LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — June 11, 1976, Page 1

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Critique of Missouri District Bylaws
The Commission on Constitutional Matters of the Synod offers the following critique of the Bylaws of
the Missouri District and its proposed revisions:
A.

The Commission recommends that changes be introduced at the following points:
Page 6, D, 4 - Who and what is the Executive Committee? If the District wishes to operate with
an Executive Committee at all, such a committee perhaps more than any other board or
committee ought to have its duties and especially its limitations carefully spelled out in the
Bylaws. The total experience within the Synod and its Districts with executive committees up to
this point has not been particularly beneficial.
Page 34, C, 2. d - The last sentence regarding a simple plurality seems to be in conflict with
Bylaw 3.33a of the synodical Handbook and should be eliminated.
B.
The Commission makes also the following suggestions for consideration toward
improvement of the Bylaws:
Page 9, A, 1 - It might be best to avoid confusion to refer to two teachers at large and two laymen
at large.
Page 9, A, 2 - Better: "The six board chairmen shall be elected . . .
Page 9, B, 4 - Better: "A majority of the voting members of the Board of Directors present in _a
properly called meeting shall constitute a quorum." It might also be well somewhere in the
Bylaws to designate the exact procedures of notification which need to be followed especially for
the holding of a special meeting. In this way the District would improve even on the Bylaws of
the Synod.
Page 12_,, A, 7 - It would be advisable to exclude the District president also from ex officio
membership on the nominating committee.
Page 31, A - We would prefer the wording of the synodical Handbook:
. . . comprised of four pastors and three laymen, two of whom shall be lawyers" This could be
favorably interpreted in those instances in which a District does not have an attorney holding
membership in a member congregation but does happen to have a pastor or a teacher who has
passed the bar examinations. Admittedly, this would be a rare instance, especially in the
Missouri District.
Page 35, D, 1 - Gaining in favor is the wording: "When the office of President becomes vacant,
the First Vice-President shall serve as acting President until the next convention when a successor
shall be elected either for a full term or for the remainder of an unexpired term." This is especially
helpful in the cases of full-time presidencies. A difficulty, however, is involved here for those
Districts which have congregational nominations months prior to the convention. This is a matter
of judgment, weighing one factor against the other.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Commission on Constitutional Matters
August 13-14, 1976