To Certify Accuracy and Trustworthiness of Call Documents

Ov. 10-31

To Certify Accuracy and Trustworthiness of Call Documents

WHEREAS, The Synod C onstitution states the following as objectives of the Synod:

• to “provide evangelical supervision, counsel, and care for pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers of the Synod in the performance of their official duties” (Const.

Art. III 8); and • to “provide protection for congregations, pastors, teachers, and other church workers in the performance of their official duties and the maintenance of their rights ” (Const. Art. III 9); and • to “aid in providing for the welfare of pastors, teachers, and other church workers, and their families in the event of illness, disability, retirement, special need, or death” (Const.

Art. III 10);

and

WHEREAS, The Constitution defines membership in the Synod as follows: “membership in the Synod is held and may be acquired by congregations and individuals, ministers of religion—ordained and ministers of religion— commissioned, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church who confess and accept the confessional basis of Article II” (Const. Art. V), and “all organized congregations that have joined the Synod hold voting membership ” (Const. Art. V A), and “individual members of the Synod, who are nonvoting except for those pa stors exercising the vote of a member congregation and installed to a member congregation, are the following : 1. Pastors, ordained ministers, called and installed to a member congregation,” etc. (Const. Art. V B; Const. Art V B 1); and

WHEREAS, The Constitution obligates the respective district president, to “ sign all examination papers and certificates of

ordination, and, in general, all official papers and documents of their district” (Const. Art. XII 9 d); and

WHEREAS, The Synod Bylaws define Concordia Plan Services (CPS) in the following manner: “Concordia Plan Services is a controlled entity of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod created to manage the Concordia Plans” (Bylaw 1.2.1 [d]); and

WHEREAS, The Byla ws define the term “e cclesiastical supervision” as follows: “t he responsibility, primarily of the President of the Synod and district presidents, to supervise on behalf of the Synod the doctrine, life, and administration of its members, officers, and agencies” (Bylaw 1.2.1 [j]); and

WHEREAS, The Bylaws define the relationships of the congregations, national body, districts, and circuits in the following manner: “… t he Synod, including its component parts, also serves as the structure through which congregations carry out certain functions that can be performed more effectively and efficiently together with other member congregations” (Bylaws 1.3.3); and

WHEREAS, In some cases , the aforementioned c all papers presented to professional church workers who were called to serve calling entities within a d istrict of the Synod have resulted in the professional church workers not receiving the pay and/or benefits noted in the official call papers presented to them by the calling entities; and

WHEREAS, In at least one case of each of the following examples, the pay and/or benefits noted above have included benefits such as a housing agreement, CPS health insurance benefits, CPS pension benefits, as well as CPS disability and survivor insurance, all of which were specified in the original call papers, only to result in the calling entities refusing to provide these benefits that were specified in the original call papers that the calling entities officially presented to professional church workers; therefore be it

Resolved, That district presidents or their designees certify in writing that all the benefits provided in official call papers that are presented by all calling entities within any given district to rostered professional church workers are accurate and trustworthy; and be it further

Resolved, That district presidents or their designees sign a “certificate of authenticity” to provide assurance to the rostered professional church workers that the pay and benefits specified in the official call papers provided by a calling entity within the district are, in fact, accurate and may be trusted to be executed as stated by the calling entity; and be it further

Resolved, That district presidents, or their designees, present the rostered professional church workers with said “ certificate of authenticity” before proceeding to install any rostered professional church worker into his/her new place of service; and be it further

Resolved, That district presidents or their designees retain an official copy of the “certificate of authenticity” together with all the official call papers provided by any calling entity to any rostered professional church workers for any called positions within the Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That district presidents or their designees , after establishing the above noted “certificate of authenticity,” along with all the processes that may be needed to provide such a “ certificate of authenticity,” then advocate with the President of the Synod, the Praesidium, the Council of Presidents, and the Synod Board of Directors to have such a “ certificate of authenticity ” become a regular practice for all Synod agencies and recognized service organizations; and be it finally

Resolved, That CPS , as a controlled agency of the Synod , be encouraged to assist the districts and the Synod in preparing such a “certificate of authenticity” for any pay and/or benefits that CPS is involved in providing to any rostered professional church workers through the calling entities of Synod.

Circuit 43 (St. Joseph)

Michigan District