Convention Postcard Mailings

Mailing No. 1: June 2, 2014

It’s Time to … Prepare for Circuit Forums

It is time to begin your congregation’s preparations for the 2016 convention of our Synod. It all starts close to home with preparations for a circuit forum, soon to be scheduled by your circuit visitor. The forum will handle 2015 district convention business and matters related to the 2016 Synod convention. An official voters meeting of your congregation prior to the circuit forum will be required.

Four Essential Items

The following four items should appear on the agenda of your voters meeting:

1. Designation of two representatives to attend the circuit forum
2. Nomination of candidates for circuit visitor for the 2015–2018 triennium
3. Participation in the triennial process for determining the Synod’s priorities
4. Election of your congregation’s delegates to your district convention

More Information to Come

Watch for the next four postcard mailings. Each will provide helpful information regarding one of these agenda items. For now, be sure to identify an appropriate date to hold your congregation’s meeting.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 2: June 15, 2014

It’s Time to ... Designate Circuit Forum Representatives

It is time for your congregation to designate representatives to attend its circuit forum. The forum will handle matters related to the 2015 district and 2016 Synod conventions. Unless your congregation has another official process, a voters meeting should make this decision in advance of the upcoming circuit forum.

Your Congregation's Two Representatives

The circuit forum consists of a pastor of each congregation and one member of each congregation designated by the congregation (Synod Bylaw 5.3.2). If your congregation has more than one called pastor, the congregation must choose a pastor to represent it. If your pastor serves more than one congregation, he is the pastoral representative of all those congregations (but votes only once). Each congregation is entitled to one other voting representative — a member of the congregation so designated.

Other Preparations for the Circuit Forum

Designation of circuit forum representatives is one of four matters requiring your congregation’s attention prior to the circuit forum. Watch for future postcard mailings that will address the other three:

1. Nomination of candidates for circuit visitor
2. Participation in the triennial process for determining the Synod’s priorities
3. Election of your congregation’s delegates to your district convention

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 3: July 1, 2014

It’s Time to ... Nominate Candidates for Circuit Visitor

It is time for your congregation to nominate its candidate(s) for the office of circuit visitor. This will require official action by your voters assembly prior to the circuit forum, where several items of business related to the 2015 district and 2016 Synod conventions will be conducted.

Submitting Circuit Visitor Nominations

Synod Bylaw 5.2.1 speaks of a circuit visitor as the principal officer of the circuit. His considerable duties are described in Bylaws 5.2.3–5.2.3.3. According to Bylaws 4.3.1 and 5.2.2 (d), pastors on the clergy roster of the district who are actively serving congregations, and emeriti pastors who are on the roster of the district, are eligible. These bylaws leave open the possibility of nominating active or emeriti pastors from outside the circuit. Note that pertinent [biographical] information regarding each pastor should be available for presentation at the circuit forum (Bylaw 5.2.2 [d] [1]).

Other Congregation Responsibilities

The nomination of circuit visitor candidates is the third of four topics requiring your congregation’s attention in preparation for the 2015 district and 2016 Synod conventions. Each will be the subject of a postcard mailing, offering information to assist your congregation in carrying out its responsibilities as a member of the Synod. Copies of these cards may be a helpful handout at your voters meetings.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 4: July 15, 2014

It’s Time to ... Participate in Determining the Synod's Priorities

This is still new. It is time for your congregation to participate in our Synod’s new process for determining its mission and ministry emphases (areas in which the Synod should concentrate attention and efforts) for the next Synod triennium. That process begins during the voters meeting that your congregation already will be calling to give attention to other district and Synod convention business.

Congregations Submit Ideas to their Circuit Forums

The circuit forum provides an opportunity for your congregation to voice its opinion regarding mission and ministry areas where the Synod should concentrate efforts — ethnic ministry, rural ministry, family ministry, church worker recruitment, etc. This is your congregation’s opportunity to influence the mission and ministry of the Synod. According to Synod Bylaw 4.2.1 (b): The district convention is the instrument to receive overtures (Bylaw 3.1.6.2), including overtures and recommendations for synodwide mission and ministry emphases submitted by member congregations and adopted by a circuit forum.

