Official Handbook Source Text
Handbook page 63
Source: LCMS Handbook 2023, page 63.
This page reproduces text from the 2023 LCMS Handbook for study and navigation. Readers should verify procedural, legal, parliamentary, or governance questions against the official LCMS Handbook and appropriate LCMS authorities.
Candidate
2.11.2.2 A “candidate” member is one who is eligible to perform the duties of any of
the offices of ministry specified in Bylaw section 2.11 but who is not currently an active member or an emeritus member.
(a) A candidate may be continued on the roster for a period not to exceed ten years by act of the president of the district through which the person holds membership. A candidate may be further continued on the roster for period s of five years at a time upon recommendation of the applicant’s district president and approval of three -fourths (75%) of the Council of Presidents.
(b) While a member is a candidate, the district president shall minister to that member either directly or through others, concern himself with the spiritual well-being of that member, and continue efforts to return that member to active service.
(c) The candidate shall, by July 31, make an annual report to the district president who shall determine the member ’s eligibility to remain on candidate status. The candidate ’s report shall include current contact information and address the criteria for remaining on candidate status.
(d) The district president shall determine whether or not to grant or, upon annual review, continue candidate status based on the following criteria:
(1) The member’s health;
(2) The member’s efforts to address any unresolved issues involving fitness for ministry;
(3) The member’s current involvement in ministry;
(4) The member’s written statement addressing any impediments to consideration and acceptance of a call to any of the offices of ministry specified in Bylaw section 2.11; and
(5) The member’s cooperation in keeping personnel documents up to date.
2.12 District Membership and Ecclesiastical Supervision
2.12.1 Except for those members under the ecclesiastical supervision of the
President of the Synod (Const. Art. XI B 1 and Bylaw section 2.15), a member shall be under the ecclesiastical supervision of the president of the district through which membership in the Synod is held.
2.12.1.1 A member may serve multiple concurrent assignments that would, if held
individually, be under the supervision of different districts. Prior to any such installation, the involved district presidents shall, by mutual agreement, assign such a member to one of the involved districts.
2.12.1.2 An individual member of the Synod who is serving a member congregation
shall hold membership in the Synod through the district of which the congregation is a member , whether the congregation is domestic or foreign.
2.12.1.3 An individual member of the Synod who is serving a district shall hold
membership in the Synod through that district.
