# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S129
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Gift Planning and Investment Management
The gifts the Foundation distributes are a result of the joyful response to God’s love found in the hearts of individuals in
our LCMS community. These are primarily planned gifts such
as endowments, donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, etc., administered by the Foundation and distributed to ministry after
the donor was called to his or her heavenly home.
To carry out this work, twenty gift planning counselors are
located across the United States. They assist with individuals
and families in creating comprehensive estate plans to support
family and ministry with the very best gifts.
Ministries that receive significant gifts or already possess
sizeable assets can then benefit by working with the Foundation
to invest those gifts for future growth. The Foundation presently
manages more than $850 million dollars in investment and trust
assets for hundreds of LCMS organizations. We provide sophisticated, diversified investment portfolios at low cost aimed to
help LCMS ministries accomplish their long-term goals.
By managing assets collectively for the church, the Foundation offers access for LCMS congregations and ministry organizations to a sophisticated, diversified investment model at a low
cost. A variety of investment options are available to help meet
ministry needs for investment timeline and risk tolerance.

Leadership and Organization
Mr. David Fiedler has served as president of the LCMS
Foundation since 2013. Approximately 50 full-time employees
serve the Foundation in various capacities.

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ber organizations include the 35 LCMS districts, the member
institutions of the Concordia University System, our seminaries, auxiliaries, etc. Once a year delegates from this group meet
to elect trustees and vote on other official actions at the Foundation’s annual meeting.

Strategic Plan and Transfer the Blessings
As the Foundation looks to the future, we seek to grow
our impact on the Lutheran Church and its ability to share the
Gospel. We continually review the needs of the Church and
our Lutheran donors to determine how we can better serve the
people and organizations of the LCMS. We gather input from
our board, our leadership team, our staff, and outside experts
to identify areas where we can improve our work in this support
of ministry. Thus, we have identified six key areas of focus over
the next several years:
••

Offer best-in-class service, staff talent, and infrastructure.

••

Develop and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships within the Church.

••

Increase retention and realization of estate gifts.

••

Increase awareness of and preference for the Foundation’s abilities to support ministries.

••

Utilize data and analytics in operations and decisionmaking.

••

Expand the number of people across the Synod
who perform gift planning work among their fellow
members.

Transfer the Blessings, the Foundation’s gift planning ministry to LCMS organizations, continues to demonstrate its value
in assisting LCMS donors in creating their Lifetime Plan for
Giving™. This Transfer the Blessing ministry pairs a Foundation gift planning counselor with a congregation to work directly and intentionally with members in establishing their
charitable Christian estate plans. Transfer the Blessings builds
upon the relationship the member has with the congregation
and produces an approach to giving that provides resources to
the church beyond weekly offerings.
The Foundation’s annual Ministry Report, audited financial statements, downloadable resources, account access, and
contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website,
lcmsfoundation.org.

Governance
Direct oversight to the Foundation is provided by its Board
of Trustees, which meets quarterly to review and monitor the
performance and activity of the organization and to provide
strategic direction. The Foundation board is made up of thirteen trustees, eight of whom are elected by the LCMS Member
organizations described below. Two other trustees are elected
by the Synod in convention. The remaining two trustees are the
Synod President or his representative, and the chairman of the
Board for National Mission or his representative. The Chief Financial Officer of the Synod is an ex-officio, nonvoting member
of the board.
The LCMS Foundation is also responsible to 60 Member
organizations, who represent directly or indirectly, all of the
ministries of the church served by the Foundation. These Mem-

As we enter the next triennium, the servants at the LCMS
Foundation rejoice with the Church in the enormous blessings
the Lord has bestowed upon us over the past 60 years. We look
2019 Convention Workbook