Ideas Adopted by Circuit Forums Receive District and Synod Attention

Synod Bylaw 4.2.1 (d) states: The district convention shall, through delegate vote, forward to the national convention a list of two or three triennial mission and ministry emphases for consideration by the national convention. The emphases adopted by the Synod convention provide primary focus for the Synod’s mission offices and foster specific goals to support ministry at the congregational level.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 5: Aug. 1, 2014

It’s Time to ... Elect District Convention Delegates

This will be a good time, since your congregation will be meeting to conduct other essential business in preparation for your circuit forum, to take care of other convention-related business, including the election of your congregation’s voting delegates to the district convention (one pastor and one layperson for each congregation or multi-congregation parish). This election has taken on added significance of late.

District Convention Delegates also are Presidential Election Voters

As stated by Synod Bylaw 3.12.2.4, voting delegates who attend their district conventions also cast their congregations’ votes in the next national election of the president of the Synod. Four weeks prior to the national convention, the secretary of the Synod shall provide, via a secure and verifiable method, opportunity for two voting delegates from each congregation in attendance at the previous district convention … to vote for one of the candidates for president.

District Convention Delegates Should be Elected Knowingly

When considering the election of district convention delegates, congregations should bear in mind: (1) congregations can only participate in the district convention and the election of the Synod president if they elect delegates; (2) delegates can only participate in the election of the president if they attend their district conventions; and (3) delegates will be able more easily to participate in the presidential election if they have some familiarity with and access to a computer and the Internet.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 6: Jan. 15, 2015

It’s Time for ... Nominations

Already it is time to submit nominations for certain officer, board and commission positions to be filled by the July 9-13, 2016, LCMS convention. Detailed information is being provided in a mailing that is currently being sent to all officers, agencies, congregations, and ordained and commissioned ministers of the Synod. Lay members of member congregations of the Synod also may submit nominations.

Positions to be Filled

This is a call for nominations for positions for which the Committee for Convention Nominations will be responsible, as follows:

• Secretary of the Synod (ordained minister)
• LCMS Board of Directors (two ordained ministers; one lay person)
• CTCR (one parish pastor; one parish teacher; one lay person)
• CPH Board of Directors (one ordained minister; one commissioned minister; three lay people)
• LCEF Board of Directors (one ordained or commissioned minister; two lay people)
• CUS Board of Directors (one ordained minister; one commissioned minister; two lay people)
• CUS Boards of Regents (one ordained minister; one commissioned minister; two lay people)
• Seminary Boards of Regents (one ordained minister; two lay people)

[NOTE: This call for nominations does not include president, vice-president, mission board and regional board of directors’ positions, which will be addressed later in 2015 when congregations will receive nomination ballots.]

Electronic Nomination Form Available

An electronic auto-fill nomination form is available at www.lcms.org/convention/2016nominationform. All people nominated must be members of member congregations of the Synod.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 7: Jan. 30, 2015

It’s Time to ... Report Statistical Information

At this time each year, the LCMS Rosters and Statistics staff collect statistical information from all member congregations of the Synod. This is one of the “requirements of membership” listed in Synod Bylaw 1.3.4.

Up-to-date statistical information is essential for the Synod as it plans current and future ministry efforts. Such information is also critical for determining proper voting representation at conventions.

New Process for Reporting Statistical Information

With the cooperation of the Synod’s 35 district presidents, a new process has been developed to obtain 100 percent participation. The process will feature electronic reporting via the Internet, as well as district office monitoring and assistance. During the first week of February, every congregation will receive a letter containing a Web link and login information to access an electronic report form. The due date for returning the form will be Feb. 28, 2015.

District presidents will receive status reports identifying the congregations in their districts that have not yet responded and will provide assistance as needed. Our goal is a 100 percent response — the same anticipated by Synod Bylaw 1.3.4.

