Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1975 · 51st Convention › Page 225
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 225

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

CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 225

Identical or similar:

5-26B and 5-26C

Towa District West

Ellis Nieting
Board of Directors, Michigan District

R. Schlecht

5-27

To Develop Plan for More Equitable
Representation at Conventions

WHEREAS, The members of the Synod are not being repre-
sented equally by the present method of choosing delegates
for synodical conventions, as some electoral circuits have as
few as 1,500 communicants and others as many as 10,000: and

WuHeEREas, A simple plan of one-fifth vote for each 1,000
communicants would bring about more equal representation
without any realignment of circuits; therefore be it

Resolved. That The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod es-
tablish the procedure beginning with the 1977 convention that
each pastor delegate and each lay delegate carry a voting
power of one-fifth vote for each 1,000 communicants he repre-
sents.

Trinity Lutheran Church
Sturgis, Mich.

Bruce Schaeffer, Chairman
Jack Meyers, Secretary
Erwin A. Ruhlig, Pastor

5-28

To Grant Full Representation to
All Members of Synod

WHEREAS, The Synod through its 125 years of history has
added new forms of ministry other than the pastoral ministry,
such as teachers, professors, chaplains, and so forth: and

WHEREAS, The decisions of synodical and District conventions
generally affect these co-workers in the Synod: and

WHEREAS, At least one congregation in multiple parishes is
denied a vote at District conventions: and

WHEREAS, The present system of one delegate per congrega-
tion does not take into account the vast variations of communi-
cant memberships in congregations: therefore be it

Resolved. That the Board of Directors of the Synod be
directed to appoint a committee or delegate to an appropriate
committee the task of revising our Constitution and Bylaws so
that the following objectives may be achieved:

1. That all “ministers of religion” officially members of the
Synod be given the right to vote at District conventions and
direct representation at synodical conventions.

2. That each congregation of a multiple parish have a voting
representation at their District convention.

3. That a proportional schedule of lay representatives be
established for congregations, granting larger congregations
additional representatives: and be it further

Resolved, That these revisions be presented to the Synod
assembled in convention in 1977.

Jehovah Ev. Lutheran Church
St. Paul, Minn.
Palmer G. H. Ruschke, Pastor

5-29A

To Amend Bylaws re Lay Delegate(s)
from Dual Parishes

WHEREAS, A Bylaw (3-17) of the Synod provides that for
District conventions “if a pastor serves two or more congrega-
tions, these shall be regarded as one parish and shall be entitled
to only one lay vote”; therefore be it

Resolved. That the Southeastern District rememorialize The
Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod at its 1975 convention to
amend its Bylaws to provide that “every congregation holding
synodical membership exclusive of its pastoral services” be
permitted a voting lay delegate at its District conventions.

Southeastern District
Ralph Wiechmann, Secretary

Identical or similar:
5-29B and 5-29C

St. John’s, Waco, Nebr.
St. Martins, Alexandria. S. Dak.

Harold Malotky
R. Mintzlaff

3-30

To Revise Lay Representation at
Conventions

WHEREAS. The present representation at District and synod-
ical conventions is based on an equal distribution of pastors
and laymen, one each per congregation at District conventions
and the same representation in choosing delegates to the
synodical convention; and

WHEREAS. This kind of representation is not representative
of the actual membership of the Synod and gives the many
laymen no more representation than the pastors, and very small
congregations equal representation with large congregations
many times their size; therefore be it

Resolved. That the Synod retain the pastoral representation
as it is at present, but that it change its Constitution and Bylaws
so as to allow each congregation one lay representative for each
400 communicant members or fraction thereof.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
Fairmont, Minn.

Willis Hinz, Chairman
Charles Backstrom, Secretary

To Increase Lay Delegate
Representation to Synodical
Conventions

WHEREAS. The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod has tradi-
tionally been said to be a church of laymen and many in the
church have expressed a desire to involve the laity to a greater
extent in synodical operations: and

WHEREAS. The delegates to synodical conventions are split
between the clergy and laity, while the laity represents 99
percent of the church; and

WHEREAS. The synodical convention is the representative
church voice on synodical issues and therefore should attempt
to represent the church membership more equally; and

WHEREAS. The cost of synodical conventions could be
reduced by reducing the number of delegates, thereby freeing
funds to extend the various ministries involved in spreading the
Gospel: therefore be it

Resolved. That the Bylaws of the Synod, Section 1.51 (Voting
Delegates), be amended to read that each of the present elec-
toral circuits be joined with an adjacent circuit and one pastor
be elected to represent both circuits, each electoral circuit
continuing to elect a layman from each electoral circuit, thus
giving a 2-1 ratio of laymen delegates to pastoral delegates:
and be it further

Resolved. That the Commission on Constitutional Matters
be instructed to make all appropriate changes in the Handbook
to implement this change in time for the 1977 synodical conven-
tion selection of delegates.

Christ Lutheran Church
Coos Bay, Oreg.

Wayne Buckles, President
Curt Aman, Secretary