Congressman Seeks Fairness at 2004 LCMS Convention
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Congressman William Dannemeyer, of Orange County, California, has studied the current structure of Floor Committees at LCMS Conventions. As an attorney, a six-term United States Congressman, congregational president, LCMS Convention delegate, and Convention observer, he concludes that the current structure is thoroughly to the advantage of the District Presidents and clergy.

Even though the LCMS Constitution states there should be equal representation between laity and clergy, the reality is that the clergy rule the Convention through manipulative parliamentary procedures and by-laws that predetermine the Convention proceedings.

Under the current structure, Floor Committees are hand picked and stacked with delegates by the District Presidents who are appointed as Floor Committee Chairmen by the LCMS President. The District Presidents then seek committee members from the delegates who support their views. The Floor Committees determine how resolutions are to be written and which resolutions will be presented for a vote. The outcome of the Convention is thus predetermined by the District Presidents.

For example, we can expect LCMS President Kieschnick to select a District President who supports his views on President Benke's participation in the Yankee Stadium worship service to be Committee Chairman. As Committee Chairman, he will write the resolution on this issue for the consideration of the 2004 Convention.

Congressman Dannemeyer encourages the following resolution be adopted at next summer's District Conventions and then sent to the Synodical Convention. The goal is to give the lay people equal representation with the clergy.

Do not be surprised that your pastor doesn't want this resolution adopted by your Voters' Assembly and sent to your District Convention for consideration. Your pastor needs the District President's friendship if the next call he gets will be to the "right" congregation.


The following resolution was endorsed at the meeting of Lutheran Concerns Association in Chicago the week after Easter 2002.

RESOLUTION RELATING TO HOW COMMITTEES IN SYNOD AND DISTRICT COVENTIONS ARE TO BE ORGANIZED

WHEREAS, Holy Scripture makes no distinction between clergy and laymen: "One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. Matthew 23:8." "The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them, but it shall not be so among you. Matthew 21:25-26;" and

WHEREAS, there is no provision in the LCMS Handbook on the structure of committees which are formed at a Synodical convention, that is the apportionment between clergy and lay people, nor is there any provision as to how committees shall conduct their business; and

WHEREAS, there is a provision in the LCMS Handbook that District Conventions shall be governed by the by-laws adopted by the Synod for its convention; and

WHEREAS, since the LCMS Handbook is silent on how Synod shall form committees at a Synodical Convention and conduct their business such has the result that there is no direction to a District as to how to form committees at a District Convention and how such committees will conduct their business; and

WHEREAS, at the 2000 District Convention of the PSWD the District President organized the committees with a majority of the persons on each committees working for the church, which clearly discriminated against the lay people of our church is a direct violation of Holy Scripture in that we are all equal in the Kingdom of God; and

WHEREAS, there is a definite need to establish in the LCMS Handbook how committees are to be formed at Synodical and District Convention, and how the committees are to perform their functions so as to give life to the statement of our Lord that we clergy and layman are equal in the Kingdom of God;

NOW THEREFORE, The Lutheran Concerns Association does hereby request that the LCMS Convention in 2004 and each District Convention in 2003 adopt the following recommendations:

(1) Committees appointed to a Synodical or District Convention should have an odd number, between 9-15, and in order to bring the needed perspective of the clergy and commissioned ministers, one pastor and one commissioned minister shall be appointed. As to the balance of the members of the committee, they are to be selected by drawing the names from a container holding the names of the delegates to the convention.

(2) That votes of the members of the committee shall be public and recorded by the chairman as a part of his report to the convention.

(3) That at any meeting of the committee, initial or otherwise, any person, delegate or otherwise, who is a member of an LCMS congregation should have the right to address the committee on Overtures which have been assigned to it. A second or subsequent statement by a member to a committee shall be at the discretion of the chairman.

(4) At the initial meeting of a committee, the committee members shall elect the chairman. Any meeting of a committee shall be preceded by a notice of at least two weeks of the intention to meet citing time and place.

(5) The so-called Behnken rule should be abolished. This rule is the means whereby a chairman of a convention can arbitrarily rule from the chair that a proposed amendment is a substitute, not an amendment, and then the proponent has two minutes to explain why the convention's time should be consumed to take up the measure. No part of the two minutes can be used to explain the merits of the proposal, only why it should be taken up.

The existence of this rule is means whereby a committee chairman and the presiding officer at a convention can effectively keep it buried in a committee, a measure that a convention should discuss. It is the means whereby an institution can sweep under the rug an issue which needs discussion in the church but is considered controversial or politically incorrect; and

FURTHER, that the By-laws of each of the 35 Districts of the LCMS be amended at the District Conventions in 2003 so that Committees organized at the 2003 District Conventions will be consistent with the foregoing structure.


Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.

April 29, 2002