LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — February 6–7, 2026, Page 4

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Policies 3.1–3.1.2; Extensive delegation of authority for property, business, and legal matters of
the district—the native responsibilities of the board—to the district president concerns the
commission.

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Policy 3.4.4: The board’s action is practically limited to alerting the President of the Synod or the
convention of the district, or to adjusting its delegation to require less of the district president.

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Policy Section 4: Again, the board must be careful not to over-delegate to the district president or
to intrude as a supervisor (which it is not) of his ecclesiastical supervisory duties. Policies regarding
property and purchasing, for example, are delegated to the president (Policies 4.6.1.2, 4.8). These
are not core district president responsibilities. Policy subsection 4.10 evidences some care to make
these distinctions, but seems to conflict with other sections, which do not.

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Policy 4.3.1.1: designated should likely read designed.

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Policy 4.8.1.2: Mentioned also should be the general human resources policies set by the Board of
Directors of the Synod (Bylaw 1.5.5). It must be noted with reference to federal and state
employment laws that the church does not defer to these laws in areas where churches are exempt
under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States (Bylaw 1.2.1 [f][2]). Reference
to laws without such qualification could be interpreted as instruction to submit even where not
required.

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Policy Section 5: This section draws extensively on the Synod Board of Directors Policy Manual
for material related to districts. It also incorporates some district policies (Bylaw 5.14.8). The
mixture may prove difficult, over time, to maintain.

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Policy 5.4.4.1: Where the agency in question is a district, the relationship of the board and the
district president (who is the chief executive but not really the “executive director/officer” in the
sense of the policy) is more specifically defined by Constitution and Bylaws than this policy would
imply.

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Policy 5.12.1.4: The word with is likely missing before “following.” Likewise, in (c),
“governments” should likely read “governing documents.”

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Policy 5.14.8.1: This signature authority provision is confusing.

The district and its secretary are thanked for forwarding this document for review. The commission requests
inclusion of its Op. 20-2934, “Missouri District Policy Manual,” with this opinion for reference to its
general comments on the use of a Policy Governance approach in the districts of the Synod.
170. Iowa District East Policy Manual Review (25-3049)
By an email of February 5, 2025, the Iowa East (IE) District Secretary forwarded the district’s manual of
“Policies & Procedures” for review. In its review, the commission noted:
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Pages 1–5, Assistant to the President: It is unclear whether this section refers to one individual or
perhaps a division of roles among many (though some assignments, such as sermons, indicate an
ordained minister). Supervision by the president is of course essential to the performance of the
“liaison” work, which is assigned explicitly to the district president (Bylaw 4.4.2 [c]).

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Pages 5–7, Business Manager: The “executing and exercising and supervising all of the functions
relating to the management of the district’s business” is an expansive charge, presuming close
supervision by the board of directors, which is charged with the business, property, and legal affairs
of the district and ultimately responsible for these functions. The commission notes that the duties
listed are effectively those listed for the Treasurer instead in IE Bylaw 6.6 (a–n).

CCM Minutes – February 6–7, 2026 – Page 138