LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — October 1, 1982, Page 7

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117. Rev. Borchardt's Eligibility, Commission on Appeals : Pastor Carl Borchardt, who had been
appointed to fill a vacancy on the Commission on Appeals, had asked whether he could sit on a certain
case which had already been seemingly initiated before his appointment. Gene Schnelz was asked to
pursue this matter. Upon inquiry he had come to the conclusion that Pastor Borchardt could indeed serve
since matters prior to his appointment had been merely procedural and not substantive. The Commission
formally endorsed this position.
118. Emeritus as Voting Delegate (Ag. 1615) : The Commission ratified the reply which the Secretary
had sent to Rev. Kenneth E. Larson of West Palm Beach, Florida in answer to the perennial question.
119. Ohio District Bylaws (Ag. 236, C): It was reported that the new president of the Ohio District had
asked the retiring president to work on the necessary rewrite of the District Bylaws. The matter will
continue to be held on the agenda.
120. Model Constitutions (Ag. 1446, A): Gene Schnelz submitted an outline of guidelines that could form
the basis for model constitutions for congregations, listing the items that were either necessary or
advisable.
It was suggested that in Point 2 "Confessional Standards" it might be well to include the provision
that this Article is to conform as closely as possible to the language of the Synod's Constitution. It
should also be noted that the Articles of Incorporation are separate from the Constitution.
Furthermore, "Membership in Organizations" or some other term might be preferable to "Secret
Societies."
Instead of "Women's Rights" it might be well to refer to "Women in the Church."
Gene Schnelz will continue his work for the next meeting.
121. Witness Report : In a few moments at the close some comments were made about our regular report
through the pages of The Lutheran Witness. Perhaps the opinion regarding women in Circuit forums and
the fact that we have reviewed Bylaws of Districts and of "other synodical entities" might be referred to;
otherwise, this item was left to the discretion of the Secretary.
122. The meeting closed with a prayer by John Klotz.
Herbert Mueller, Secretary

Opinion re Early Retirement of Faculty Members
The Commission on Constitutional Matters has been asked for an interpretation of Bylaw 6.53,e and f
involving several questions.
The Commission finds some difficulty in the bylaw for the following reasons. Formerly faculty members
were permitted to serve on a regular basis until their 65th birthday, with mandatory retirement provided
for at the age of 75. The revised bylaw assumes normal service until age 70. "Early retirement" as
prescribed by the Concordia Retirement Plan definition may begin at age 55 and normal retirement age
under the Plan is 65.