Auxiliary And Recognized Service Organizations

6.1.1An auxiliary exists as an arm of the Synod and has as its primary function aiding the Synod, specifically in programs that extend the ministry and mission of the Synod. Auxiliary status is presently limited to the International Lutheran Laymen’s League and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

6.1.2An organization desiring to be recognized as an auxiliary of the Synod shall apply for that status to a convention of the Synod through the Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

6.1.2.1An organization desiring to be recognized as an auxiliary of the Synod shall satisfy the following requirements: (a) Be national in scope and voluntary in membership and participation. (b) Identify itself with the Synod but not be a part of the Synod’s constitutional structure. (c) Operate with freedom and self-determination as a ministry and be independent of the Synod in its organization and administration, in the establishment and evaluation of its own objectives, activities, and programs, and in financial matters, while complying with the responsibilities outlined in this bylaw. (d) Coordinate plans and programs with those of the Synod through regular sharing and contact with representatives of those boards and offices to which the Synod has assigned specific responsibilities (boards and offices of the Synod will share with the auxiliaries in a similar manner). (e) Be classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) corporation. (f) Have membership made up of persons who are baptized members of congregations that are members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and all partner churches. (g) Seek, when calling an ordained or commissioned minister, the counsel of the district president who would, by virtue of the call, assume ecclesiastical* supervision of the minister (Bylaw section 2.12).

1. If the call is such that the district president to assume ecclesiastical supervision is not known, the counsel of the president of the district within which the entity is located or with which it is associated shall be sought.
2. If such a call involves multiple districts (such as by entity location or connection and/or position locale), the presidents of all such districts shall be consulted and mutually agree on which one of them will counsel the entity regarding the call and assume ecclesiastical supervision of the worker called. * Commission on Handbook: October 30, 2023. (h) Call and, in any sense involving distinctive function(s) of the pastoral office, be served by only those ordained ministers or candidates designated by Bylaw 2.5.2. (i) Call only those commissioned ministers or candidates designated by Bylaw 2.5.3.*

6.1.2.2Auxiliaries shall continue to meet the above requirements for continued recognition.

6.1.3An auxiliary assumes the following responsibilities:

1. It reports annually, through its chief elected officer, to the President of the Synod and, upon his request, to conventions of the Synod.
2. It provides the Synod, through its chief elected officer, with an annual program report for sharing with the appropriate boards and offices.
3. It keeps the Synod advised of any new program under consideration.
4. It submits all material of a biblical or theological nature to the Synod for doctrinal review.
5. It is responsible for its own debts and liabilities and so indicates in all of its agreements of a financial nature, statements of ownership, financial offers, and other legal documents, agreements, and promotional materials, and all other communications of a financial nature in accordance with criteria determined by the Board of Directors of the Synod, so that it is clear that being an auxiliary is not regarded as an endorsement by the Synod of its organization and administration, or as a guarantee on the part of the Synod for the fiscal solvency of, or any financial responsibility for, the organization or for services expressly offered or implied.
6. It honors and upholds the doctrine and practice of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as set forth in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
7. It operates with freedom and self-determination in its mission, independent of control by the Synod in its organization and administration, while at the same time it respects protocol documents that may exist between The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and her partner churches that have been made available to the auxiliary.

6.1.4Being a recognized auxiliary of the Synod offers the following privileges:

