# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2013_S216
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

216

Seminary and University Education

administrative or financial backgrounds but who indeed understand
the value of and challenges involved in defining and fulfilling the mission of Lutheran institutions of higher education, etc.); and
Whereas, Each board of regents already has the ability to augment itself by appointing no less than four and no more than eight
additional laypersons (Bylaw 3.10.5.2, 3), who might be selected for
their skills in administrative and financial areas, accomplishing the
aim of 2010 Res. 5-09B without excluding many otherwise excellent candidates from consideration for election to boards of regents;
therefore be it
Resolved, That in Bylaw 3.10.5.2, 7 the phrase “Persons elected
or appointed to a board of regents should possess several of the following qualifications” be replaced with “While any person able to
contribute meaningfully to guiding the mission of a Synod college
or university is qualified to serve on a board of regents, the following qualities may prove valuable: an aptitude and desire to hold fast
the confession of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and a close
connection or experience with educational programs of the institution (particularly in church work).”
St. Paul, Park City, Montana; Christ the King, Billings, MT; Holy
Cross, Eureka, MT; Mount Calvary, Colstrip, MT
5-07

To Reaffirm That Synod College and University
Presidents Be Male
Whereas, The Synod has traditionally insisted that a president of
one of its institutions of higher education is the “spiritual, academic,
and administrative head of the institution” (Bylaw 3.10.5.5); and
Whereas, Scripture assigns headship in both home and church
(of which Synod colleges and universities are extensions) to the male;
therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2013 LCMS convention reaffirm its longstanding scriptural position that those who are elected to be presidents of
the Synod’s colleges and universities be male.
Salem Lutheran Church
Taylorsville, NC
5-08

To Revise Bylaw 3.10.5.5.2 re Election Process
for College and University Presidents
Whereas, The bylaws assign supervision of an institution’s
president to the board of regents. The regents are responsible for
establishing the institution’s priorities, setting its policies, and holding
the president accountable for meeting the institution’s objectives. The
current bylaws were extensively modified in 2010 to make the board
of regents responsible for leading the presidential election process
while maintaining a legitimate level of participation by the Synod; and
Whereas, The current bylaws require that the board of regents
undertake an extensive process that includes, among other requirements, publishing requests for nominations, receiving nominations,
obtaining the agreement of the nominees to stand for election, publishing the names of the nominees, receiving comments on the
nominees from various sources including the congregations of the
Synod, undertaking diligence on the nominees, and narrowing the
nominees to a manageable number. The current bylaws then require
the board of regents to select a short list of at least five candidates

2013 Convention Workbook

that must be presented to a panel for prior approval. The panel is permitted to remove names by a two-thirds majority vote without any
explanation; and
Whereas, The board of regents and its members expend considerable time and effort in carrying out their responsibilities in this process
and, if candidates are removed from the short list by the prior approval
panel as permitted under the current bylaws, the board of regents must
consider and determine the steps that the institution is to take in order
to move forward with the selection of a president. In order to carry out
its duties and responsibilities, the board of regents must be in a position to make considered and intelligent judgments; and
Whereas, The proposed amendment is designed to provide the
board of regents with information to enable the board of regents to
carry out its responsibilities in an intelligent and informed manner;
therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.10.5.5.2 be amended by adding at the
end of the first sentence of clause (d) (3) thereof the phrase, “together
with, if any names have been removed from the list, a written explanation of the rationale for the panel’s decision to remove each of the
names from the list (which explanation will be held in confidence by
the board of regents)” so that the bylaw, as amended, reads, in part,
as follows:
3.10.5.5.2 The following process shall govern the selection of a
college/university president. …
(d) The short list of candidates shall receive prior approval before the
election.
(1) The executive director of the Board of Directors of
Concordia University System shall convene a priorapproval panel consisting of the President of the Synod,
the district president serving on the institution’s board
of regents, and the chair of the Board of Directors of
Concordia University System.
(2) The prior-approval panel shall meet to consider the short list
submitted by the board of regents. The panel may choose
to remove names from the list, but only with a two-thirds
majority vote.
(3) After the prior-approval panel has completed its work,
the executive director of the Board of Directors of
Concordia University System shall transmit the finalized
list back to the agent of the board of regents together
with, if any names have been removed from the list,
a written explanation of the rationale for the panel’s
decision to remove each of the names from the list (which
explanation will be held in confidence by the board of
regents). If the amended list contains less than two names,
the election process is terminated. The board of regents
shall determine whether it will utilize the original list
of nominees or generate additional nominations as it
resumes the election process.

Ascension; Landover Hills, MD; Ascension, Landover Hills, MD;
King of Glory, Williamsburg, VA; Village, Bronxville, NY; Board
of Regents, Concordia Bronxville; Our Savior, Fair Lawn, NJ;
Our Redeemer, Fords, NJ; Lutheran Church of St. Andrew, Silver
Spring, MD
5-09

To Mandate That College and University Theology
Professors Teaching Males be Male
Whereas, The apostle Paul wrote by inspiration that a woman
should neither teach nor exercise authority over men in the Church
(1 Tim. 2:11–15); and
Whereas, A college professor teaching theology to male students
both “teaches” and “has authority” over those males; and