Watch the Mail

Watch for the above-mentioned mailing from the Synod’s “OFFICE OF ROSTERS AND STATISTICS” in your congregation’s mailbox. In addition to the Web link and login information, it will provide additional instructions for completing the report form.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 8: June 12, 2015

It’s Time to ... Elect Your 2016 LCMS Convention Voting Delegates

With the 2016 LCMS convention a year away, each electoral circuit of the Synod (consisting of 7 to 20 congregations and 1,500 to 10,000 confirmed members) must meet to elect voting delegates to the convention. These meetings must take place no later than Oct. 9, 2015.

How Electoral Circuit Meetings Must Be Conducted

Detailed instructions for the conduct of these meetings are provided in Bylaw 3.1.2.1 (2013 Handbook, pp. 81–82). It will be the responsibility of your circuit visitor to conduct your meeting accordingly. However, your congregation should note the following details in particular:

1. The date and time for the electoral circuit meeting will be announced by your circuit visitor.

2. Unlike representation at district conventions, each member congregation of the circuit may be represented by its pastor and a layperson (including multiple-congregation parishes).

3. Prior to this electoral circuit meeting,

a. each congregation of the circuit may nominate one layperson from the electoral circuit for election as the circuit’s lay voting delegate or alternate lay voting delegate to the convention.
b. each congregation must submit the name of its layperson nominee to its circuit visitor prior to the day of the electoral circuit meeting in order for that nominee to be considered for election.

What Does This Mean for Your Congregation?

1. Find out the date and time for the electoral circuit meeting.

2. Conduct a meeting of your congregation prior to the electoral circuit meeting to make the following decisions:

a. Select your congregation’s lay representative to attend the meeting along with your pastor.
b. Nominate one layperson from your circuit for election as lay voting delegate or alternate lay voting delegate.

3. Submit that layperson’s name to your circuit visitor prior to the day of the circuit meeting.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 9: Aug. 1, 2015

It’s Time to ... Submit Nominations

This is a reminder that Oct. 9, 2015 is the deadline for submitting names to the Committee for Convention Nominations for the following positions to be filled by the 2016 Synod convention, which meets in Milwaukee, Wis., July 9-14, 2016:

• Secretary of the Synod (ordained)
• LCMS Board of Directors at-large positions (2 ordained; 1 layperson)
• Concordia University System Board of Directors (1 ordained; 1 commissioned; 2 laypersons)
• Concordia Publishing House Board of Directors (1 ordained; 1 commissioned; 3 laypersons)
• Lutheran Church Extension Fund Board of Directors (1 ordained or commissioned; 2 laypersons)
• Commission on Theology and Church Relations (1 ordained, parish pastor; 1 commissioned, parish teacher; 1 layperson)
• Boards of Regents — two seminaries (1 ordained; 2 laypersons)
• Boards of Regents — nine colleges/universities (1 ordained; 1 commissioned; 2 laypersons)

Nominations may be submitted by members of the Synod (ordained ministers, commissioned ministers, congregations) or individual members of congregations. A convenient auto-fill nomination form is available at lcms.org/convention/2016nominationform.

Not included in this call for nominations are the following positions: Synod president; all vice-presidents; regional members of the Board of Directors; and all members of the national and international mission boards. Nominations for these positions will be made by official ballots mailed to all voting congregations on or around Oct. 1, 2015.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 10: Aug. 15, 2015

It’s Time for ... 2016 Convention Overtures

Feb. 20, 2016, is the deadline for submitting overtures (proposed resolutions) to the 2016 Synod convention. Any overtures submitted after that date can only be accepted for convention attention if approved by a special committee made up of the president, first vice-president and secretary of the Synod and only if thought to introduce an important issue not adequately covered by other submitted documents.

While Feb. 20 is the official deadline, the Secretary’s Office encourages submission of reports and overtures by Feb. 1, 2016, to facilitate their inclusion in the 2016 Convention Workbook.

The right to submit overtures is limited to member congregations of the Synod; circuit forums; district boards of directors, conventions and official church worker conferences; faculties of Synod universities, colleges and seminaries; boards and commissions of the Synod; and committees created by prior conventions.

Note: Overtures addressing matters in dispute resolution or which contain libel or slander or may subject the Synod or its officers to civil action for the same cannot be accepted. Overtures that contain information that is materially in error or misrepresent the truth cannot be accepted.

