# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 06 21_S146 # AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 146 Chap. III. External Organization of the Synod. §. 1. The constituent parts of the synodical personnel are: the servants of the church and the deputies of the parish congregations, each of which has the right to elect one of them. Pastors or deputies, if they are absent for a well-founded reason, may in the case concerned give their votes in writing. §. 2. Only advisory members are all orthodox pastors not authorized by congregations, candidates for the ministry and teachers, and all delegates of a congregation of the synodical union appearing besides the deputies. §. 3. The whole (or general) Synod is divided into District Synods, whose geographical boundaries are determined by the general Synod and may be altered by it according to circumstances. §. 4. The general Synod holds a meeting every 3 years, the District Synods every year, each of the latter, however, at different times. In the third year the members of the District Synods assemble during the time and at the place of the sessions of the general Synod, in order to transact their current business for the year in question. §. 5. The general Synod and the individual District Synods elect, during the time of the sessions of the former, for three years from among themselves, out of the servants of the church, by majority of votes, one president, one vice-president, one secretary and one treasurer, the latter of whom may also be chosen from among the deputies. Of all these offices only one may be entrusted to one person. §. 6. The District Synods are independent in the administration of the affairs which concern their own district alone. They therefore have the liberty, in addition to the present general Constitution, which is also the constitution of each individual District Synod, to draft for themselves such by-laws as they may consider expedient for their own peculiar circumstances, provided that such by-laws do not run counter to the general constitution. §. 7. All synodical meetings are public; nevertheless the Synod, if it finds it necessary, or is requested to do so, may make an exception to this rule. §. 8. The pastors belonging to the Synod shall use their presence at the synodical meeting also for holding a pastoral conference. §. 9. During the time of the sessions of the Synod, sermons are preached several times by members of the Synod on subjects which the president appoints for them at least three months beforehand. §. 10. Matters of doctrine and of conscience are decided by God's Word alone; all other decisions are made by majority of votes; in case of a tie the president decides. Chap. IV. Sphere of Activity of the Synod. A. Sphere of Activity of the Synod in General. §. 1. Oversight of the purity and unity of doctrine within the synodical district. §. 2. Supervision of the conduct of office of the pastors and teachers of the synodical district. §. 3. Common defense and extension of the church. §. 4. Giving of theological opinions and counsels, also settlement of disputes between individual persons or whole parties in the congregations, the latter, however, only in those cases in which the Synod is requested to do so by all those concerned. §. 5. Striving after the greatest possible uniformity in the ceremonies. §. 6. Care for a faithful fulfillment of all duties of the ministry, especially for the exercise of a truly evangelical cure of souls in all its branches; accordingly also the promotion of thorough confirmation instruction in general and in particular with regard to the erroneous doctrines of the prevailing sects, and the introduction and maintenance of Sunday catechizations with the confirmed youth. §. 7. Collection of statistical information concerning the church from the synodical district, together with the compiling of an American-Lutheran church chronicle. §. 8. Lively intercourse with the Lutheran Church of foreign lands. §. 9. In regard to the self-government of the individual congregations the Synod is only an advisory body. Therefore no resolution of the former, if it imposes anything upon the individual congregation as a synodical resolution, has binding force for the latter. - Such a synodical resolution can have binding force only when the individual congregation has voluntarily adopted it by a formal congregational resolution and has itself confirmed it. - If a congregation finds the resolution not in accordance with the Word of God, or unsuited to its circumstances, it has the right to leave the resolution unregarded and, respectively, to reject it. B. Sphere of Activity of the General Synod in Particular. To its sphere of activity belongs everything that is to be administered for all the individual District Synods as a collective body, as: general supervision over the doctrine and over the faithful execution of what the general constitution prescribes, within each individual district; determination of the boundaries of the territory of the individual District Synods; investigation and decision of all such cases in which appeal has been made, either from the decision of their officers or from the decision of one of the District Synods, to the decision of the general Synod; home mission in the States of North America, to which none of the District Synods extends; heathen mission; establishment, maintenance and oversight of institutions of learning for the training of future pastors and schoolteachers for the service of the church, and election of the teachers and other officers in these institutions; examination of those who in one of the districts seek admission into the synodical union, the granting of the theological candidacy, or ordination, or installation into office; publication of religious periodicals as public church organs; forming of new ecclesiastical connections; entering into church treaties and the like. C. Sphere of Activity of Each Individual District Synod in Particular. To the sphere of activity of each individual District Synod, as such, belongs everything that concerns the administration of its own special affairs; the District Synods are independent herein, with the sole exception of the cases in which something of that administration has been expressly reserved and assigned by the Constitution to the general Synod. To the sphere of activity of the District Synod belongs in particular the examination of its candidates for the teaching office, and the churchly ordination of its candidates for the ministry and their installation into office; the affairs of the so-called home mission within its district, namely the provision for the pastorless congregations within it which turn to it; support of poor congregations within its district toward obtaining regular service by a pastor, etc. Chap. V. Execution A. Of the Business of the District Synods. §. 1. Each District Synod assembles at the time and place concerning which determination was made at the last session held. The duration of the regular meetings shall never be extended to more than 6 days. §. 2. The Synod opens its first session each time with a public divine service to be conducted by the general president; thereupon the names of the voting pastors and deputies present, as well as of the advisory members already received into the Synod, are registered by the secretary, after the credentials of the deputies have been examined and recognized. Later the reception of those who apply for admission into the Synod is carried out, and their names are likewise entered in the synodical register. If congregations are to be received into the synodical union, the order or constitution adopted in the same and laid down in writing, if there is one, is to be laid before the Synod for inspection. If pastors, candidates for the ministry or school-