LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — December 6-7, 1974, Page 9

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conduct still a communicant member of that congregation? The Commission ruled that he is a
communicant member unless he has been excommunicated or has withdrawn.
340. Lodge Paragraph, Woman Suffrage, Guidelines for District Constitutional Committees (Ag. 765):
Rev. Wilbur H. Becker, chairman of the Constitutional Matters Committee of the California and Nevada
District, had placed three questions before the Commission. The Commission ratified the Secretary's
replies giving the usual information regarding woman suffrage and the CCM guidelines for the same, and
his statement that the CCM has not in the past given guidelines to District committees with the exception
of the publication of the model constitution contained in the pamphlet "Guidelines." Since the Secretary
had referred the question regarding the necessity of a lodge paragraph in a congregational constitution to
the Commission, the Commission decided to send Rev. Wilbur H. Becker the ruling which it had just
adopted in answer to the question from Pine Bluffs, Wyoming (Ag. 737).
341. Eligibility to Serve as Delegate to District Convention after Accepting Call (Ag. 622): The
Commission decided to drop from the agenda the question of possibly proposing a bylaw to the
convention regarding the question of whether a pastor who has accepted a call to another congregation but
has not yet been installed is eligible to serve as a delegate to a District convention, and, if so, which
congregation he would represent. (See Minutes 194)
342. Bylaw 1.53, Election of Delegates (Ag. 722): Rev. Lando Otto had written suggesting that the
wording of Bylaw 1.53 be revised. It was decided to ratify the reply of the Secretary and to inform Rev.
Otto that a member of the Commission (Don Prevallet) is working on a proposed bylaw change. (See
Minutes 279)
343. Ordination Rights (Ag. 757, 758): Rev. Arlen J. Bruns had written a lengthy letter taking exception
to the recent opinions of the Commission regarding ordination and asking the question: Is it correct to
say: "A congregation yields the rights indicated in the Scriptures and Confessions on ordinations, etc.
when it joins the Synod and accepts the Constitution?" The Commission drafted a tentative reply and on
the following day formally approved it as follows, with the resolve that the opinion also be forwarded to
President Simon of the South Wisconsin District (Ag. 758):
1.

The right to call a pastor continues to rest with the congregation even after it joins the Synod.
This is where the stress should be placed.

2.

For good order the right to perform ecclesiastical ordination is voluntarily delegated to the
responsible officers of the Synod (see Article XII, 9, c) as part of the whole process of the
congregation's requesting and receiving assistance in the important function of finding a man
qualified to be its pastor and in calling him.

3.

In Bylaw 4.02 the congregations obligate themselves to seek the assistance of the District
President, another clear indication that they are voluntarily restricting a right which they enjoy
in order to receive a greater good.

344. Congregational Rights in the Process of Electing Delegates (Ag 745, 745A, etc,X): Rev. Gerald
Wittmaier of Nokomis, Illinois had raised three questions with the Commission:
1.

Does a District have the right to prescribe who is to represent a member congregation at a
circuit meeting which is to elect delegates to a synodical convention?

2.

Does the congregation have the right to determine its own procedure as to how such
representatives are to be chosen?