LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — August 25–26, 2012, Page 5

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(a) Delegates are responsible to the circuitscongregations they represent and shall
attempt to discover the sentiment of the members thereof., but the congregations (b)
Congregations shall not require their delegates them to vote in accordance with
specific instructions, but every delegate shall be permitted to vote according to his
or her own conviction.
(cb) Delegates are expected to be faithful in attendance atshall attend all sessions of
the convention. All duly elected voting delegates shall attend all sessions regularly
until the close of the convention. Delegates who arrive late or leave early or who do
not attend at all shall and present a written excuses to their district presidents for all
absences, late arrivals, and early departures.
(d) Delegates shall report the actions of the Synod to their circuits after each
convention, preferably appearing before each of the congregations they represent.
Nonvoting Advisory Delegates
3.1.3

Advisory members of the Synod shall attend district conventions, but they shall not be
elected by any congregation or by any group of congregations as lay delegates to a
national convention of the Synod.

3.1.3.1 Each district shall select one advisory delegate for every 60120 advisory ordained
ministers and specific ministry pastors, and one advisory delegate for every 60120
commissioned ministers on the roster of the Synod. Fractional groupings shall be
disregarded except that each district shall be entitled to at least one advisory delegate in
each category.
(a) Selection of district advisory delegates to conventions of the Synod shall be
made by the respective groups meeting at the call of the district secretary either
during the district convention or at official district conferences of ordained and/or
commissioned ministers.
(b) Such selections must be completed at least nine months prior to the opening day
of the convention.
(c) Individuals who are eligible for selection in any category under Bylaw 3.1.4
shall not be counted in determining the number of advisory delegates from each
district, shall not be eligible to be selected as delegates from the groups defined in
this bylaw, and shall not participate in the election process.
39. Circuit Counselor Nominations and Elections (11-013)
The chairman of the Commission on Handbook requested from the Council of President input regarding
the current circuit counselor nominations and elections process and reported that the Council apparently is
happy with the current bylaw process, including its provision of an opportunity to select circuit
counselors from outside the circuit. After discussion of Bylaw 5.2.3.2 (a) and its reference to “fellow
pastors,” the commission agreed to advocate a minor change to the bylaw, deleting the word “fellow” to
make clear that a circuit counselor may be selected from outside the circuit, the proposed change to be
included in an omnibus overture to the 2013 convention in which the commission will advocate a number
of minor changes to provide clarification to individual bylaws (see #46 below).
40. Staggered Terms of Office for New Mission Boards and Commission on Handbook (11-020)
Secretary Raymond Hartwig provided a draft proposal to the commission detailing how staggered terms
might be accomplished for the two mission boards and the Commission on Handbook. After review, he
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