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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 454

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

454

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

(k) The author shall consider the critique and make necessary
revisions until there is agreement between the author and the
reviewer(s).
(l) Should any problem arise between an author, the reviewer(s),
the publisher, or any other party involved with respect to the
material submitted for review, the sponsoring group shall
endeavor to resolve it to the satisfaction of the reviewer(s). If it
cannot do so, the problem shall be submitted to the Commission
on Doctrinal Review which shall follow the appeals procedure
and criteria stated in Bylaw 3.9.3.2.11.9.4.
1.9.3
After publication, any challenge to material that is subject
to doctrinal review, no matter which process is used as listed in
Bylaw 1.9.2, shall be handled according to the procedure and criteria
specified in Bylaw 3.9.3.2.21.9.5.
The following are relocated from Bylaw subsection 3.9.3:
Appeals Prior to Publication
3.9.3.2.11.9.4
Appeals regarding materials not yet published
may be initiated by an author, the sponsoring group, or an executive
staff member of that group and submitted to the chairman of the
Commission on Doctrinal Review (Bylaws 3.9.3–3.9.3.2).
(a) Within seven business days after receipt of an appeal, the
chairman of the Commission on Doctrinal Review shall inform
all concerned and shall appoint three members of the commission
to serve as a review panel and shall designate one as its chairman.
A panel member shall disqualify himself on the basis of any kind
of personal involvement in the issue.
(b) The review panel shall provide a copy of the appeal to the
author and the sponsoring group and invite them to provide a
response to the appeal. All parties to the appeal shall be given 14
days to provide their response.
(c) To aid objectivity, the identity of author and review panel
shall ordinarily not be disclosed. However, consultation may at
times be necessary for clarification.
(d) In making its recommendation, the panel shall decide within
30 days whether the item in question
(1) is suitable for publication; or
(2) may be published after alteration; or
(3) may be published as a study document; or
(4) shall be denied publication.
(e) The decision of the panel shall be determined by a majority
vote and shall be final so far as the Commission on Doctrinal
Review is concerned. A report together with the panel’s minutes
shall be submitted to the chairman of the Commission on
Doctrinal Review.
(f) The chairman of the commission shall report the decision
within seven business days to the author, the original reviewer(s),
the sponsoring group, and the President of the Synod.
Appeals Following Publication
3.9.3.2.21.9.5
A challenge to the doctrinal review certification of
a published item may be initiated by any member of the Synod and
shall be submitted in writing via mail or personal delivery to the
chairman of the Commission on Doctrinal Review (Bylaws 3.9.3–
3.9.3.2).
(a) In order for the Commission on Doctrinal Review to consider
a challenge, the challenger is obliged to provide specific
references demonstrating how the published item is not in
agreement with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
(b) After receipt of the challenge, the chairman of the
commission shall within seven business days inform the
President of the Synod, the sponsoring group, and, if applicable,
Concordia Publishing House, shall appoint three members of the
commission to serve as a review panel, and shall designate one
as its chairman.

2026 Convention Workbook

(c) The chairman of the Commission on Doctrinal Review shall
provide a copy of the appeal to the President of the Synod, the
sponsoring group, and, if applicable, Concordia Publishing
House, and offer them the opportunity to respond to the appeal
within 14 days from the date of notification.
(d) To aid in maintaining objectivity, the identity of the
challenger and the identity of the panel will ordinarily not be
disclosed. There shall be no publicity given to the appeal, nor an
effort made to circularize the Synod on a pending appeal.
(e) The panel shall after reviewing the published material
declare, within 45 days following the expiry of the 14-day
response period provided in Bylaw 3.9.3.2.21.9.5 (c), whether the
doctrinal review certification is affirmed or revoked based on
whether the published material is in agreement with the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
(f) If the panel revokes the doctrinal review certification, it must
identify the part(s) of the item in need of clarification,
amplification, and/or deletion in order to bring into agreement
with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, and withdraw the
publication until such agreement is reached.
(g) The panel will appoint one of its members to be the doctrinal
reviewer for the recycling of the revised material to assure the
item’s agreement with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions if
republished.
—

Commission on Doctrinal Review
3.9.3
The Commission on Doctrinal Review exists to assist the
President of the Synod in the exercise of his responsibility that all
doctrinal content in its or any of its agencies’ materials be in accord
with the Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
3.9.3.1
The Commission on Doctrinal Review shall consist of five
members appointed by the President of the Synod from the total
number of doctrinal reviewers.
(a) The commission shall elect its own officers.
(b) The commission shall effect its own organization.
The Commission on Doctrinal Review functions in
3.9.3.2
accordance with Bylaw section 1.9, including especially the
handling of appeals under Bylaws 1.9.4–5, and shall meet as often
as necessary to provide guidelines for the work of doctrinal
reviewers and to concern itself with problem areas in the procedures
of doctrinal review and appeals.

Commission on Handbook
Ov. 9-05

To Amend Various Bylaws
for Purposes of Clarification or Improvement
Preamble
The Commission on Handbook (COH), responding to a variety of
observations from officers, agencies, and members of the Synod,
has proposed amendments to bylaws that have given opportunity to
confusion or required repeated or nonobvious interpretation by the
Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM). These are presented
together for the sake of convention efficiency but each is logically
independent of the others:
A. TO AMEND THE BYLAWS TO PROVIDE A
MECHANISM FOR HANDLING SECRETARY
INCAPACITY
Rationale
In its review (Op. 22-3002) of the Board of Directors (BOD) Policy
Manual, the CCM noted that Policy 4.6.3.3, providing that “[t]he