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Article VII. Officers
Sec. 1. Each of these synods shall have a'president, "honorary or full time", a vice-president and, during meetings of the executive committee of the synod and during synod conventions, there shall be a recording secretary. There may also be a treasurer of the synod.
Sec. 2. The President
8. The President shall be an ordaingd minister of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and shall be atleast 35 years of age. He shall have had atleast seven years. of ordained service and shall have served atleast § years as a parish pastor, He may be an honorary or full time officer, elected by the Synod Convention to a term of five years according to the following procedure:
1. Prior to the convention of the synod the Executive Council shall prepare a list for each synod of all ordained ministers atleast 35 years of age in active service on the clergy roll of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church who have had at least seven years of ordained service and 5 years as parish pastor and who have not completed sixty years' of age and who have not completed thitteen consecutive years on the clergy roll of the synod before the beginning of the convention.
2. Each delegate to the synod convention at the time of the vacancy in the presidency of the synod shall receive a copy of thé list mentioned in paragraph above, and shall indicate on it three ministers of his choice. ~
3. The names of all persons 80 nominated shall be reported to the synod convention in the order of votes received. Further consideration shall be limited to the highest five in that list. - '
4. Each voter shall then indicate on a second written ballot the order of preference which he gives' to these five names. marking them five, four, three two and one respectively. Any ballot not so marked shall be invalid. In counting the votes, the tellers shall add the numbers assigned to the names and shall report them, beginning with the name receiving the highest total, followed in order by thase receiving lower total in sequence. The orie receiving the highest Total shall be declared elected as president of the synod.:
5. Incase ofa sigcandy in tho office -of the president, elections shall be conducted at the next synod convention according to Sec. £.a 1-4 above and the president so elected will serve out the unexpired term. {ib the interim between the occurrence of the vacancy and: the election of the new president, the vice-president of the synod shall serve as acting synod president,
b. The term of the president of the synod shall be five years and shall begin on June 1 or on such other date as may' be determined by the Executive Courcil. In the event that the president is not elected hefore the expiry of the term of the out-going président. or in the event that the president is prevented from performing his constitutionally prescribed duties, the Executive Council of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran 'Church shall assume the administration of the synod, with the president of the Church serving as president of the synod,until the new president is elected,
c. The president shall be eligible for re-election, except that no ope shall be eligible for re-election -as president of the synod after he has completed 60 years of age, mor after he has been on the ministerial roll of that synod for 14 consecutive years before the beginning of -the convention.
d. The president may complete his term in office even though he,completes fifteen years of service within the area of that synad within that term,
Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of the President:
a. Concerning ministers:
1. To eaxarcise owersight ower the mipistars tof the synod and to counsel with them es thajr pastor. /
2. To maintain the clergy roll of the synod, althaugh the Exscutive- Council of ths Andhra_Evanfiéfical Lutheran Church ehall have the right to bring that roll into conformity with synod by-laws, Art. V.
3. To instali, or to provide for the installation of, all ordained pastors in all parishes ofjthe synod shortly after their assignment to parishes and, in any event, within four months after such assignments.
4. To receive in advance each month from each pastor in the Synod a tour programme.
6. To teke cognizance of improper conduct, except that referred to in number 6 below, of any pastor of the synod, or of any other pastor of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church ) temporarily residing within the boundaries of the synod whether in active service or retired.
6. To refer to the president of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church agy teachittg, conduct, action or refusal to act of any pastor-of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church residing in'ot conhected with his synod, which behaviour would seem to' merit Investigation under- the rules for discipline of Pastors as found in A.E.L Church by-laws,.
7. To arrange for the Proper turning over of parish records, equipment and furniture to his successor whenever there is 8 change of pastors as a result of transfer or assignment.
b. Concerning Congregations 1.- To exercise. oversight over the congregations of the synod, Misifing them in company with the pastor in order to confer and adviss-with them Loncerning their spiritual and tempovilvelfares: - i} oT or Re ged 0 " \ 2: To sep thatshe-programme of the synod and of ths Andhra Evangelical, Lutheran Church is implemented in the gongre- Patioas of theigynod and in the iastitutions under the ope- ~+ation and pontrok-af the synod.
3. To facilitate within the boundaries of the synod the activities of person in charge of work under the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church who tour in the synods.
4. To sttend, or designate a representative to attend, all meetings of the church council of a parish in which there is a a pastoral vacancy.
c. Concerning organization of the synod:
1. To preside at all conventions of the synod, of the executive committee and of the ministerium, and to be the chief executive officer of these bodies.
2. To see that the constitutions, by-laws and enactments of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and of the synod are carried into effect within the area of the synod.
3. To submit to the synod convention: an annual report of ali his official acts, except those of a pastoral nature, together with such other information and recommendations as he may deem of importancs.
