LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 11–13, 2011, Page 32

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The commission observes that Article V of the Constitution of the Synod lays the foundation for the
matter of franchise within the Synod. Paragraph A of Article V states:
A. Voting Members
All organized congregations that have joined the Synod hold voting membership. At the
meetings of the districts of the Synod, every congregation or parish is entitled to two votes, one of
which is to be cast by the pastor and the other by the lay delegate. At the meetings of the Synod, a
number of congregations shall form a group which shall be represented by two voting delegates,
one a pastor and one a lay delegate.

At district conventions, Article V A establishes that each congregation or multiple-congregation parish is
entitled to two votes, one by a pastor and the other by a lay delegate representing the congregation. At its
February 7–8, 2009 meeting, the provision that at district conventions a multiple parish was entitled to
two votes, one by a pastor and the other by a lay delegate, was reexamined and affirmed by the
Commission on Constitutional Matters:
79. Voting Rights of Congregations (09-2545)
In a January 18, 2009 e-mailed letter, a parish pastor requested an opinion with respect to the representation
of a four-congregation partnership (a multiple-congregation parish) at a district convention.
Question: Four congregations have formed a partnership. They each have called the two pastors who serve
this partnership. Can each of the four congregations send a lay delegate to our district
convention which is in June? Also, what is the status of the two pastors in regards to being the
pastoral delegate or delegates to the district convention?
Opinion: The four-congregation partnership is entitled to two votes, that of a pastor who serves the fourcongregation partnership and a lay delegate, both chosen by the four-congregation partnership.
Article V of the Synod’s Constitution states: “At the meetings of the districts of the Synod, every
congregation or parish is entitled to two votes, one of which is to be cast by the pastor and the other by the
lay delegate.”
In its Opinion 03-2327 (January 20–21, 2003), the Commission on Constitutional Matters opined with
respect to Article V the opinion, “Voting Rights of Congregations,” included the definition of the term
“parish” and addressed a multiple-congregation arrangement.
“In the May 3–4, 1985 ruling (Ag. 1748), the commission ratified an opinion that had been offered by
the Secretary of the Synod regarding the voting rights of congregations at district conventions when
several congregations form a dual or multiple parish, namely, ‘that a multiple parish has only two
votes, that of the pastor who serves the parish and a lay delegate chosen by the parish.’
“This opinion took into consideration earlier versions of the Handbook that had provided a definition
of the term ‘parish,’ e.g., ‘If a pastor serves two or more congregations, these shall be regarded as one
parish and shall be entitled to only one lay vote’ (1963 Handbook, Bylaw 3.09). The term [parish]
therefore refers to a dual or multiple-congregation arrangement served by the same pastor and is not
synonymous with ‘congregation.’ As such, two or more congregations are served by one pastor share
the right of representation by one lay delegate and one pastoral delegate to a district convention.”
The four-congregation partnership constitutes one “parish” as defined above.

Article V of the Constitution, however, does not specifically address the issue of voting at forums of
circuits. Voting at the forums of circuits is addressed in the Bylaws. Bylaw 3.1.2.1 describes the policy
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