Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Southeastern District of The LC-MS
  May 26, 2022
Dear Southeastern District Members, Greetings in the name of our Ascended Lord. This letter comes to you with a request for response to a Convention action. Please take time to read through it and return your vote. With each Convention, a resolution comes to the delegates that addresses Bylaw changes that need to be made because of LCMS Convention actions. When bringing our Bylaws into harmony with the Synod’s Constitution & Bylaws, we go through a process of preparing the document and sending it to the LCMS Commission on Constitution Matters (CCM) where they review, comment, and give approval for the changes. On April 22, 2022, we received the CCM’s opinion on the SED Bylaws. You can find the full report from them on the Convention APP, under resources: CCM Findings. As a result, the suggested changes were incorporated into the SED Bylaws and they were brought to the Convention. Because these changes were not included in the original Resolution posted for the Convention, they did not meet the 30-day advance notice. The Convention voted 82.23% to 17.77% to approve them pending a vote by the congregations of the Southeastern District. This vote will require a 2/3 majority of votes cast within a 6-month period to pass the amendment. You will see the full resolution printed below. Please take a few moments to work your way through and then vote “yes” to pass this resolution and the changes to the SED Bylaws as identified by LCMS CCM or “no” to defeat this resolution. The voting will remain open until December 1, 2022. Each congregation has one vote. This email is going to the delegates of the Convention, which in most cases, includes 2 people. Please take a moment to confer, you may choose to bring it to your church counsel or voters’ assembly. We will record the votes as they come to us to make certain that each congregation has voted once. For those congregations who were unable to send representation to the convention, we are asking you to read through the resolution and also vote. In the royal service of the King, Rev. Dr. John Denninger President BL-04-22-03A - To Bring Southeastern District Bylaws into Harmony With The Constitution, Bylaws, And Resolutions Of The Synod Floor Committee: #04 - Bylaws Convention Year: 2022 Reference Overture(s): BL 04-22-03 WHEREAS, The 2019 Convention of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod made several changes to the Synod’s Constitution and Bylaws which were subsequently ratified by the congregations of the Synod; and WHEREAS, Synod Bylaw 4.1.1.2 (a) requires that the Bylaws of the districts of the Synod not conflict with the Constitution and Bylaws of Synod; and WHEREAS, A review of the Southeastern District, LCMS (SED) Bylaws by the District Board of Directors (BOD) disclosed several instances where the District’s Bylaws needed to be brought into harmony with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod; and WHEREAS, Synod Bylaws 3.9.2.2.3 and 4.1.1.2 (b) require districts of the Synod to submit all changes to the Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) for examination to ascertain that they are in harmony with the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod; and WHEREAS, In response to the SED BOD submission of proposed changes in accordance with Synod Bylaws 3.9.2.2.3 and 4.1.1.2 (b), the CCM issued its Opinion (April 27, 2022) recommending that certain further changes be made to bring the SED Bylaws into harmony; therefore be it RESOLVED, That Article V.2.a of the Bylaws of the SED be amended as follows: a. Each voting congregation of the District shall be entitled to nominate from the minister of religion-ordained roster of the Synod two (2) persons for the office of District President. Congregations shall also be entitled to nominate two (2) persons for all other positions to be filled. Nominations for offices designated for ministers of religion-ordained or ministers of religion-commissioned must be made from the appropriate roster and according to and be it, RESOLVED, That Article V.3.a of the Bylaws of the SED be amended as follows: a. Vice Presidents shall be nominated by congregations within the defined District region in which they and be it RESOLVED, That Article V.3.c of the Bylaws of the SED be amended as follows: a. F and be it RESOLVED, that Article V.4.c of the Bylaws of the SED be amended as follows: a. Candidates receiving a majority on the first ballot shall be declared elected. In the election of the President and Vice Presidents, if no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the candidate receiving the least number of votes is to be eliminated from each successive ballot until one candidate has received a majority vote. In all other elections when a second or succeeding ballot is required for a majority, the candidate receiving the fewest votes and all candidates receiving less than 15% of the votes cast shall be dropped from the ballot, unless fewer than two candidates receive 15% or more of the votes cast, in which case the three highest candidates shall constitute the ballot. In every election, balloting shall continue until every position has been filled by majority vote. and be it RESOLVED, That Article VI.1 be amended as follows: 1. The President, an officer of the district, is and be it RESOLVED, That Article VII.4 of the Bylaws of the SED be amended as follows: 1. Each member congregation of a Circuit shall be entitled to notice of and representation at a meeting of its Circuit. Multi-congregation parishes are represented by one voting pastoral delegate (if not vacant) and one voting lay delegate, plus an advisory delegate for each congregation that does not supply a voting delegate. and be it finally RESOLVED, That Article X of the Bylaws of the SED be amended as follows with a new X.4 and the current X.4 renumbered to X.5. 1. These Bylaws may be amended at a District Convention by the majority vote of those members present at a regular session, provided there is written notice to congregations concerning the proposed amendment 30 days in advance of the Convention. 2. The Board of Directors shall submit proposed amendments to the Synod’s Commission on Constitutional Matters to ensure they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod prior to consideration by the District Convention. The Board of Directors will also obtain legal guidance to ensure that any proposed amendments are not inconsistent with the laws of the District of Columbia. 3. In the event an amendment is approved by the District in Convention without prior approval of the Synod’s Commission on Constitutional Matters, such amendment will be contingent on approval of the Commission on Constitutional Matters. The amended articles or bylaws shall become effective immediately upon, and only upon, approval of the Commission on Constitutional Matters. Should the Commission on Constitutional Matters not approve the adopted changes, the District Board of Directors may modify the amendments to comply with the Commission on Constitutional Matters’ requirements upon their two-thirds vote. 4. When necessitated by amendments to the Synod Constitution or Bylaws or otherwise expressly directed by a resolution of the Synod in convention, amendments may be made by a two-thirds majority of the District Board of Directors. Such amendment shall be drafted by the Board of Directors Policy Committee and shall be reviewed in advance by the LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters. 5. Amendments to the District Articles of Incorporation shall be approved by a District Convention. The provisions and processes for such amendments shall be the same as for amendments to the Bylaws. Voting will remain open until December 1, 2022 
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