LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — March 21–22, 2025, Page 2

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The commission also notes an ambiguity in the adopted language, as to whether “assisting pastor”
means the call would be required to be “in an assisting capacity only” (Synod Bylaw 2.5.6).
These amendments are approved as indicated, to be incorporated into district bylaws and to take force and
effect. The district is thanked for sending these for review and reminded to submit, for the commission’s
files, a clean copy of the bylaws as finalized.
In a broader review of the district articles and bylaws, the commission noted for the district’s future
attention:
•

SD Art. of Inc. Article V A: The commission notes that the district’s members do not meet annually
but triennially.

•

Article VII B: While the president may be responsible to sign official documents in the name of
the district (Const. Art. 9 d), the authorization to enter into indebtedness belongs to the board of
directors (Bylaw 4.5.1), which fact should be made explicit here.

•

Article VIII A: The language of this provision should be amended more closely to reflect that of
Bylaw 4.1.1.2’s main paragraph, so as the more clearly to maintain the primacy of the Constitution.

•

Article X A: There should not be a comma between “dissolution” and “other.”

•

SD Bylaw 1.21 (a): The board must meet not only a minimum of four times a year but at least
quarterly (Bylaw 1.5.3).

•

Bylaws 2.01 (a) and Bylaw 2.09 (b) may need to be amended as well to be more in harmony with
the revision approved in Resolution 1-07, to reflect that the district president may take on or
continue in an assisting (“assisting capacity only,” Bylaw 2.5.5–6) capacity.

•

Bylaws 2.05 (a) and 2.05 (b): might be better interchanged to put emphasis on ecclesiastical
supervision rather than administration.

•

Bylaw 2.05 (a): The district president is the chief executive (Bylaw 4.4.1) and an officer (Bylaw
4.3.1), but the Constitution and Bylaws do not term him the chief executive officer, with the
corporate baggage that may be understood to entail.

•

Bylaw 2.05 (a)(3): See comment on Article VII B; the authorization of these actions lies with the
board of directors and this should be explicit here.

•

Bylaws 5.05 (a)(4) and 5.05 (d)(4) employ the chairman of the Committee on Nominations in
tabulating and reporting the nominees for president and vice-presidents to the convention. Synod
Bylaw 4.7.2 indicates that district nominating committees may not be employed in the election of
president and vice-presidents. Here the use of the chairman simply as teller may be innocent, but
the commission suggests review in light of Bylaw 4.7.2 and that this may be entrusted to the
secretary alone.

•

Bylaw 5.05 (b)(5): Since a tie could result in inclusion of more candidates, the word “three” should
be removed here. Similar changes should be made in Bylaw 5.05 (e)(4–5), it being noted here also
that (4) is identical to the first sentence of (5) and, therefore, seems to be redundant.

•

Bylaw 5.11 (b): The commission understands that “except as otherwise provided” prohibits the
nominating committee from recommending for president and vice-presidents, as would also be
prohibited by Bylaw 4.7.2.

The district is thanked for sending these documents for review and encouraged to prepare to address the
above in a future revision of its bylaws.

CCM Minutes – March 21–22, 2025 – Page 69