Author Archives: Fred Sherman

Approval of Constitution & Bylaws Revisions

Greetings and God’s Blessings to everyone,

On June 9, at a Voters Assembly, our congregation approved proposed revisions of our constitution and bylaws. This was the second of two meetings to present and approve the revised documents. Our next step will be to resubmit the revisions and relay our congregational approval to our LCMS District (CNH) to receive their final signoff.

Some significant areas that were modified in the documents are listed below.

  • The office of vice president is no longer identified as a “legal officer”, in conformance with California corporate law.
  • A call for nominations to fill the positions of officers of the congregation shall be communicated at least 30 days before the voters meeting
  • Resolutions, which are approved by the council, shall be brought before the voters assembly at their next meeting.
  • Electronic voting by council members is permitted under certain conditions.
  • The section on administration of church funds has been moved to its own document, which will be maintained by the church council.
  • All changes to the constitution and bylaws shall be reviewed by CNH district as a condition for continued membership in the LCMS
  • All references regarding the offices of vicar and teacher have been removed
  • The process for calling ordained or commissioned church workers has been rewritten

Here are the links to the revised documents

==> Link to Constitution & Bylaws (Approved by congregation, waiting for final signoff by CNH District)

==> Link to Administration of Church Funds (Approved by congregation, waiting for final signoff by CNH District)

If you have any questions regarding the content or the process of approval, contact Fred Sherman.

Review of the Constitution and Bylaws

Update: Voters Meeting Scheduled for May 19th

For the past 15 months, the church council has been working on revising our constitution and bylaws to come into conformance with the requirements instituted by our CNH District. This was an iterative, give and take process, which required that the council send draft revisions to district, whereupon the district would review and suggest / require more changes or indicate approval. Before sending each draft to the district for their review, the church council would conduct their own review and approve the revision to be submitted.

The district has now fully approved our last revision of our constitution and bylaws and accordingly, we will shortly request voter approval to make the changes official. Most of the modifications were administrative in nature or improved language clarity and meaning. None of the adopted modifications have changed the church’s stance with regard to doctrine.

Some significant areas that were modified are listed below.

  • The office of vice president is no longer identified as a “legal officer”, in conformance with California corporate law.
  • A call for nominations to fill the positions of officers of the congregation shall be communicated at least 30 days before the voters meeting
  • Resolutions, which are approved by the council, shall be brought before the voters assembly at their next meeting.
  • Electronic voting by council members is permitted under certain conditions.
  • The section on administration of church funds has been moved to its own document, which will be maintained by the church council.
  • All changes to the constitution and bylaws shall be reviewed by CNH district as a condition for continued membership in the LCMS
  • All references regarding the offices of vicar and teacher have been removed
  • The process for calling ordained or commissioned church workers has been rewritten

Because the changes in the documents are many, I will make electronic versions (in pdf format) of the previous (January 8, 2023) version and the new version available to anyone upon request. These pdfs will also be available on the Website (look under Announcements). I will also post the new version in the parish hall on the white board for all to review.

The church council welcomes all comments and suggestions.

At the voters assembly, parishioners may comment and vote for or against approval.

==> Link to Constitution & Bylaws (amended and approved January 2023)

==> Link to Constitution & Bylaws (draft – to be approved)

==> Link to Administration of Church Funds (new document – to be approved)

Fred Sherman
President