LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — March 5, 1982, Page 2

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1. Did the Implementation Committee act properly in adopting the aforementioned
resolution?
2. Is the Board for Parish Services justified in regarding itself as a new board with the
right to establish and fill a new position of Executive Secretary of the Board for
Parish Services?
In the afternoon the Commission heard a presentation by Chairman Ray Mueller of the Board for Parish
Services setting forth that Board's viewpoint. After further discussion in executive session the
Commission arrived at the following conclusions:
1. Task Force II had indeed proposed that the three program boards were to be regarded as new
boards. The original resolution of the Floor Committee therefore also called for the election
of all members of that board. However, the convention carved out of the Board for Parish
Services two of its major functions, Youth and Evangelism, thereby establishing five program
boards instead of three. Since the convention had substantially changed the nature of the
proposed Board of Parish Services it was for all practical purposes a continuing board,
formerly known as the Board for Parish Education. The Floor Committee therefore proposed
that the Parish Services, Evangelism, and Youth boards should not have all members elected
at the 1981 convention but that all three boards should have elections only for those whose
terms would expire with the 1981 convention, permitting the "holdovers" to continue serving
out the remaining two years of their four year terms. Because of the legislative history
summarized above the Commission on Constitutional Matters ruled that the Board for Parish
Services is not a new board but the continuing Board of Parish Education with a new name
and with some added responsibilities, and that Dr. Bohlmann was correct in his assumption.
2. Accordingly, the Commission also ruled that the Implementation Committee was correct in
its assessment and in maintaining that when existing contracts expire the Executive
Secretaries would continue to function "at the pleasure of the board."
The Secretary was instructed to draft an appropriate opinion reflecting the reasoning and the conclusions
of the Commission. The opinion upon being approved by mail was attached to the Minutes.
7. Orientation (Ag. 1559): The Secretary carried out the request of the Implementation Committee to
present orientation to the Commission by distributing three documents:
Some Guiding Principles of Task Force II
Accountability of Directors and Officers of Non-Profit Corporations
The Chart Game
8. Nominations (Ag. 1581): The Secretary- distributed the letter inviting members of the Commission to
nominate for various offices, boards, and commissions of the Synod.
9. North Dakota Bylaws (Ag. 1262, A-C): No report has been received as yet of the actions taken by the
District convention.
10. Southern District Bylaws (Ag. 938, A-E) and Articles of Incorporation (AR. 1484): Rev. Ed Coyner,
chairman of the District Commission on Constitutional Matters, had phoned Secretary Mueller informing
him that the suggestions would undoubtedly be approved by their District Commission and that their legal