LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — February 3–4, 2017, Page 5

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a. An accusation of an individual member on grounds of sexual misconduct or criminal
behavior is handled under Bylaw 2.17 and the corresponding Standard Operating
Procedure Manual. Any person may bring the charge to the appropriate ecclesiastical
supervisor, who is:
i. the chairman of the Council of Presidents, if the accused is the President of the
Synod;
ii. the President of the Synod, if the accused is a district president or Synod vicepresident, Secretary, Chief Administrative Officer (if a member of the Synod)
or Chief Mission Officer;
iii. otherwise, the district president having ecclesiastical supervision of the
accused (see Bylaw section 2.12).
b. An accusation of the President of the Synod is handled under Bylaw 2.16 and the
corresponding Standard Operating Procedure Manual. A district president must bring
the accusation to the chairman of the Council of Presidents (or the council chairman
can become aware of it by his own personal knowledge).
c. An accusation of a district president or Synod vice-president, Secretary, Chief
Administrative Officer (if a member of the Synod) or Chief Mission Officer is handled
under Bylaw 2.15 and the corresponding Standard Operating Procedure Manual. The
accusation must be brought to the President of the Synod by a member of the Synod
(or the President can become aware of it by his own personal knowledge).
d. Any other accusation of a congregation or an individual member is handled under
Bylaw Section 2.14 and the corresponding Standard Operating Procedure Manual. A
member of the Synod must bring the accusation to the district president having
ecclesiastical supervision of the member (see Bylaw section 2.12), or the district
president can become aware of it by his own personal knowledge.
If the accused is a member of the faculty or administration of a college, university, or seminary,
when the accusation is substantiated (i.e., when the ecclesiastical supervisor suspends the
member) the appropriate board of regents must be informed (see Bylaw section 2.13).
2. A complaint deals with a dispute, disagreement, or offense that does not constitute an
accusation (see above).
a. If the complaint has to do with an individual’s position at a college, university, or
seminary, the complainant is to be referred immediately to the institution’s board of
regents for handling under:
i. in the case of a seminary, Bylaws 3.10.5.7.5–3.10.5.7.9;
ii. in the case of a college or university, policies as specified under Bylaws
3.10.6.7.5–3.10.6.7.5.2.
b. “Administrative and programmatic conflicts between agencies of corporate Synod,
between such agencies and the synodwide corporate entities, and between synodwide
corporate entities shall be dealt with by the parties concerned in a Christian manner
with the assistance of the President of the Synod” (Bylaw 1.5.6.1).
c. If the complaint regards a dispute “within a corporate entity” of the Synod, the
governing board of that entity is generally empowered to settle such disputes (Bylaw
1.4.4 [b]). “Dissent to decisions made by an agency shall ordinarily be expressed within
the structure of that agency” (Bylaw 1.5.6). Disputes having to do with enrollment or

CCM Minutes – February 3-4, 2017 – Page 24