LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 6-7, 1987, Page 9

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At times a synodical convention may delegate this responsibility to the BOR as a
one-time assignment. Such was the case in the 1973 convention in Resolution 309.
In the function of doctrinal supervision it is also the responsibility of the synodical President to
see that synodical resolutions (including doctrinal statements such as "The Brief Statement" and
"A Statement") are upheld, honored and taught by all members of the Synod, including
theological teachers at our colleges and seminaries and other faculty members, as well as officers
and board members of the synodical staff.
The synodical President may delegate portions of this responsibility to his vice president or, in
certain cases, to the district presidents. However, the President always bears the final
responsibility for the supervision.
If the charge is a public matter, the church constituency should be publicly informed of the
"whys" and "wherefores" regarding the reasons why the matter was now "closed." The board or
individual assigned the responsibility of resolving the charge would be the source responsible for
such informing.
If anyone is dissatisfied with the decision of a board or with the concurrence of the synodical
President, such have the privilege of the proper appeal process (6.51).
A former president of the Synod, who had brought the charges while he was still the president,
has no special responsibility in the matter once he is no longer the president. The responsibility
belongs to the office, not the man. However, a former president who made the original charges
has the same privileges of all members of the Synod and can appeal a decision should he be
dissatisfied with the resolution of the charge.

83. Adjournment : Having completed its business, the Commission adjourned its meeting after having
established the following future meeting dates: February 5-6, 1988, May 6-7, 1988, August 20, 1988, and
November 4-5, 1988.
Walter L. Rosin, Secretary

Minutes of the Commission on Constitutional Matters - February 5, 1988
84. Devotion : At the request of Chairman Schnelz, Dr. Schlecht led the Commission in an opening
prayer asking for God's guidance upon its deliberations.
85. Legal Relationship with Component Parts of the Synod (Min. 10, 35) : At its meeting of May 2830, 1986, the Board of Directors of the Synod had requested the Commission on Constitutional Matters to
review the articles of incorporation and bylaws of districts and other entities of the Synod to determine
their agreement with the provisions of Chapter I of the Handbook of the Synod. In subsequent action, it
was determined that legal counsel for the Synod should examine these documents and provide a report on
its findings. Dr. Rosin reported on the results. of the review by legal counsel which indicated that most
districts and entities had forwarded the required documents and that difficulties had been observed in only
a few cases. These revolved primarily around the SELC District, which appears to have a full fledged
constitution, the Texas District which has a document entitled "Constitution" and which goes beyond