# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S57
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
repentance and forgiveness, prayer and charity. We must be prepared
to work on this for a generation. We pray together for a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions as they apply
to the issues troubling us. Could the Holy Spirit use the Word of God
in this effort to bring about a cultural shift, that is, a change in our
expectations of one another? Yes! God help us toward that end!
Herbert C. Mueller Jr., First Vice-President
R3

Praesidium
The vice-presidents of the Synod are elected to advise the
President of the Synod, to serve on the Council of Presidents, and
to form, under the President, the Praesidium of the Synod. The First
Vice-President is nominated and elected by the whole Synod. Vicepresidents two through six are nominated within the regions of the
Synod, but are elected by the whole Synod in convention. At the present time, the Praesidium includes the following:
President Matthew C. Harrison, St. Louis, MO.
First Vice-President Herbert C. Mueller Jr., Waterloo, IL.
Second Vice-President Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr., Milwaukee, WI, representing the Great Lakes Region.
Third Vice-President Daniel Preus, St. Louis, MO, representing the Central
Region.
Fourth Vice-President Dr. Scott R. Murray, Houston, TX, representing the
West-Southwest Region.
Fifth Vice-President Nabil S. Nour, Sioux Falls, SD, representing the Great
Plains Region.
Sixth Vice-President Christopher S. Esget, Alexandria, VA, representing
the East-Southeast Region.

The Rev. Dr. Robert Kuhn of Oviedo, FL, had been elected by
the 2013 Synod in convention as Sixth Vice-President. Dr. Kuhn had
served in that capacity until July 2015, when, due to reasons of health,
he resigned from that position. Following the procedure outlined in
Bylaw 3.3.2.4, President Harrison appointed Pastor Christopher S.
Esget of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alexandria, VA, to fill out the
unexpired term.
Upon his request, or as provided by the Synod, the vice-presidents
assist the President in carrying out his responsibilities and represent
him as needed. The Praesidium as such met regularly (generally in
conjunction with a meeting of the Council of Presidents) for prayer,
Bible study, discussion of Synod matters, and to give counsel on a
variety of issues as requested by the President of the Synod, district
presidents, and others. The undersigned serves as secretary of the
Praesidium.
During the triennium, the vice-presidents helped with the visitation of the Concordia University System, advised the President and
First Vice-President on the Koinonia Project, assisted in making sure
a representative of the Synod was present for all of the 35 district
conventions, and provided consultation to the President regarding
nominations for the Commission on Constitutional Matters.
The major project involving the members of the Praesidium
this triennium was the district visitation process mandated by 2013
Resolution 7-01A. Every district president and district board of directors was visited by the President or First Vice-President together with
the regional vice-president (where possible) for that district. These
visits generally encompassed two or three days of conversation and
presentation with district presidents and boards of directors, often
including as well the circuit visitors of the district. Our purpose in
visiting was to hear the leaders of the districts describe the blessings,
opportunities, and challenges God has given to each district. We also
brought information from the national office and discussed matters
of mutual concern. Though they involved a significant investment of

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time and resources, the visits have been universally well received and
beneficial for all concerned.
The Praesidium is responsible for a series of Bible studies prepared for circuit pastoral conferences. For the past couple of years,
we have been working with the theme “Words of Life for the Church
and for the World,” taking up various theological terms. The Church
is created and lives by words—specific words, true words, and every
one of them God’s Words. As Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass
away, but My words will not pass away” (Luke 21:33). The Church
is commissioned to bring life to the world through God’s Words, so
that people may be baptized into eternal life through faith in Jesus
Christ and be taught to treasure and observe everything Jesus has
commanded. These studies are funded through payments made each
year by the districts and are available for free download at http://
www.lcms.org/resources/worship/biblestudies/winkel. Pastor Mark
Love of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, OH, is the general editor.
It is both a pleasure and a privilege to serve the people of the
Synod with the members of the Synod Praesidium. God be praised!
Herbert C. Mueller, Jr., First Vice-President
R4

Secretary
Duties and Responsibilities
The Office of the Secretary is a busy office, its duties detailed
throughout the Handbook of the Synod. Included are corporate secretary responsibilities, convention preparation, dispute resolution
administration, roster maintenance, and Council of Presidents and
commission duties. Needless but important to say, carrying out these
responsibilities would not be possible without the assistance of very
dedicated executive assistant staff and volunteer help.
Assimilation of Department of Rosters, Statistics, and Research
The responsibilities of the Office of the Secretary were expanded
significantly during the past triennium with the placement of the
Department of Rosters, Statistics, and Research under the oversight
of the Secretary of the Synod. This huge area of responsibility under
the supervision of Senior Director Gene Weeke manages all of the statistical and membership information reported in The Lutheran Annual
and on the Synod’s website, while also increasingly being called upon
to conduct research for the Synod and its agencies.
In brief, Rosters and Statistics maintains the official rosters and
statistics of LCMS congregations and church workers. It also provides
list management services for the rosters of schools, congregational lay
leaders, recognized service organizations, and LCMS high school and
junior high school youth. Each year, Rosters and Statistics receives
and updates all data for publishing The Lutheran Annual. Through
electronic data sharing, information from this database is also published on the LCMS website and shared with districts, boards, and
other approved organizations.
In brief, Research Services provides a full range of research and
analysis services. Besides supporting the ministry offices and LCMS
officers located in the International Center, it provides assistance to
the seminaries, districts, and other entities. During the past triennium,
Research Services made several process improvements that included
the implementation of an advanced survey tool and mapping software
to assist with the explanation and presentation of findings.
This assimilation of the Department of Rosters, Statistics, and
Research into the Secretary’s Office has resulted in a natural and
sensible relationship that facilitates cooperation and coordination.
2016 Convention Workbook