LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — December 4–5, 2015, Page 1

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MINUTES
COMMISSION ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS
St. Louis Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel
December 4–5, 2015

137. Call to Order
Chairman George Gude called the meeting to order with all members of the commission present. He
provided an opening devotional Bible study each day of the meeting.
138. Mid-South District Bylaws Final Review (14-2735B)
Chairman Gude reported on his conversations with the secretary of the Mid-South District which have
been helpful to clarify that the Mid-South District has done all that the commission has requested. He
noted that the latest changes to its Bylaws by the district’s 2015 convention are also in line with the
Synod’s Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions. The commission gave its final approval and thanked the
district for its patience and cooperation.
139. Review of Additional Changes to Eastern District Camp Pioneer Articles of Incorporation (152760A)
The commission reviewed latest changes to the Eastern District’s Camp Pioneer Articles of Incorporation,
understood by the commission to be an effort to satisfy New York law. The commission was satisfied
with the result but noted that the district will still need to comply with whatever action the 2016 Synod
convention takes with regard to 2004 Res. 4-11 regarding dissolution language. What has now been
proposed by the district does not comply with the language of 1981 Res. 5-07 or 2004 Res. 4-11 and will
require approval by the Synod’s Board of Directors (see Board of Directors Policy 5.8.5).
140. Service of Retired District President on Seminary Board of Regents (15-2777)
With a letter dated September 11, 2015, a member of the Synod called attention to Bylaw 3.10.4.2 and its
listing of members of seminary boards of regents, specifically referring to subparagraph 3, “A district
president other than the geographical district president [who] shall be appointed by the Council of
Presidents.” He requested the commission’s response to the following questions.
Question 1: If a man who had been a district president and had been named as the representative of the
Council of Presidents to a seminary board of regents retires, his successor has taken office,
and the former district president who retired has moved to another state and district, no
longer living in or serving the district to which he had previously served as district president,
is such a retired district president still a voting member of the seminary’s board of regents if
the Council of Presidents has not yet named a successor to the seminary’s board of regents?
Opinion: The answer to this question is “no,” since the former district president would no longer be able
to fulfill the requirement for service as a voting member of the seminary’s board of regents, i.e., “a district
president…appointed by the Council of Presidents” (Bylaw 3.10.4.2, subparagraph 3). When a district
president is called upon to serve, such service is tied to his office and is his sole basis for authority to act.
When an individual ceases to hold the office of district president, his authority to act as a district president
also ceases (see CCM Opinion 12-2652).