LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Sheet 61

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

Part I: Organizational and Administrative Matters

ALIVE IN CHRIST! What an excellent theme for this
56th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Mis-
souri Synod and for our 6,150 congregations! Awakened to
new life through the life, death, and resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ, we who were dead in trespasses and
sins now live to serve Him and to carry out His mission
for all people! What a joy it has been for me to work with
the congregations, pastors, teachers, districts, boards,
commissions, colleges, seminaries, and partner churches
of our beloved church body as we seek to live in and for
Christ!

My report on the administration of the Synod will be
presented in three parts. In this part, I will provide infor-
mation and recommendations on various organizational
and administrative matters. The second and third parts of
my report, to be presented respectively at the floor com-
mittee meetings, May 30—June 1, and at the opening ses-
sion of the convention, will focus on issues and challenges
facing the Synod as it moves toward the 21st century.

Activities of the President’s Office

In Memoriam. As we begin our review of the work of
the Synod during the past triennium, we pause to pay
tribute to three synodical leaders whom the Lord called
home to Himself in heaven. Dr. Joseph Lavalais, Third
Vice-President of the Synod, died on Sept. 15, 1983; Pastor
Harold Huber, President of the Montana District, died on
Aug. 17, 1984; Dr. Gerhardt W. Hyatt, Second Vice-Presi-
dent and Assistant to the President, died on Aug. 30, 1985.
We praise God for the gift of eternal life to these distin-
guished pastors, and we celebrate with the entire Synod
the joys of heaven that are now theirs. They served our
church body with dedication and faithfulness. I am par-
ticularly grateful for the privilege of working with them
in the leadership of the Synod.

Administrative Matters. The First Vice-President, who
serves in a full-time capacity, has spent a great deal of
effort in giving leadership and direction to the broad area
of ministerial health and support for the professional min-
istries of the Synod. In addition, he has had the important
responsibility of monitoring alleged irregularities in the
doctrine and practice of the congregations and professional
workers of the Synod and in encouraging district presi-
dents in their supervisory responsibility in such matters.
He has provided leadership and staff services for the var-
ious synodical colloquy committees, assisted efforts of dis-
trict presidents to end the few remaining dual
memberships, assisted in the administration of the doc-
trinal review program, represented me at a number of
meetings, and carried out other special assignments. In
response to a May 1985 request from the Board of Directors
that the President “carry out his supervisory responsibil-
ities with reference to the program and service boards of
the Synod through someone other than the Administrative
Officer beginning July 1, 1985 and continuing throughout

59

the present triennium,” I delegated supervisory respon-
sibilities for three boards and four commissions to the First
Vice-President. Dr. Sauer’s report is filed separately below.

Second Vice-President Hyatt served as Assistant to the
President from October 1983 until his death at the end of
August 1985. Because of the pressing need for staff services
for the Board for Professional Education Services imme-
diately after the 1983 convention, Dr. Hyatt’s initial re-
sponsibility was to provide virtually full-time services to
that board until its vacant executive secretary position was
filled in early summer 1984. One of his major assignments
was to assist me and the Department of Stewardship and
Financial Support in improving the financial situation of
the Synod. Because the Synod had no full-time executive
for theological education, and because of the interest ex-
pressed at the 1983 synodical convention in giving stronger
support for the seminaries, I asked Dr. Hyatt to serve as
my representative on all four seminary boards of regents
and to give direction to the Colloquy Committee for the
Pastoral Office, as well. (With only three vice-presidents
eligible to serve on the four seminary boards, some dupli-
cation of assignments was necessary, in any case.) In this
way, Dr. Hyatt was able to coordinate and correlate theo-
logical education matters, chiefly in the areas of finance
and administration, and thereby to provide valuable sug-
gestions and counsel to the Board for Professional Edu-
cation Services and the Board of Directors. Dr. Hyatt also
devoted a great deal of time toward assisting various com-
mittees working in the area of black ministry, represented
me in several government related assignments, and pro-
vided regular staff assistance in the many details associ-
ated with the President’s office.

Vice-Presidents Maier and Wollenburg have also pro-
vided valuable assistance during the past triennium. After
the death of Dr. Hyatt, Dr. Maier began serving as my non-
voting liaison representative to our St. Catharines and Ed-
monton seminaries, Dr. Wollenburg accepted appointment
to the Fort Wayne seminary board of regents, and Dr.
Sauer began serving on the board of regents of our St. Louis
seminary. Both Vice-Presidents have assisted Dr. Sauer
in personal visits associated with dual memberships, as
well as with personal counsel in a number of other specific
problems. Vice President Wollenburg also served as a
member of the President’s Commission on Higher Edu-
cation and as a member of the Valparaiso University Ad-
visory Committee. Because both Vice-Presidents Maier
and Wollenburg are engaged in full-time ministries, they
have had only limited time available for special assign-
ments.

All Vice-Presidents represented the President’s office at
several of the 1985 district conventions. Vice-Presidents
Sauer and Hyatt also represented me at a number of other
meetings.

Since July 1983, nine scheduled meetings of the Prae-
sidium were held, as well as several more informal con-

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