LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 170

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170 ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

cutbacks of needed programs will not be required and the
challenges for the ‘80s can be met.”

If all District Presidents, the Board of Directors of the
Synod, and the President of the Synod work together as a team
they can help develop ‘“‘the new methods for joint planning of
the work of the Synod and its Districts” called for in the 1979
convention resolution. Al] District and national officers and
staffs must also work together in proposing plans and imple-
menting approved plans. If the Board of Directors and the
Council of Presidents convene annually as a Planning council,
with appropriate District executives and the synodical senior
staff as advisory members, they could propose three-year and
ten-year plans to each synodical convention, propose the
formula for allocation of District and synodical receipts to the
related planning units, and establish District and synodical
budgets within the convention approved plans. The following
process would be utilized:

Three- and Ten-Year Plan

1. Congregations indicate to District and national offices of
the Synod what help the Synod should provide so that the
mission of Christ can be strengthened through local,
District, and national] ministries.

2. District and national leaders in related planning units
(world missions, North American missions, professional
education, congregational ministries, communications,
program administration, finance and support services,
and ecclesiastical administration, theology and church
government) make recommendations to boards and con-
ventions of the Synod and its Districts.

3. Synodical and District boards propose plans toa Planning
Council (the Synod’s Board of Directors and Council of
Presidents, with District staff and the senior staff to the
national office as advisory members).

4. Planning Council requests related planning units to review
plans and suggest a list of ministries to be adopted accord-
ing to priority of importance and value.

5. Planning Council reviews proposals, agrees on plans, and
proposes to the Synod in convention what ministries are to
be undertaken and what funds (in dollar amounts and in
percentage amounts of the total budget) are to be allocated
to each related planning unit from the combined, District
and national income.

6. The Synod in convention approves plans and the formula
for allocating funds.

Annual Plan and Budget

1. Each District's board of directors and each unit of the
national offices of the Synod submits a proposed budget,
classified according to the seven related planning units, to
the Planning Council.

2. The related planning units meet to agree on current
programs and a prioritized list of proposed new work by the
District and national offices of theSynod to be submitted to
the Planning Council.

3. District and national offices provide the Planning Council
with estimates of income from District pledges and other
sources.

4. The Planning Council meets annually to agree on the work
to be done by the District and national offices of the Synod.
Funding for programs is provided under the allocation
formula for related planning units approved by the con-
vention. A general contingency fund is included in the
allocations. Adjustments may be necessary, utilizing the
list of priorities developed by the District and national
offices. A tentative budget is proposed for the work of each
District office and the units of the national offices.

5. At the Planning Council meeting District Presidents will
caucus with their staff and board representatives. If they
believe adjustments are necessary, such adjustments may
be requested and approved.

6. The Planning Council will make a final budget allocation
to each District for work within the District and to the
national office for the work of its boards, commissions, and
departments. The difference between the income estimates
for each District and the allocation for work within the
District shall be the amount designated for national work.

This will determine the effective ratio for each District's
commitment. All unrestricted District receipts from con-
gregations and others for the year shall be shared in this
proportion. If District receipts are below budget, the Dis-
tricts and the national office will share proportionally in
the shortfall. If the District’s income exceeds the budget,
the District may retain its proportionate share as a con-
tingency reserve orit may apply it to designated District or
national projects of the Synod.

7. As needed throughout the budget year, the Synod’s Board
of Directors, in consultation with District boards of di-
rectors may further adjust items within the allocation of
the Planning Council. However, no change shall be made
in the ratio of the District’s budget for work to be done in the
District and through the national office. In emergencies
Districts may make requests through the Council of Presi-
dents, and national boards and commissions may make
requests through the Council of Administrators to the
Synod’s Board of Directors for allocations from the general
contingency fund.

8. Members of the Synod’s congregations will regularly re-
ceive reports on the work of the related planning units.
Then congregations will become better acquainted with
their work beyond the local area. They will also be better
equipped to provide input to the planning process and to
allocate a proportion of their resources to the work of the
Synod through its District and national offices.

9. Three members each of the Synod’s Board of Directors and
Council of Presidents, appointed by each group, together
with a member of the Council of Administrators ora staff
representative from each related planning unit as advisor,
would serve as a coordinating committee of the Planning
Council to assist in this process of planning and working
together.

If the above process is approved, Bylaw changes would be
required establishing the Planning Council and authorizing it
to make the planning and budgeting decisions for the national
and District programs of the Synod.

Option 6-Combine or simplify features from all the above
options, or propose new options not yet considered. The
manner of input from congregations into the master plan
might be changed. Perhaps only new work should be included
in the planning by the related units. The role of the Synod’s
convention in establishing formulas might be changed.

Plenary Meeting

On February 22—23, 1983, the Synod’s Board of Directors,
Council of Presidents, Council of Administrators, and senior
staff at the national office met for the annual planning session.

This plenary group indicated approval of the concept of an
advisory planning council as a forum for planning together at
the national and District levels of the Synod. The prevailing
view was that such a council should discuss national and
District needs and plans and then propose a national budget to
help implement those plans. 7

The plenary group also indicated general approval of the
related planning unit concept as a way, together with a
planning council, to continue the planning initiated in these
plenary sessions the past three years. The plenary group also
agreed on the need fora graduated process by which the Synod
in future conventions could develop a new method for program
planning and budgeting.

Most leaders attending the session felt that the Synod’s
experience with the Forward in Remembrance regional groups
has become a good foundation upon which to build future
collegial planning activity.

Toward the Future

At the meeting of the Executive Coordinating Committee
following the plenary planning session it was suggested that
the following options be reported for discussion by the Synod to
help make progress toward solving the challenges the Synod
faces:

1. The Synod in convention decides to reexamine and
evaluate the relationship between the Synod’s Board of Di-