1. Eligibility of ordained and commissioned ministers of the Synod serving such organizations to remain on the membership rosters of the Synod as “active members,” if otherwise eligible.
2. Auxiliaries that have agreed to address call-related disputes through Synod’s dispute resolution process, and their called workers, have access to the process (Bylaw section 1.10) in regard to such disputes. * 2023 Convention: Res. 10-02, Proc. 216–17.
3. Eligibility for obtaining church extension loans from the Lutheran Church Extension Fund—Missouri Synod (LCEF), unless the policies of LCEF preclude such organization as an eligible borrower.
4. Eligibility to be an “employer” under the Concordia Plans of the Synod unless the policies of such a plan preclude such organization as an eligible employer.
5. Recognition of the auxiliary in the Handbook of the Synod and listing of the organization in The Lutheran Annual as an auxiliary of the Synod, provided that such listing shall be prefaced by a statement that recognition is not a guarantee on the part of the Synod for the fiscal solvency of the auxiliary, or any financial responsibility for such organization or for services expressly or impliedly offered.
6. The opportunity to report to conventions of the Synod.
7. The opportunity to raise funds within the Synod to support the auxiliary’s programs.

6.2.1The granting of recognized service organization status by the Synod signifies that a service organization, while independent of the Synod, fosters the mission and ministry of the church, engages in program activity that extends the mission and ministry of the Synod, is in harmony with the programs of the Synod, and respects and does not act contrary to the doctrine and practice of the Synod.

1. Under the governance and policies of its own board, a recognized service organization operates with freedom and self-determination, structurally independent of the Synod and its agencies, in the establishment and evaluation of its own objectives, activities, and programs, in organization and administration, and in financial matters.
2. A recognized service organization respects the rights and obligations of Synod’s members, individual and congregational. Respecting proper evangelical supervision, counsel, and care of church workers and congregations, a recognized service organization accepts and agrees to facilitate the respective district president’s ecclesiastical supervision of its rostered workers and his role in the recognized service organization’s call process. A recognized service organization recognizes a congregation’s right and duty to regularly call its own pastor and agrees not to extend pastoral ministry to a congregation without the specific consent of the congregation and the congregation’s district president.
3. A recognized service organization respects the authority of Synod’s districts. A recognized service organization working within a geographical district, or with a congregation of a non-geographical district, accepts and agrees to facilitate the ecclesiastical oversight of the respective district’s president over the organization’s activities within his district. The overseeing district president shall report unresolved doctrinal and practical concerns to the Synod mission office granting status.
4. A recognized service organization shall call and, in any sense involving distinctive function(s) of the pastoral office, be served by only those ordained ministers or candidates designated by Bylaw 2.5.2.
5. A recognized service organization shall call only those commissioned ministers or candidates designated by Bylaw 2.5.3.* (df) A recognized service organization operating domestically respects the role of all districts impacted by its mission planning. A recognized service organization shall pursue church planting or establishment of preaching stations/missions only after consulting with and obtaining the concurrence of the same districts’ president and boards or committees responsible for missions. (eg) A recognized service organization operating internationally agrees to inform, seek the counsel of, and cooperate with the Office of International Mission in its international work and respects protocol documents that may exist between The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and her partner churches that have been made available to the recognized service organization. (fh) Each recognized service organization shall be required to give its assurance in its governing documents that recognition as a service organization is not an endorsement by the Synod or a guarantee of financial responsibility for the debts and obligations of the organization or for services provided or offered.

6.2.2Policies shall distinguish the three classes of recognized service organization, with criteria, procedures, and benefits appropriate to each, further distinctions being drawn within the categories as needed: (a) A witness service organization, under the Scriptures and Lutheran

6.2.2.1Policies of the Board of Directors and the mission boards and offices of the Synod may distinguish, within the educational and mercy service classes (educational service organization and mercy service organization), tiers of status recognizing different degrees of churchly governance and support and commensurate expectations for performance of activities and realization of mutual benefits.

