# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S204 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 5. HIGHER EDUCATION 5-01 To Retain Composition and Qualifications of Seminary Boards of Regents WHEREAS, The 198! Handbook of The Lutheran Church—Mis- souri Synod provided in Bylaw 6.23 b as follows: “The Board of Regents of each theological seminary shall consist of the following voting members: 1. three pastors, one teacher, and three laypersons elected by the convention of the Synod; 2. a Vice-President of the Synod designated by the President of the Synod; 3. the President of the geographical District in which the seminary is located”; and WHEREAS, The 1998 Handbook of the Synod provides in Bylaw 6.01 that “a. The Board of Regents of each theological seminary shall consist of the following voting members: 1. Three ordained ministers, one commissioned minister, and three laypersons elected by the convention of the Synod 2. A Vice-President of the Synod designated by the Presi- dent of the Synod 3. A District President other than the President of the geo- graphical District in which the seminary is located, elected by the Council of Presidents”; and WHEREAS, The constituting of said Boards of Regents with nine members and with only the qualifications noted has worked very well for 20 years; and WHEREAS, The primary qualifications of any member of the Board of Regents are unquestioned confessional commitment, a willingness to apply oneself to the task at hand, and plain common sense; therefore be it Resolved, That the 2001 convention of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod be urged to retain the number of persons on the said Board at nine and to refrain from adding any qualifications to those set out in the 1998 Handbook of The Lutheran Church—Mis- souri Synod since adding qualifications such as experience in fi- nance or administration or actively serving a congregation as a pas- tor clearly selectively discriminates against thousands of well-qualified members of member congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, IN 5-02 To Amend Bylaw to Increase Membership of CUS Boards of Regents WHEREAS, The colleges and universities of the Concordia Uni- versity System are increasingly dependent on the support of local Districts, congregations, and individuals for financial viability; and WHEREAS, these institutions have experienced great benefit and blessing through their ability to appoint four LCMS laypeople to their Boards of Regents; and WHEREAS, It is the judgment of this board that the effectiveness of Boards of Regents would be notably enhanced by doubling the number of such locally selected members; and WHEREAS, The expectation of the 1998 LCMS convention, that no less than one-third of LCMS boards be elected in convention, would still be more than adequately met (since nine regents on each board are so elected, five by the national convention and four by the District convention of the Synod); therefore be it Resolved, That the Boards of Regents of the Concordia univer-_ sities and colleges be expanded to a total of seventeen members, with nine to be elected in convention as at present and eight to be appointed by these nine in the triennial year with neither a national nor a District convention of the Synod; and be it further Resolved, That the eight appointed members hold membership in a member congregation of the Synod and that the policy of al- lowing no more than two regents to hold membership in the same congregation be continued; and be it further Resolved, That the criteria for all regents, adopted by the Synod at its 1986 convention (Workbook, p. 338), govern the selection of the eight appointed regents, viz.: |. Commitment to the mission and purpose of the respective college [or university] and loyalty to The Lutheran Church—Mis- souri Synod. 2. Knowledge of higher education and the responsibilities of board members in establishing policies and carrying out the func- tions of the board in behalf of the institution and the Synod. 3. Consciousness of the obligations of board members to the faculty, students, staff, immediate constituency, church body, and the public for the welfare and advancement of the institution. 4. Broad representation of the several constituencies of the in- stitution with reference to such factors as profession or occupation, age, gender, race, and experience. 5. Capability of providing ttme and energy for the work of the board, including service on committees, personal financial support, and the securing of gifts and grants for the benefit of the institu- tion; and be it finally Resolved, That the Secretary of the Synod be authorized and di- rected to make appropriate changes in the Bylaws to implement this change. Board of Regents, Concordia University, River Forest, IL; Board of Regents, Concordia University, Seward, NE; Concordia University, Portland, OR; Concordia College, Ann Arbor, MI; Board of Regents, Concordia University, Wisconsin, Mequon, WI 5-03 To Increase Membership of Boards of Regents by Four WHEREAS, The colleges and universities of the Concordia Uni- versity System are increasingly dependent on the support of local Districts, congregations, and individuals for their financial viabil- ity; and WHEREAS, These institutions have experienced great benefit and blessing through their ability to appoint four LCMS laypeople to their Boards of Regents; and WHEREAS, It is the judgment of this board that the effectiveness of Boards of Regents would be notably enhanced by doubling the number of such locally selected members; and WHEREAS, The expectation of the 1998 LCMS convention that no less than one-third of LCMS boards be elected in convention would still be more than adequately met (since nine regents on each board are so elected, five by the national convention and four by the District convention of the Synod); therefore be it Resolved, That the Boards of Regents of the Concordia univer- sities and colleges be expanded to a total of seventeen members, with nine to be elected in convention as at present and eight to be elected by the other regents, four at a time for six-year terms in the triennial years with neither a national nor a District convention of the Synod. (Regents elected by this process in ]999 will have terms expiring in 2005; the four elected in 2002 will have terms expiring in 2008. Any regents whose terms of service began in 1999 who will reach twelve years in 2002 shall be replaced by additional lay replacement selections tor three years on a onetime basis to adjust the election sequence); and be it further Resolved, That the eight elected members hold membership ina member congregation of the Synod and that the policy of allowing no more than two regents to hold membership in the same congre- gation be continued; and be it further 2001 Convention Workbook