LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — JULY 26, 1961, Page 5

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

COPY OF COMMUNICATION Exhibit A"

May 15, 1961

Rev. W. H. Meyer, Chairman
Committee on Constitutional Matters
743 Wabash

Topeka, Kansas

Dear Brother Meyer:

I should like to pose several questions to you as Chairman of the Committee
on Constitutional Matters.

Needless to say, since the Survey Commission must conclude its studies
in a brief period of time, your expeditious help and assistance in our
efforts to understand and evaluate the current situation will be pro-
foundly appreciated. I believe that the questions which I have at the
present time might be outlined under four major categories. I wish it
were possible to discuss these with you personally, but in the absence
of such a meeting I sincerely hope that the correspondence will lead

to a greater understanding on our part. Should there be an opportunity
for the two of us to meet in St. Louis if some other possible meeting
should bring you here, I would be delighted to hear about it. The areas
on which I would appreciate clarification at the present are:

1. THE STATUS OF THE SECRETARY OF MISSIONS

A hasty pursual and comparison of the 1960 Edition of the Synodical
Handbwok with that of the 1956 Edition indicates that the Section
8.01, 8.03; 8.07; 8.09 on the “Secretary of Missions" has been
eliminated.

I am somewhat perplexed in regard to this matter, since I have not been
able to find a specific resolution in the 1959 Proceedings which would
provide for the deletion. It is possible that I may have missed such a
resolution. Consequently, I would be extremely grateful to you for
pointing this out to me.

2. EXECUTIVE STAFF INTERPRETED AS OF FICER ?

The present Handbook seems to be somewhat incomplete in defining
the relationship of the Synodical "Executive Staff" with the "Officers
of Synod.'' Quite frankly under various categories the series for
supervision, appeals, responsibilities, etc. includes a terminology
such as that found in Section 5.23 - "I€ the member involved is @
pastor, professor, or teacher... '' and excludes Synodical

Staff in such terminol Ogy- Similarly also as outlined in the Consti-
tution Article XI, paragraph A, especially paragraph 2, partial
also 1 and 3; also XII, paragraph 8, etc.

I fully realize that it is impossible to fully equate what the general role
is of t'elected officers of Synod'' and the Synodical executive staff. How-

ever, it seems to me that in our entire system of supervision, appeals