LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 10–11, 2017, Page 6

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appointed by the Members shall not exceed twice the number of Trustees elected by the Synod in
convention (including the President of the Synod and Chairman of the Board for National Mission).
With this modification, the commission gives its approval to the proposed amendment.
101. SELC District Bylaw Revision (16-2786C)
Legal counsel for SELC District forwarded a revision of its bylaw proposal, amended to reflect changes
previously requested by the commission in Op. 16-2786B. The commission finds that its concerns have
been adequately addressed and approves the bylaw proposal for presentation to the convention. The
commission thanks the SELC 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.
The district is also requested to submit its articles of incorporation, or a revision thereof to satisfy Synod’s
requirements, for review under Bylaw 1.5.3.6 and 2016 Res. 9-02A.
102. Review of Revised Standard Operating Procedures Manual (SOPM) for Bylaw Section 2.15 (172839, 17-2818)
The commission reviewed a draft of the Bylaw Section 2.15 SOPM, as prepared by the Secretary. Compared
to the version last adopted in 2015, significant changes include:
•

Reformatting, standardization of text, and incorporation of recent improvements for greater
consistency with Bylaw Section 2.14 and 2.17 SOPMs.

•

Provisions for theological assistance of panel members (General Principle R) and timeline
exceptions (General Regulation AA).

•

Adjustment of Definitions as a result of bylaw changes, including the change to “party to the
matter,” which treats the suspending ecclesiastical supervisor (no longer the accuser) as the
initiating party.

•

General Regulations have been standardized as much as possible with Bylaw Sections 2.14 and
2.17.

•

An intentional distinction has been made, in formal proceedings, between suspending ecclesiastical
supervisor and President of the Synod, to allow for situations in which the President is disqualified
as suspending ecclesiastical supervisor but as the President retains a limited right of appeal.

•

Investigation and admonition timeline changes have been incorporated (Step 2.5) as a result of
2016 Res. 12-14.

The commission removed from “M. Expenses” the irrelevant sentence, “The expenses of district presidents
shall be borne by their districts.” With that minor revision, the document was adopted. The draft will next
be shared with the Council of Presidents as required by Bylaw 2.15.10.3, to obtain its concurrence.
103. North Wisconsin District Bylaw Revision (17-2834A)
By a Nov. 9 e-mail, the assistant to the President of the North Wisconsin District forwarded for review a
revised proposal of bylaw revisions for his district, taking into account the commission’s prior review in
Op. 17-2834. The commission notes that, while most of its concerns have been addressed, a few points
remain:
•

In Bylaw 5.04 [a], the second sentence should read, “They shall be three different ministers of
religion—ordained from the roster of the district residing in the region.”

•

Bylaw 6.04 [a]: The provision of LCMS Bylaw 3.9.2.2.3 [b] does not replace the ordinary bylaw
amendment process. Bylaw 6.04 [a] may more properly be amended to read:

CCM Minutes – November 10–11, 2017 – Page 79