LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 50

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50

SYNOD REPORTS
closing for the proper preservation of their significant records and
to individuals who hold important resources from the ministries
of their ancestors.
CHI particularly helps staff members in Synod offices with the
transfer of important records for preservation in the archives.
This has been especially important in connection with a companion phase of the museum project at the IC. In the fall of 2008,
over 6,000 cubic feet of compact movable storage shelving were
installed in the main CHI facility on the seminary campus because
capacity for receiving Synod records had been exceeded. The new
museum made possible the conversion of some of the exhibit space
in the main facility to provide for the new shelving. As a result,
many records that had been in temporary storage at the Synod’s
International Center were transferred to CHI.
Reference services to individuals, congregations, organizations
of the church, scholars, and the general public have continued to
grow significantly and keep CHI’s part-time reference staff busy.
Family history inquiries make up the largest portion of the requests
received. Modern technology—e-mail, scanning, digital images,
etc.—is being used to a great extent in providing efficient assistance and answers to questions.
Challenges and Opportunities

1. Although CHI has made great strides during the past triennium
with the opening of the new museum and the expansion of its
records storage capacity, the Institute faces a great challenge in
building up its financial support and resources for the future. In
May 2008, Dr. Martin Noland resigned as executive director of
CHI. The position has been filled for the past two years on an
interim basis. The CHI Board of Governors is currently working
to fill the position with a person with particular skills in development and management who can work to bring financial stability
to CHI and make it possible for the Institute to fulfill the goals the
Synod has set out in its Bylaws for its Department of Archives and
History.
2. One of the areas where CHI hopes to concentrate in the future is
in the development of educational resources for the Synod and
its member congregations, based on the resources that have been
used in the development of the new museum, working with educators in the church toward that end.
3. Another goal is to develop more fully the CHI Web site as a
resource for people worldwide to obtain information from the
treasures in its collection. This will include making use of the
rapidly growing forms of information distribution available via
the Internet and its social networking capabilities.
4. CHI will continue to work with various entities and individuals in
the Synod to recognize and celebrate the 200th anniversaries of the
births of F. C. D. Wyneken and C. F. W. Walther over the next two
years. It also hopes to participate in 2011 with Concordia Seminary
in hosting a traveling exhibit to recognize the 300th anniversary of
the birth of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the “patriarch” of colonial American Lutheranism.
CHI will also be involved with Civil War sesquicentennial activities during 2011–15. The Missouri Historical Museum in St. Louis
has digitized the diaries of Pastor Franz Julius Biltz of Concordia,
Missouri, which reveal the effects of the Civil War on his ministry and congregation. These diaries, just recently discovered and
identified in our collection, will be part of an online digital exhibit
of Civil War resources.
Planning has also already begun for CHI’s participation in
the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, which will

include the production of a comprehensive catalog of Reformation
commemorative coins and medals.
Scott Meyer, President
Larry Lumpe, Executive Director
R2-06

Board for Communication Services
Introduction:

The Board for Communication Services (BCS) “exists to interpret…the Synod’s purpose and program to its members and to
promote an increased understanding on the part of the church’s publics of the mission of the Synod” (Bylaw 3.8.5).
The department accomplishes these ends through such means as
the Synod’s Internet presence (including social media), the official
periodicals and their respective Web sites, e-news delivery services,
an Editorial Services unit, a Public Affairs & Media Relations division, and radio.
In all of its endeavors, the BCS, on its own and in concert with
others, seeks to pay special attention to LCMS initiatives and emphases, such as Ablaze! and “Fan into Flame,” the “One” theme, and the
three “critical target” areas of revitalizing (or transforming) congregations, planting new missions, and stewardship. We intend to continue
accentuating these things in the triennium to come, even as we infuse
our labors, whenever possible, with the theme of this year’s convention, “One People—Forgiven.”
Internet Affairs:

Relatively new within the BCS, this division is responsible for
overseeing the look, feel, and overall presentation of the Synod’s Web
site as well as its conceptual functionality. It is further responsible
for directing the content of the home page, leading the International
Center’s Internet Steering Committee, and providing funding for capital improvements of the site.
To meet these responsibilities, the Internet Affairs division works
cooperatively with Concordia Technologies and the Electronic Media
division of the Synod’s General Services department.
Since its inception in November 2007, Internet Affairs has overseen a number of improvements to lcms.org. Addressing some of
the largest complaints from site visitors, three early improvements
included
• changing the main navigation to make it more user-friendly.
• changing the site search to a custom Google search.
• changing the daily devotion from a predetermined rotation that
often did not match the Church Year to a freshly written devotion offering previously unavailable subscription and audio
features.
Meanwhile, plans to overhaul completely the Synod’s Web site
got underway. The redesign, set to launch in late 2010, will be completed as part of the larger constituent relationship management
project known as “CrossConnect,” being undertaken by corporate
Synod and the LCMS Foundation.
To satisfy the immediate desire for change to lcms.org, Internet
Affairs went about developing an interim facelift for the site. In
August 2009, this facelift was implemented, updating the look and
feel of the site and adding several helpful features while leaving the
underlying structure in place. Some new features included
• a lighter, more contemporary look and feel.

2010 Convention Workbook

2010 Convention.indb 50

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