LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — April 8–9, 2022, Page 11

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SE Bylaw V 2 a: The language proposed to be added should be modified as indicated (Bylaw 4.3.1):
“Mid-term board members selected regionally, who find themselves residing in a designated region
other than that of their election no longer to be holding membership in a congregation of the region
in which they were elected because regional designation was changed by the District may finish
out their current terms of office.”

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SE Bylaw V 3 c: The language needs to be revised to indicate the ordering is done by majority
vote. The language of Bylaw 3.12.2.7 (g) should be incorporated instead, adjusted to the correct
number of vice-presidents for the district.

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SE Bylaw V 4 c: For completeness, for president and vice-presidents the method for obtaining
second or successive ballots should be included: “In the election of the President and VicePresidents, if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the candidate receiving the least
number of votes is to be eliminated from each successive ballot until one candidate has received a
majority vote.”

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SE Bylaw VI 1: The district president is designated the “chief executive” of the district by Synod
Bylaw 4.4.1 and is of course an officer of the district (Const. Art. XII 3) but is not identified by the
Synod as “chief executive officer” of the district, which carries corporate trappings that do not
entirely transfer. The term “chief executive officer” occurs twice in the bylaw and should in each
instance read “chief executive” instead.

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SE Bylaw VII 4: The following language should be adjusted: “Multi-congregation parishes are
represented by one voting pastoral delegate (if not vacant) and one voting lay delegate, plus an
advisory lay delegates for each congregation that does not supply a voting delegate.”

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SE Bylaw X 4: The commission notes in the proposed language that the “policy committee of the
board of directors” is not established in the bylaws of the district. This is allowable if this is a
standing committee of the board, but worth noting. In Synod Bylaw 7.1.2, the parallel passage, the
bylaw changes are to be drafted by the Secretary of the Synod; these changes to district bylaws
could just as well be drafted by the district secretary.

Provided the above are addressed as indicated, the commission finds the bylaw proposal as here presented
to be in harmony with the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod and approves it for
presentation to the district convention. The district and its staff are thanked for this submission and
reminded to file with the Office of the Secretary, for the commission’s records, a clean copy of the Bylaws
as finally adopted by the convention.
The district and its board are thanked for this submission and reminded to file with the Office of the
Secretary, for the commission’s records, a clean copy of the Bylaws as finally adopted by the convention,
as well as a clean copy of the district’s Articles as adopted and filed with the District of Columbia, as
previously approved by the commission in Op. 19-2912.
The Secretary was asked to bring to the attention of the Commission on Handbook the fact that Bylaw 4.7.1
does not provide a procedure for development of successive ballots in the election of the president and vicepresident of a district.
130. Rocky Mountain District Bylaws, Proposed (22-2979)
By emails of March 17 and 18, the Vice-Chairman of the Rocky Mountain (RM) District Board of Directors
forwarded his district’s proposal for revision of its bylaws for the commission’s review. The commission
notes the following:
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RM Bylaw 2.01 C 1 c: The district may wish to allow the executive committee explicit authority,
in addition to its acting upon delegated assignments, “to act in times of emergency between plenary
meetings” (Bylaw 1.5.3.2). The limitation of Bylaw 1.5.3.2 (a) and requirement of Bylaw 1.5.3.2

CCM Minutes – April 8–9, 2022 – Page 98