Version History
Current published version
Today's Business, Issue 1. pp. 176-177. Original floor committee resolution.
No later published versions have been added.
Official Resolution Source Text
Resolution: 9-15
Canonical number: 9-15
Committee: Structure and Administration
Source: Today's Business, Issue 1
Printed pages: pp. 176-177
PDF pages: 176-177
Version: original, current-published-proposal
Source reference: Issue 1, pp. 176-177
Line numbers follow Today's Business, Issue 1, with numbering reset on each printed page, so delegates can compare this page with the official PDF.
Page 176
- To Increase Congregation Participation in Election of Synod President
- RESOLUTION 9-15
- Overtures 9-21–22 (CW, 477–80)
- WHEREAS, The 2010 Synod convention changed the longstanding practice of electing the Synod President at the
- convention and conferred that right to congregations using electronic voting (2010 Res. 8-17, “To Elect the Synod
- President,” [Proceedings, 167]); and
- WHEREAS, The move to direct representation has seen decreased participation in every election since this process was
- adopted, to wit:
- • The 2013 presidential election saw 8,201 registered electors and 6,432 votes cast, representing 78.43 percent voted;
- (2013 Today’s Business, 2:221)
- • The 2016 presidential election saw 7,348 registered electors and 6,157 votes cast, representing 83.79 percent voted;
- (2016 Today’s Business, 2:334)
- • The 2019 presidential election saw 6,449 registered electors and 5,823 votes cast, representing 90.29 percent voted;
- (2019 Today’s Business, 2B:239)
- • The 2023 presidential election saw 6,053 registered electors and 5,000 votes cast, representing 82.60 percent voted;
- (2023 Today’s Business, 2B:286);
Page 177
- and
- WHEREAS, “The end-to-end participation rate of votes cast per theoretically registerable elector has declined gradually
- through the decade from an initial high of 62.16 percent in 2013 to a new low of 53.78 percent in 2023, with a greater
- decline in this election, particularly among lay electors” (2023 TB 2B:287); and
- WHEREAS, 2019 Resolution 9-16 amended Bylaw 3.12.2.3 by allowing the district president to know the registration
- status of his congregations for the sole purpose of encouraging their participation (Proc., 327–28); and
- WHEREAS, Congregations with updated contact information (in particular, email addresses) on file in the Synod
- database (LCMS Information Support Network [LISN]) have greater rates of participation; therefore be it
- Resolved, That congregations be encouraged to complete their Congregation Profile in LISN, including current email
- contact information for their lay leadership, and update it annually during their statistical reports (Bylaw 1.3.4.3); and be
- it further
- Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct all district presidents to encourage participation in the Synod President
- election by educating all congregations and their pastors in their districts of their right to vote and the process by which
- they can exercise their right to vote (Bylaw 4.4.8); and be it further
- Resolved, That the districts in convention allot time to educate their respective districts about the process for the
- election of the Synod President; and be it further
- Resolved, That the Council of Presidents utilize the information from the Secretary of the Synod about the registration
- process at their November and February meetings in the twelve months prior to the Synod convention; and be it finally
- Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct all circuit visitors to work with the vacant congregations in their circuits
- to help them register to vote and to understand the process by which they can exercise their right to vote (Bylaw 5.2.3.[h]).
