‘A sight to behold’: Floor committees meet in St. Louis

Weight and cardio training equipment was not far away for Floor Committee 12, which met in the workout room during the 2023 Floor Committee Weekend at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis. Their discussion was led by the Rev. Benjamin Ball, LCMS sixth vice-president (at head of table). (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

About 150 LCMS pastors, commissioned ministers and laypeople from around the country gathered at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis June 9–12 to begin their service on floor committees for the 2023 Synod convention. The floor committees are charged with drafting the resolutions that will be considered at the July 29–Aug. 3 convention in Milwaukee.

Convention business will be conducted by the 12 floor committees (FC) in the areas of National Witness; International Witness; Mercy; Life Together; Theology and Church Relations; Pastoral Ministry and Seminaries; University Education; Finance; Structure and Administration; Ecclesiastical Supervision and Dispute Resolution; Church and Culture; and Schools, Family, Youth and Young Adults.

A 13th floor committee — Registrations, Credentials and Elections — is not involved in the resolution process.

The schedule for the weekend included:

Floor committee secretary training;

A report from the Synod president;

Multiple opportunities for each committee to meet; and

Daily worship, including Divine Service with Holy Communion on Sunday morning, June 11.

To form their resolutions, each floor committee worked through the overtures and reports contained in the 2023 Convention Workbook.

Those resolutions have been published in the first issue of Today’s Business, available for free download. A printed copy will be mailed in advance of the convention to voting delegates; advisory delegates; officers of the Synod; and members of boards, commissions and the Council of Presidents.

In addition to the resolutions, the first issue of Today’s Business includes information about the convention schedule, proposed special standing rules and official announcements, some providing updates to information already published.

There will be six more issues of Today’s Business published during the convention — two on July 30 and one each of the remaining four days. They will include the schedule for each day, substitute or revised resolutions, wording for proposed amendments, and other official announcements and information. A limited number of additional copies of daily editions will be available for visitors attending the convention.

In a June 1 email to convention delegates, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison wrote, “[Floor Committee Weekend] is a lot of work. … But this is how the Synod gives us her marching orders for the next triennium. It’s really a blessing to watch it all unfold. The people of God, gifted in just the right ways, do the work that God has given us to do, all for the sake of the Gospel. It’s a sight to behold and an honor in which to participate.”

Floor committee members are appointed by the LCMS president in consultation with the Council of Presidents and Praesidium (Bylaw 3.1.7). Appointments are made from among the voting delegates, advisory delegates and advisory representatives (Bylaw 3.1.7 [a]).

For more information about the 2023 LCMS convention, visit lcms.org/convention/national.

Posted July 3, 2023