# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S471
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
higher education for lives of service to church and community” and
with the goals:
• to transmit Lutheran values more effectively;
• to provide enhanced quality education to college students;
• to attain efficiencies in operation of the campuses; and
• to capitalize the schools and system
(Concordia University System: Mission and Purpose, 1992,
cus.edu); and
WHEREAS, Recent events on some of our campuses have given
rise to anti-Christian philosophies and practices that are contrary to
these stated mission and goals; therefore be it
Resolved, That the English District memorialize the Synod in
convention to reaffirm the stated mission and goals of the CUS; and
be it finally
Resolved, That the proper ecclesiastical supervisors speak the
truth in love by bringing proper discipline to bear on the faculties
and student bodies of the CUS as needed to maintain and nurture
our institutions as centers of Evangelical-Lutheran Christian
teaching, learning, and life together.
English District
Ov. 7-15

To Amend Bylaws Regarding Qualification
of Nominees for Concordia Boards of Regents
and CUS Board of Directors
WHEREAS, Bylaws 3.10.6.2.8 and 3.6.6.3 were amended with the
laudable goal of ensuring more highly qualified candidates are
nominated and elected to serve as regents in our Concordia
University System and for the Concordia University System Board
of Directors. The prefatory material of 2010 Resolution 5-09B
(Proceedings, p. 138) and 2013 Res. 5-05B (Proceedings, pp. 140–
145) set forth these reasons. Quoting from the latter: “Because of
the increasing complexity of oversight and governance of higher
education programs and facilities, individuals who serve as board
members should be required to possess appropriate specialized
qualifications”; and
WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.10.6.2 (8) states:
Persons elected or appointed to a board of regents should be
knowledgeable regarding the region in which the institution is
located and shall … possess two or more of the following
qualifications: theological acumen, an advanced academic
degree, experience in higher education administration,
administration of complex organizations, finance, law,
investments, technology, human resources, facilities
management, or fund development. …
and
WHEREAS, The bylaw then prescribes a process in which
potential candidates are screened by a panel of two individuals:
… When regents are elected at the national convention of the
Synod or appointed by the board of regents, qualifications shall
be reviewed and verified by the Secretary of Synod (or designee)
and the President of the CUS (or designee). When regents are
elected at district conventions, qualifications of all nominees,
including floor nominees, shall be reviewed and verified by the
chair and secretary of the district board of directors or their
designees.

471

and
WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.6.6.3, regarding the CUS Board of Directors,
similarly states (in part):
Persons elected or appointed to the Concordia University
System Board of Directors should have demonstrated familiarity
and support of the institutions, and shall support the doctrinal
positions of the Synod, and shall possess two or more of the
following qualifications: theological acumen, an advanced
degree, experience in higher education administration,
administration of complex organizations, finance, law,
investments, technology, human resources, facilities
management, or fund development. The Chief Administrative
Officer of the Synod (or a designee) and the Secretary of the
Synod (or a designee) shall review and verify that nominees are
qualified to serve as stated above.
and
WHEREAS, Determining whether an individual nominee meets
the qualifications set forth can be somewhat subjective (e.g., what
exactly qualifies as “theological acumen”?); and
WHEREAS, The current process places the final determination on
a potential candidate in the hands of only two individuals, neither
of which has been elected primarily for this purpose (and in the case
of the CUS Board of Directors screening, the Chief Administrative
Officer is an employee and not an elected officer), rather than the
wider and more diverse Committee on Convention Nominations
(CCN), which is elected for the very purpose of slating the most
qualified candidates; and
WHEREAS, The CCN is elected for each national convention and
represents half of the 35 districts, with a wide range of ordained,
commissioned and lay members, and is given the charge of slating
quality nominees as candidates for election at the convention, and
each district also has a corresponding CCN for its conventions; and
WHEREAS, Nominees who are disqualified during the original
screening process of the Secretary and one other are not presented
to the committee, and thus the committee has no ability to disagree
with the determination and decide if those nominees meet the
prescribed qualifications; and
WHEREAS, The list of qualifications ensconced in the Bylaws
may be, in fact, too narrow. Our schools may well benefit from
regents with a set of skills that are not expressly mentioned but may
still provide great use in governance and leadership (e.g., expertise
in marketing, statistics, demographics, or some other valuable skills
not yet considered in the Bylaw’s list of eleven); and
WHEREAS, The concerns for excellent and skilled leadership in
our nominees must be addressed with a fair and due process which
respects the will of Synod and those individuals elected to oversee
nominations; and
WHEREAS, The desire for excellent and skilled leadership should
neither unduly “tie the hands” of those who wish to nominate
potentially qualified individuals who do not meet the narrow
requirements of the current bylaws; therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.10.6.2 (8) be amended to read as
follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.10.6.2
The board of regents of each college and university shall
consist of no more than 18 voting members.
…

2019 Convention Workbook