LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — August 10, 2020, Page 2

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aware of this bylaw and suggests that its inclusion in the district bylaws may serve as a helpful reminder of
this requirement.
The Ohio District and its Secretary are thanked for submitting these documents for review. The bylaw
proposal, with the above-noted changes made as indicated, is approved for presentation to the convention.
The district is reminded of Bylaw 3.9.2.2.3 (b), as regards any additional changes that may be proposed at
the time of its convention. Finally, the commission requests for its files a clean copy of the bylaws as finally
adopted by the convention.
41. Indiana District Bylaw Revision (20-2942)
By an April 27, 2020, e-mail, the Secretary of the Indiana District submitted for review bylaw amendments
to be proposed to the upcoming convention of the district.
At Bylaw 5.2, it should be made clear that the review and approval required is to be prior to presentation
to the convention (Synod Bylaw 3.9.2.2.3 [a]).
In Bylaw 8.1.1.8, the sentence “Ordinarily the electoral circuit and visitation circuit are co-terminus [sic]”
would be more clearly stated, “A visitation circuit meeting bylaw requirements for congregation count and
confirmed membership may itself be an electoral circuit.”
Region membership of persons, on the district level, is now based on the region membership of the
congregation to which the person concerned belongs (Synod Bylaws 4.3.1, 3). It seems unnecessary to deal,
as Indiana Bylaw 8.2.1.4 (a), with the addresses of the congregations, unless the regions are determined on
such a basis; more likely, the regions are delineated along the boundaries resulting from assignment of
congregations to circuits. It is enough to state how the congregations are assigned to regions and then that
the region of an individual is determined by the region of the congregation in which an individual holds
membership and that such regional membership must be maintained on that basis during the course of one’s
tenure in a regional position.
Also regarding regional membership, but in connection with Indiana Bylaw 8.2.1.1 (a) and (d), it is noted
that the language, “with residence in the respective region” and “if they move outside of the region,”
respectively, reflect the older, residence-based standard. In Bylaw 8.2.1.1 (a), the phrase “with residence
in” must be replaced with “with membership in a congregation of.” The language of the noted Synod bylaws
could be worked into subparagraphs (c) and (d) as follows:
(c) All officers and members of the B.O.D., councils, and committees shall be members of member
congregations of the District upon assuming office and, when appropriate, be members of
congregations of designated regions of the District, during the course of their tenure.
(d) All officers and members of the B.O.D., councils, and committees who are elected to represent a
region of the District shall forfeit their position if they move outside should they cease to hold
membership in a congregation of the region to which elected.
Similar language persists in Indiana Bylaw 13.7.8, and should be fixed in a similar manner:
Any office, the election or appointment to which is contingent upon residence congregational
membership in a given region, shall be considered vacant when the incumbent moves to another no
longer holds membership in a congregation of that region. This office shall be filled according to the
manner prescribed.
Bylaws 8.3.2.1 (a) and 13.4.4.10 require similar changes to reflect the changed requirement for regional
membership.
With regard to Indiana Bylaw 8.2.1.2–3, etc., the commission notes again for the district’s consideration
that a council is by definition an advisory body (Synod Bylaw 1.2.1 [g]). If the function of the councils is
more than advisory, as may be suggested by their undifferentiated treatment under Indiana Bylaw 8.2.1.3,
then their being termed committees, commissions, or boards may be more appropriate. It is noted in Indiana
CCM Minutes – August 10, 2020 – Page 27