6.2.2.2The right to extend a Synod-recognized, regular call to a rostered worker is afforded to the board of directors of a recognized service organization, provided that:

1. the The board’s composition contains at least the proportion of members of Synod member congregations required by recognized service organization program policies; and.
2. the appropriate The district president who would, by virtue of the call, assume ecclesiastical* supervision of the minister (Bylaw section 2.12) is properly consulted in the call process; and.
   1. If the call is such that the district president to assume ecclesiastical supervision is not known, the counsel of the president of the district within which the entity is located or with which it is associated shall be sought.
   2. If such a call involves multiple districts (such as by entity location or connection and/or position locale), the presidents of all such districts shall be consulted and mutually agree on which one of them will counsel the entity regarding the call and assume ecclesiastical supervision of the worker called.
3. the The call document is approved by the district president who would assume ecclesiastical supervision of the member as clearly stating that the organization:
   1. expects that the worker will, without compromise or constraint, carry out the ministry for which ordained or commissioned, and to which called, according to the doctrine and practice of the Synod.
   2. agrees to accommodate and encourage the ecclesiastical supervision of the worker by the appropriate district president.
   3. submits, as an exclusive remedy, to the dispute resolution process of the Synod for the resolution of any issues arising under the divine call.
4. the The organization demonstrates to the district president its ability to provide for the reasonable needs of the called worker for the duration of the period of the call.†

6.2.3Program administration shall be carried out by the Offices of National and International Mission according to these bylaws, and according to policies and criteria developed by the Synod Board of Directors, mission boards, and mission offices. * Commission on Handbook: October 30, 2023. † 2023 Convention: Res. 10-02, Proc. 216–17. (a) The Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod shall adopt common policies and criteria for granting of recognized service organization status by Synod’s mission offices, such polices relating to expectations for the corporate structure and governance of the organizations, statements regarding their legal and corporate independence from the Synod, and the necessary relation of their work to the mission and ministry of the Synod as generally expressed in its Constitution and Bylaws. The Board of Directors shall approve the standard form of agreement to be entered into by the Synod and each recognized service organization. (b) Each mission board of the Synod in consultation with the Council of Presidents shall adopt further policies and criteria, related to its area of responsibility for granting of recognized service organization status by its respective mission office, such policies relating to the organizations’ alignment with and augmentation of the mission and ministry of the Synod, as the Constitution and Bylaws relate to the board’s area of responsibility and as further expressed in the Synod’s triennial emphases and the board’s specific goals and activities. (c) Each mission office shall, subject to 6.2.3 (a) and (b) above, adopt further policies and criteria, for granting, renewal, and withdrawal of recognized service organization status, and shall develop such instruments as are necessary for coordination with districts.

6.2.4Subject to policies adopted by the Synod’s Board of Directors and the respective mission board, recognized service organization status may be granted by the Office of National Mission or the Office of International Mission to a service organization (other than an auxiliary) that extends the mission and ministry of the Synod but is not part of the Synod as defined by its Constitution and Bylaws.

1. Applications for recognized service organization status shall be made to the Office of the Secretary of the Synod, which will facilitate the application as follows: (1) Educational service organization status is evaluated by the geographical district in which the school or camp is located, unless all voting members of its Board of Directors are members of a non- geographic district, on the basis of an instrument jointly developed by the Office of National Mission and the Council of Presidents. The instrument, completed by the organization and district, is reviewed and approved by the Office of National Mission. The status of schools is managed on a per-site basis. (2) Witness or mercy service organization status, if the organization’s activity is entirely within a single geographical district, may, if the policies of the Board for National Mission permit, be evaluated by the relevant district on the basis of an instrument developed by the Office of National Mission. The instrument, completed by the organization and district, is reviewed, further investigated, if needed, and finally approved by the Office of National Mission. Until and unless such policies and instrument are developed, applications for witness service organization or mercy service organization status shall be handled under (3) below. (3) Status of all other organizations, and the application therefor, is administered directly by the Office of National or International Mission, as appropriate, with district presidents exercising ecclesiastical oversight of the operations of recognized service organizations within their boundaries.
2. Within the area of its responsibility and in accordance with policies and criteria developed by the Synod Board of Directors, the respective mission board and office, each mission office shall determine to which organizations recognized service organization status will be granted.
3. Granting offices may be authorized to set and charge application, renewal, and maintenance fees to recoup the cost of administration, subject to policies set by the Board of Directors of the Synod.