead of “multi-point”) to clarify the intended meaning of the word
“parish.”
Bylaw 3.11 b: The second sentence should be changed to reflect that this is a district bylaw by
speaking of “a member congregation of the district, the district board of directors,…”
Bylaw 3.11 c: The reference to the “Convention Planning Committee” should be changed to “a
committee consisting of the president, first vice-president, and secretary,” in keeping with Synod
Bylaws 3.1.6 (a) and 4.2.1 (b).
Bylaw 3.13 a: Included in the list of exceptions from the duty of the Nominations Committee
should also be “circuit counselors,” to be listed with the president and first vice-president in the
paragraph.
Bylaw 3.21 a: The word “officers” in the first line should be deleted to allow for the fact that not
all who are listed in the paragraph (e.g., board members) are officers of the district.
Bylaw 3.21 b: The words “a layman” should be inserted prior to the word “appointed” in the first
line.
Bylaw 3.21 c: The word “lay” should be deleted from the first line and replaced with the words
“officers and.”
Bylaw 3.23 b: The words “all vacancies in consultation with the vice-presidents (except circuit
counselors) of the district and” should be inserted after the word “fill” in the first line. (Synod
Bylaw 5.2.2.1 no longer requires consultation with vice-presidents when filling circuit counselor
vacancies.)
Bylaw 3.27 c: The reference to the Synod’s “Conference of Congregational Services” should be
deleted, as that conference no longer exists in the Bylaws of the Synod.
Bylaw 3.29 c: The final sentence should have the following phrase added: “unless he expresses
his willingness to relocate to that region.”
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