LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 76

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76

SYNOD REPORTS
Next Steps

The task force intends to continue working to develop specific
strategies which address these aspects of disharmony in the LCMS.
Presentations before the task force included not only these aspects of
disharmony but also suggestions to move us toward greater harmony.
As the task force continues to meet, we will ultimately present
a plan to the Council of Presidents and the Board of Directors. It
is our prayer that the strategies identified will enable us to “make
every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”
(Eph. 4:3).
Surely our unity in Jesus Christ and our concord in doctrine are
treasures to be cherished and preserved. And surely God’s mission on
earth unites us in a common cause with eternal consequences. May
the harmony we share as we walk together increasingly enhance our
unity and concord for the sake of God’s mission.
Members of the Task Force for Synodical Harmony

Paul Sieveking, Chair (Council of Presidents)
Ken Hennings (Council of Presidents)
Dean Nadasdy (Council of Presidents)
Kermit Brashear (Board of Directors)
Betty Duda (Board of Directors)
Roy Schmidt (Board of Directors)
Wally Arp (At Large)
Tom Cedel (At Large)
Eloy Gonzalez (At Large)
Joel Lehenbauer (At Large)
Linda Reiser (At Large)
Glen Thomas (At Large)
Paul Sieveking, Chairman
R4-05

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Foundation
During the last triennium, the LCMS Foundation celebrated its
50th anniversary. Established in December 1958, the Foundation is
now in its 52nd year of Linking Christians with Giving Opportunities®.
At the heart of this mission statement is the core value of Christcentered financial stewardship, which properly views giving as
a Spirit-inspired act of sanctification motivated by the love of Christ
(2 Cor. 5:14). The Foundation exists to offer comprehensive charitable expertise and services to help individual Christians plan and direct
their passions for giving to family and all ministries of the church
today, tomorrow, and forever.
Vision The Foundation vision statement—“Every Christian with a
Lifetime Plan for Giving Today, Tomorrow, and Forever”—proceeds
from its mission. In this vision, each person who has come by faith
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ sees his or her life as a Godgiven resource “to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace
in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10b) and approaches personal stewardship joyfully, prayerfully and conscientiously. The terms “today,
tomorrow, and forever” each have distinct meaning within the context of the Foundation’s mission and vision.
“Gifts Today” are direct gifts used immediately to support ministry efforts. During the last triennium, many individuals throughout
the LCMS expressed their love for Christ through the Foundation
by providing direct support for the ministries they love. In fiscal
years 2007, 2008, and 2009, the Foundation processed and distributed
482,304 individual gifts for immediate support of ministry, totaling
$135,192,889.

“Gifts Tomorrow” are deferred, or planned, gifts—including annuities, trusts, family gift funds, bequests and other estate plans—that
support ministry efforts at some point in the future. Many deferred gift
instruments administered by the Foundation provide a stream of payments to individuals and married couples during their lifetimes (and
in some cases during the lives of their loved ones), with the remainder
value of the assets distributed to ministries named by the donors when
the instruments mature. During the last three years, the Foundation
distributed 13,433 matured planned gifts totaling $66,137,460 and
helped prepare 5,001 new gift plans with an estimated future value of
$224,669,345 to be distributed as the charitable instruments mature.
“Gifts Forever” are endowed gifts that produce ongoing support
for ministry efforts. The Foundation administers 630 endowments
designed to support ministry in perpetuity. Current asset balance of
the managed endowments is more than $79 million. During the last
triennium, $14,408,460 was distributed from the endowments to ministries of the church. At the end of fiscal year 2009, total assets at
the Foundation were $675 million. The investment performance of
assets under management did quite well during the triennium, a period
which included the worst global economic recession in the last eighty
years and significant investment declines in the financial markets. All
Foundation funds have positive performance relative to their benchmarks over both the short and long term. Over 700 separate ministries
of the church benefited from gifts received and distributed through
the LCMS Foundation during the triennium.
Membership and Partnerships While the Foundation exists to
serve all congregations and entities of the church, 49 voting Members
elect trustees and vote on other official actions. Foundation Members
currently include 22 LCMS Districts, eight colleges/universities, two
seminaries, 12 other Synod-affiliated entities, and five members-atlarge. The Foundation’s Board of Trustees includes 11 members, of
which seven are elected by the Members, two are elected by the Synod
in convention, one is appointed by the President of the Synod, and one
is appointed by the Board for District and Congregational Services.
The Treasurer of the Synod is an ex officio member of the board. In
addition to its Members, the Foundation has working relationships
with all of the other LCMS districts and universities and many other
Synod-affiliated entities.
During the past triennium the Foundation expanded its working relationship with Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF)
and Concordia Plan Services (CPS). With LCEF, the Foundation
established a Congregational Mortgage Loan Pool, through which
custodial endowment account holders may invest directly in loans
issued by LCEF to the congregations of the Synod. With CPS, the
Foundation participated in a joint search for investment advisory services and is pursuing broader collaboration in investment managers
and custodial banking.
Leadership and Organization Since April 2004, Rev. Thomas
Ries has served as president of the Foundation. Four senior vice presidents give leadership to the organizational functions of finance and
administration, trust administration and customer support, marketing and communications, and gift planning. The Foundation is served
by 63 employees.
The Foundation has full-time gift-planning partnerships with
one auxiliary and seven districts of the Synod. These entities are the
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and the following districts:
California-Nevada-Hawaii, Eastern, English, Iowa West, Nebraska,
Ohio, and SELC. In addition, the Foundation has three gift-planning counselors-at-large and associate gift-planning partnerships
with 29 other districts and Synod entities. It also serves individuals,

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