LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — July 8, 1999, Page 8

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Assuming this oversight is rectified, the Commission on Constitutional Matters is satisfied that the proposed
procedure would satisfy both the letter and the spirit of Bylaw 3.985, a. The bylaw does not require that the
nomination be made during a floor session. It merely requires the majority vote of the convention to allow
such nominations. Requiring the signature of the nominee on the nominating form fulfills the bylaw’s
requirement of immediate submission of the candidate’s written consent at the time the nomination is made.
The procedure allows for submission directly to the chairman of the Nominating Committee or through an
intermediary appointed by the chairman. This meets the bylaw’s requirement of submission to the
chairman. Nowhere does the bylaw forbid submission through an intermediary. As long as the nomination
is ultimately communicated to the chairman, the bylaw’s requirements are met.
If you wish to have a revised version of the proposed procedure reviewed for conformity with Bylaw 3.985,
a, the Commission on Constitutional Matters will be happy to do so upon your request.
50. Definition of “Professional Church Worker” (99-2155)
The Chairman of the Commission on Ministerial Growth and Support, in a letter dated June 16, 1999,
requested an opinion from the Commission on Constitutional Matters regarding the definition of the phrase,
“professional church worker.” More specifically,
We are particularly interested to know if our commission’s charge would include those
persons serving as teachers in the Missouri Synod who are not presently rostered.
After considerable discussion, the Commission asked the Secretary to do further research on this subject, its
decision postponed until the Commission’s next meeting.
51. Adjournment
All necessary business having come before the Commission, Chairman Tesch called on Secretary Hartwig
to provide a closing prayer.
Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary

Commission on Constitutional Matters - Minutes - September 14, 1999
52. Call to Order and Prayer
Chairman Walter Tesch called the conference call meeting to order and asked Gerhard Bode to provide an
opening prayer.
53. Review of “GUIDELINES for Constitution and Bylaws of a Lutheran Congregation (98-2135)
Al Marcis reported that he has prepared a draft of the guidelines document for the Commission’s
consideration. He also reported that the Commission on Theology and Church Relations will be responding
with the requested opinion by the end of September. Chairman Tesch instructed that copies of the draft be
distributed to the Commission in preparation for a line by line discussion of the document.
54. Northwest District Bylaws (98-2153)