4. Yo sign all official papers of the synod, and to conduct alt official correspondence for the synod.
6. To have general supervision of the work of the recording secretary. '
6. To arrange for the printing (or reproducing by other means) of the minutes of synod conventions and of the executive committee and for the distribution of them to all synod convention dalegates, to the pres'dent of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and to the chairman of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Committee on Nominations and Credentials without delay. He, along with the recording secretary, shall make necessary corréctions in two copies of these minutes and shatl certify these two copies as the official record of said sessions. He shall submit th8se two
Copies to the next regular session of the concerned body (tonvéntion or executive committee) for approval and deposit in the Permanent records of the synod,
7. To appoint all committees of the synod whose appointment i is not otherwise provided for and to make recommendation to the executive committee of persons to be appointed to committees by that body.
8. To have seat and voice on all committees of the synod without vote. In the case of the executive committee; however, he shall, as presiding officer, exercise his tight to vote in accordance with Robert's Rules of x Order.
S. Tobe a delegate from the synod to the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church conventions as one of the number of clerical delegates allowed to the synod by the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from time to time.
Sec. 4. Vice-President
8. Tha vice-president shall be elected biennially at a regular meeting of the synod'convention from among the eligible ordained ministers of the synod (as mentioned in art.- Vil, Sec. 2.a. 1.)-and shall serve from the close of the convention at which he is elected until the conclusion of the next regular biennial convention of the synod.
b. Each delegate to the synod convention shalf recejve a copy of the list mentioned in the paragraph above and shall indjcate on it one minister of his choice. If one name appears on three-fourths of the valid votes cast on the first ballot he shall be declared elected, If no one is;electéd, the ballot shall "Be?tteated as a nominating bailot and the two.names recéiving' the highest number of votes shall receive further onsidération ! Each "delegate shall vote by written ballot for 'one' of "the two hathes"in the fiominating ballot. The one réCeiving the majority vote shall be declared as the vice-president of the synod.
Cc. It shall be duty of the vice-president to act forthe president in hus absence or at his request. In case there is a vacancy in the office of the president to act for-the president from the date of the vacancy until the election of a synod presiuent at the next annual meeting of the synod convention.
Sec. 5. The recording secretary
8. At each session of the executive committee and at each convention of the synod a recording secretary shall be elected by the executive committees or by the convention, as the case may be from among its own members, Nominstions shall be made from the floor and voting may be by written ballot. The recording secretary* so elected shalt serve for that session only.
b. It shall be the duty of the recording secretary to submit to the president within two weeks of the close of the convention, and immediately upon the conclusion of a meeting of ° the executive committee, of the synod, the minutes in Telugi and / orjin English of such conventions or meetings. He shall also compare with his original draft ot tire minutes two copies of the printed (or otherwise reproduced) minutes, shall cell to the attention of the president and of the concerned body of the synod the necessary corrections, and shall attest those two corrected copies of the minutes as the official record of those sessions.
Sec. 6. The treasurer
1. At such time as the executive committee, of a synod may find a suitable person or persons, it may jrecorpmend that an honorary treasurer he assigned to the synad and may present to the president of the Church one ar more names for consideration for the post. The president shall refer the matter to the Committees on Assign« ments. This Committee, without further reference to
the synod, may (1) recommend that one of the persons recommended by the synod be assigned as treasurer; or (2) recommend that some other person be assigned as treasurer: or (3) recommend that no treasurer be assigned and that the treasurer of the Church shall caro for the work. The Executive Council shall act upon the recommendation of the Committee on Assignments. The term of a treasurer shall be three years, but the assignment may be re-considered at any time within the three years at the recommendation of the executive committee of the synod, of the Committee on Synods. of the Committee on Assignments or of the Executive Council,.
2. In case there is no treasurer of the synod or in case the place of a synod tre&sursr falls vacant for any reason, the church treasurer shall be the treasurer of the synod,
b. Duties. it shall be the duty of the syned treasurer:
1. To receive all moneys remitted to the synod and to maintain accurate accounts related thereto.
2. To payall moneys sanctioned in the budget of the synod and by enactment of the Andhra Evangelical- Lutheran Church and of the synod.
3. ° To make report of the finaneial affairs of the synod to the convention, to the executive committee of the synod, and, to the Board of Finance by means of semi annual statements appended to the minutes of the synod. and as otherwise required by. the Board of Finance.
4. To be responsible for all moneys received, and to submit his accounts for audit as required by the Andhra. Evangelical Lutheran Church. He shall be bonded for which the Board of Finance shall make provision,
5. a To advise the synod, parishes and institutions under the synod on financial matters,
b To assume the treasurership of any parish which fails to carry out the enactments of the A. E. L. Church or faiis to meet its monetary obligations to the church or synod.
6. To have seat and voice on the executive committee of the synod, 7° To perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Executive Council of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and by the executive committee or convention of the syned.