An electronic template/instruction document is available at lcms.org/convention/overtures to facilitate submission and processing of overtures. Submitting an electronic copy is helpful, but printed copies with congregation or circuit forum officer signatures are also required. If access to the electronic document is not available, overtures should use as a model the general format found in convention materials from prior Synod conventions.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 11: Sept. 15, 2015

It’s Time for ... 2016 Convention Nominating Ballots

Shortly after Oct. 1, your congregation should receive an important large, white envelope clearly labeled “LCMS OFFICIAL NOMINATIONS BALLOTS.” If this envelope is lost or misplaced, a duplicate must be obtained from the Office of the Secretary of the Synod.

This envelope must immediately be brought to the attention of your congregation’s chairman. It will contain your congregation’s official ballots for participation in the nominations process for:

• President and first vice-president of the Synod
• Regional vice-president of the Synod
• Regional members of the Board for National Mission
• Regional members of the Board for International Mission

And if your congregation is in the East-Southeast, Great Lakes or Great Plains regions of the Synod, your envelope will also contain a nominating ballot for:

• Regional lay member of the Synod’s Board of Directors

Also in the envelope:

• Information regarding nominee qualifications
• Detailed information printed on each ballot regarding its use
• A map showing the five regions of the Synod
• Colored envelopes for returning the ballots according to instructions on the ballots

The chairman of your congregation should determine when your congregation will be able to meet to discuss and determine the names that it will submit in nomination. The envelopes containing the completed and signed ballots must be received by Feb. 9, 2016.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 12: Jan. 15, 2016

It’s Time for ... 2016 Convention Deadlines

With the arrival of the new year, three important LCMS convention deadlines are rapidly approaching for your congregation:

• Feb. 9, 2016 — President and first vice-president nominating ballots must be received by this date by the Synod’s auditor, Brown Smith Wallace. Official ballots must be used and signed by two congregation officers. Blue return envelopes were provided in your congregation’s nominations packet.
• Feb. 9, 2016 — Regional vice-president, Board of Directors and mission board nominating ballots must be received by this date by the Office of the Secretary of the Synod. Official ballots must be used and signed by two congregation officers. Yellow return envelopes were provided in your congregation’s nominations packet.
  
  [Note: If a nominating ballot has been spoiled or lost, a duplicate ballot must be obtained from the Office of the Secretary in sufficient time to meet the Feb. 9 deadline.]
• Feb. 20, 2016 — Overtures (proposed convention actions) are due to be received by the Office of the President for inclusion in the 2016 Convention Workbook and must be signed by at least one officer of the congregation. Overtures received after the Feb. 20 deadline are included in convention business only if judged to be a matter of overriding importance and urgency and not covered by overtures already submitted.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary

Mailing No. 13: April 15, 2016

It’s Nearly Time to ... Elect the President of our Synod

The process for electing the president of our Synod prior to the 2016 Synod convention is about to move forward. If your congregation sent delegates to your district’s 2015 convention, this postcard provides six important reminders regarding the presidential election:

1. Your delegates’ 2015 district convention attendance qualifies them to serve as your congregation’s voters in the 2016 LCMS presidential election, June 11–14. Your congregation should make certain that your voter(s) will be available to participate in the election.
2. If one (or both) of your voters will be unavailable, it is important to inform my office of substitutions, using an official “Substitute Voter Form” obtained at lcms.org/convention/presidentialelection.
3. Accurate mail and email addresses are essential to provide necessary election participation information. For a “Voter Update Form” go to lcms.org/convention/presidentialelection.
4. Voting will be by electronic ballot, conducted by Election America. The process will not be difficult or complicated, but it will require the use of a computer and access to the Internet.
5. Voters without computers should plan to obtain the use of a computer and the assistance of a family member or the church office. Information regarding the voting process, the candidates and the code numbers needed to participate will be mailed by Election America a week prior to the election.
6. Results of the June 11–14 ballot will be known almost immediately. If no candidate receives a majority of votes cast, a June 18–21 second ballot will be necessary using the same participation information received by mail during the week prior to the first ballot.

Raymond L. Hartwig
LCMS Secretary