LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — September 9, 1988, Page 2

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

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The Commission also agreed to publish the chart in The Lutheran Witness for general guidance with the
notation that obviously each situation must take into account various circumstances and nuances.
After having completed the development of the diagram, the Commission decided to respond to the
requests from the pastor in the Alberta-British Columbia District and the Commission on Adjudication of
the Michigan District in the following manner:
The Commission has carefully considered the arguments and opinions advanced in the documents
which have been furnished. The question presented involves an interpretation of Bylaw 2.27, e;
specifically, whether a district president is disqualified as a "party to the case" by virtue of his
having ordered the suspension of a member or having performed the other duties predicate to, or
as a consequence of, the suspension, as outlined in Bylaw 2.27.
It is the opinion of the Commission that the district president (President Heins), (President
Lehman) is not a party to the case within the contemplation of 2.27, e and that there is no basis
for disqualification. The contrary construction would require the disqualification of the district
president in every case arising under Bylaw 2.27, because it is only the district president who can