LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — August 28, 1996, Page 1

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Walter L. Rosin, Secretary

Minutes of the Commission on Constitutional Matters - August 28, 1996 - Telephone Conference
59. Opening : The meeting was called to order and opened with prayer by Chairman Tesch. Roll call
showed Richard Schlecht as being absent from the call.
60. Status of Emeritus Pastor (Ag. 2041) : A letter had been received from a circuit counselor, requesting
an opinion from the Commission on Constitutional Matters regarding certain issues relating to the service of
an emeritus pastor and the status which he would hold. The questions which were addressed and the
response which was given by the Commission after consideration was as follows:
2.

If a congregation extends a call to an emeritus pastor, even though the expectations on the part of
the congregation are for less than full-time service, does this alter the status of the emeritus pastor
in any way? (i.e. forfeit "emeritus"?)
The response of the Commission to this question is "no." The only effect might be on
retirement income if the call is for service of more than 20 hours per week. That, however,
would be a matter to be determined by the Worker Benefit Plans of the Synod.

2. If an emeritus pastor accepts such call as mentioned in #1 and is the sole pastor of said congregation,
does he then have a vote as do other pastors who are the full-time resident pastors, in spite of the
emeritus' part-time actual service?
The response of the Commission to this question is "no." Previous opinions issued by the
Commission concluded that a pastor may not both be retired, i.e. emeritus, and still be in charge
of a congregation. The Constitution defines one category of advisory member as "ministers not
in charge of congregations." This matter may, however, require future consideration as more
and more smaller congregations are served by pastors who have elected retirement. It will
involve reversing a previous opinion of the commission or amendment of the Constitution to
eliminate or clarify the provision.
3. If a congregation extends a "contract for services" to a retired pastor, would that be any different from
a formal call, replete with "call" documents?
The Commission also responds to this question with a "no." It has been possible in the past to
extend a call with a contract attached. By convention action, however, the decision was made
that the contracts of teachers who are eligible for calls but who are contracted are to have these
contracts considered as calls. The same, it would seem, would apply to emeritus pastors who
are contracted.
4. If an emeritus were to accept a "formal call," would that alter his retired status with regard to
Concordia Retirement Plan? If so, in what way(s)?
This question has been dealt with in question 1 above. If the pastor works and is paid for more
than 20 hours per week, he would probably not be considered retired under the Pension Plan for
Pastors and Teachers (PPPT) and would not be eligible for that portion of his retirement
benefits. If he has applied for social security, that too could affect his retirement income if he