LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 10–11, 2017, Page 2

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must be exercised that the separation into parts does not affect the meaning of the parts taken individually
(i.e., that the parts separated are truly independent of each other).
93. Proposed Revision of North Dakota District Bylaws (17-2853A)
By an Oct. 30 e-mail, the chairman of the North Dakota District bylaw revision committee forwarded
proposed bylaws, as further revised in response to the commission’s prior review in Op. 17-2853. The
commission finds that the items previously identified as needing attention have been addressed adequately
(though the reference in District Bylaw 2.2.1 [k] should be to LCMS Bylaw 4.4.7). The proposal is approved
for presentation to the convention.
The same submission included a potential amendment to District Bylaw 2.9 and following. In this
amendment, a comma should be inserted in Bylaw 2.9.3 after the words “Circuit Visitor.” In Bylaw 2.9.5,
the commission notes that reference to nominating committee procedures in this provision, dealing with
floor nomination of presidential candidates, may be confusing, since the nominating committee and its pool
are ordinarily uninvolved in the election of the president (cf. LCMS Bylaw 4.7.2). The proposal is,
nonetheless, approved for presentation to the convention.
The commission thanks the committee of the North Dakota District for facilitating the timely review of its
bylaw revisions, and reminds the district to submit, following its convention, a clean copy of its bylaws as
adopted.
94. North Dakota District Articles of Incorporation (17-2859)
By an Oct. 30 e-mail, the chairman of the North Dakota District bylaw revision committee also forwarded
proposed changes to the district’s articles of incorporation. The commission finds the proposal to satisfy
the requirements of 2016 Res. 9-02A and LCMS Bylaw 1.5.3.6, and approves it for presentation to the
convention. The commission thanks the committee of the North Dakota District for facilitating the timely
review of its proposal for amending its articles, and reminds the district to submit, following its convention,
a clean copy of its articles as adopted and filed with the state.
95. Additional Change to Missouri District Bylaws (17-2823B)
By an Oct. 31 e-mail, the chairman of the Missouri District bylaw revision committee forwarded an
additional change for approval by the commission, which may or may not be presented to the convention.
The change proposed is that the first vice-president be made a voting member of the Board of Directors,
which is an option available to the district. The commission approves the bylaw proposal for presentation
to the convention, with or without this modification.
96. Revisions to Kansas Articles and Bylaws (17-2844A)
By an Oct. 31 e-mail, the Secretary of the Kansas District forwarded revisions to the district’s proposal for
articles of incorporation and bylaws, intended to address the concerns of the commission in its previous
review of Op. 17-2844. The commission notes the following concerns remaining from its previous review:
•

Bylaw III 2 a: Actions using electronic ballot must be taken in accordance with the LCMS Board
of Directors policy manual (Bylaw 1.5.3), which should be compared to the procedure here
specified.
The Board of Directors policy referred to is as follows:
2.4.6 Actions Using Electronic Ballot
In situations where board members are not able to meet as described in 2.4.3 or 2.4.4,
above, the Board may take action by use of electronic ballot (i.e., e-mail, internet-based
voting, etc.) in accordance with the Missouri Nonprofit Corporation Act, provided all
voting members of the board cast a vote and the result of the voting is unanimous.

CCM Minutes – November 10–11, 2017 – Page 75