LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — October 30-31, 1969, Page 5

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i.

Paragraph 9.01. This was omitted since it had been ruled unconstitutional (2/3 majority
for appropriation).

j.

The heading for chapter xiii was changed to "Social Concerns and Welfare."

k.

Paragraph 13.11 name change: "Commission on Social Concerns." Omission of "The
chairman of the division of social action and welfare shall be an advisory member of the
commission" since there is no longer such a division.

1.

Name change, chapter xv: Board of Stewardship.

42. Galley checking: The following assignments were made for the purpose of double-checking the
galleys against convention resolutions, the numbers referring to the convention committees:
Kuenne: 5, 10-16
Sommermeyer: 1 - 4
Luessenhop: 6 - 9
43. Jersild: The secretary was asked to send a letter of appreciation to former member Jersild.
44. Meeting dates: The chairman will circularize the members for reaction to the dates for the next
meeting. First choice: Second Thursday and Friday in January; second choice: fourth Thursday
and:.Friday in January.
45. Full-time Secretary: Shortly after the previous meeting, President Preus had asked whether the Board
of Directors could constitutionally request the synodical Secretary to assume his position on a full-time
basis with expanded responsibilities. The commission now formally confirmed the following opinion
arrived at previously by telephone:
The Commission on Constitutional Matters holds that the Board of Directors is acting in
harmony with the Constitution in requesting the Secretary of the Synod now to fill his position at
synodical headquarters on a full-time basis with expanded responsibilities under By-Law 2.391.
In support of this opinion the commission cites the following considerations:
1. While the By-Laws state that the offices of the President and First Vice-President are to be
full time and no such provision is made for the office of the Secretary, the force is simply that
"full-time" is mandatory for the President and First Vice-President. While "full-time" is not
mandatory for the Secretary there is no implication that it cannot be full-time. Nor is there any
provision in the Constitution or By-Laws which states that the decision to make the office of
Secretary full-time must be made by the convention and cannot be made by the Board of
Directors.
2. Executive offices which are not even provided for in the Constitution can be created and
filled on a full-time basis almost at will by various boards. By way of contrast, the office of
Secretary is one of the few offices for which the Synod has made provision in the Constitution
itself; the Synod itself elects the man whom it wishes to have as the incumbent; and the Synod
itself has laid down duties for this office, both in the Constitution and the By-Laws, including a
specific "expansion" by-law 2.391. When the duties of the office, even aside and apart from the
implementation of the "expansion"m by-law, grow to that point where it becomes a burden on
the man and on his present employer, it is a foregone conclusion that the Synod would want the
position to be made full-time.