LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 60

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60 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

DISTRICT AND SYNOCICAL QUESTICHRAIRE - TABLE 2

Total number of men and women serving on Boards,
Commissions and Committees in each District
and in the Synod

DISTEICT MEN 4 Meh WOMEN WOMEN TOTAL NG ANSWER OR COMMENTS
AT 48 75%: 16 25° 64
chy 107 815 25 19°: 132
Ci 34 81s 8 19, 42
EA 129 a ca 19° 160
EN 79 84°: 15 16° 54
FS 322 8& 16 12. 138
IN 134 96°; 6 4 140 *+ 20 counselors
af 66 8l* 15 19 79
In a7 94+ 3 6 50
KS go 9] § 9. 88
MC 108" 96 5 4. 113. *This includes pastor
MBS 58 92: 5 8. 63 merbers
55 30 € 10: 6}
&9 &9 Vi We ere
110 3é 7 6: Wi
186 && 34 Wo. 226
E 55 &o 7 lV 62
hw 64 69 8 Ww 72
oe
ne
Nw 39 64 19 16 16
NI 72 os: 4 5 76
Gh 76 5 3 4 79
cK 60* & 9 13 69 *Includes pastor &
OK teachers by const.
$ reauirement
St 44 vi 20°. 55
Sn 135 V4 8: 147
SE 54 12 16: 64
So 76 9 WW: 85
sc 197 g 7 115
SI 77 5 10%: 86
Th 93 2 2% 95
nv 21 - 0. 21
ABS $3 5 9° 38
MS 52 q 2 51
uN 60 2 2 €2
cist 2646 eo. 330 a 2376
490 98.37 26 4.7: 814

committees. In only one District reporting are there no women
involved. In 10 Districts participation by women stands at the
15% level or higher, the Atlantic District showing the highest
percentage’ of involvement by women—25%. Women have
“come farther” in playing a decision-making role in the Districts
than in the Synod. The percentage of women serving on synod-
ical boards and commissions currently stands at 4.7%.

b. Percentage of Women and Men Lay Delegates at District and
Synodical Conventions (Table Not Shown)

According to those Districts reporting, 5% of the lay delegates
who attended 1974 District conventions were women. Six Dis-
tricts had no women delegates. The English District had the
highest percentage of participation by women delegates — 15% —
the two next highest Districts, New England and Southeastern,
showing 10%. Surprisingly, perhaps, the Synod showed a higher
percentage of women voting delegates at its 1973 New Orleans
convention — 8.6% — than all but four Districts did at their District
conventions.

c. Percentage of Women and Men on Convention Floor Commit-
tees at District and Synodical Conventions (Table Not Shown)

According to those Districts reporting, total membership on
floor committees at the 1974 District conventions was 94% male
and 6% female. Women at the 1973 synodical convention ac-
counted for only 1.6% of the membership on floor committees.
In seven Districts the percentage of women members on con-
vention floor committees was 10% or better.

d. Resolutions Pertaining to Women Acted Upon at 1974 District
Conventions (Table Not Shown)

Seven of the Districts reporting had acted on resolutions
pertaining to women (their role in the church, etc.) at their
1974 District conventions. The resolutions dealt with the follow-
ing subjects: establishing District commissions on women (two

Districts); including women teachers and deaconesses in
professional conferences: ending sex discrimination in District
constitution and practice: ending pay differentiation between
men and women teachers: encouraging female teachers to apply
for synodical membership.

e. District and Synodical Employment of Women (Tables Not
Shown)

According to those Districts reporting, only one (New Jersey)
has a woman serving on the District staff at the administrative/
executive level. Ten have women serving at an administrative
assistant level. At the Synod’s headquarters in St. Louis, 87 men
are employed, 83 at the administrative/executive level: 153
women are employed, and one serves at the administrative/
executive level; 4 women (no men) serve at the administrative
assistant level: the remaining 148 women (no men) serve at the
secretarial/clerical level.

f. Methods for Obtaining Names of Potential Candidates for
District and Synodical Offices. Boards. Commissions. and
Committees (Table Not Shown)

The most common methods for obtaining names of potential
candidates for District and synodical elective and appointive
positions include: requests for nominations addressed to pastors
and congregations through official notices in the Lutheran
Witness and other church periodicals: notices to District Presi-
dents, Boards of Directors, Circuit Counselors: formal and
informal requests to present members of synodical and District
boards and commissions. Only seven Districts indicated that
formally or informally contacting leaders of auxiliaries like the
LWML was a method they had used to obtain names of poten-
tial candidates. Six of the seven Districts that mentioned seeking
suggestions of names from auxiliary leaders, or from the LWML
specifically, had among the highest percentage of women
members on District boards, commissions, and committees.

3. Educational Surveys—Synod and District

a. Percentage of Women Principals in Synodical Districts
(Table Not Shown)

Of Districts reporting, only 4% of the principals serving in
elementary schools of the LCMS are women. Fourteen Districts
—although many of them Districts with only a small number of
schools—had no women principals.

b. Salaries of Full-Time Men and Women Elementary Teachers
(Table Not Shown)

The District questionnaire on teacher salaries shows almost
without exception significantly lower median salary and salary
range for women teachers. Several Districts in reporting salary
figures pointed out that it was difficult to make comparisons
since many different factors (advanced degrees, shorter tenure
by women teachers, ete.) affected salaries. Their point is well
taken. However, complete salary data for the last 2 years pub-
lished by the Synod’s Board of Parish Education reveal that
salary studies done on the basis of years of experience, degrees
attained, etc., still show in almost every instance significantly
lower salaries for women teachers and principals. The Board
of Parish Education is to be commended, however, for publish-
ing its ‘‘Performing our Patterns Resource Guide #5 on Salary
Schedule Development” and other efforts to encourage congre-
gations to develop and annually review salary schedules for
their teachers. Several Districts also follow a suggested District
salary scale for teachers. It is obvious that there has been
improvement since the Synod in convention in Milwaukee in
1971 encouraged congregations ‘to give serious consideration
to equalization of the salary base for men and women teachers”
(Res. 7-05). It is also obvious that much room for improvement
still exists.

c. Grants or Remuneration for Continuing Education (Table
Not Shown)

All but three Districts reporting indicated that some or a
majority of the parochial teachers in their area received special
remuneration for summer school or other continuing education,
with women teachers generally receiving the same benefits as
men. One District, in speaking to the question of whether women
receive the same benefits as men teachers, understood the