LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 58

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58

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Increased Convention Nomination and Election Responsibilities
Synodwide application of the restructuring decisions of the 2010
convention, including the preconvention election of the President of
the Synod, the ballot nominating processes for elections of regional
vice presidents and mission board members, and the transition to
policy boards in place of program boards are largely in place. Look
for continued fine tuning in some of the business to come before the
2016 convention.
The 2013 convention made several specific bylaw changes to the
various nominations processes now in use by the Synod, which in turn
have resulted in considerable additional labor by the Secretary’s Office
as it provides the preparatory work for the Committee for Convention
Nominations. With the adoption of Res. 5-05A “To Amend Bylaws
Regarding Boards of Regents and Concordia University System
Board,” Bylaws 3.10.5.2, 3.6.6.3, and 3.12.3.5 (d) have required the
development of a procedure to review all Committee for Convention
Nomination nominees for Concordia University System board positions to ascertain that they meet specific qualifications. The resolution
additionally added a new paragraph (e) to Bylaw 3.12.3.5 that requires
the same review for all nominees for all regional board positions, and
the publishing in the Convention Workbook of a list of those found
qualified to be available for possible nominations from the floor of
the convention.
While the new bylaw requirements may turn out to be very beneficial, these and other changes have greatly increased the convention
preparations workload of the Secretary’s Office—all within some very
demanding time frames. I believe it is time for the 2016 convention
floor committee responsible for reviewing this report to propose the
appointment of a Blue Ribbon Task Force to review the entire nominations and elections picture and propose a reasonable and more
effective nominations process.
Dispute Resolution
The Synod is blessed to have in place dispute resolution processes that address dispute matters in a God-pleasing manner. As
with any Christian endeavor, however, there is always reason to strive
to make these processes the best that they can be. Coming before the
convention will be a number of proposed bylaw changes to address
areas found to be wanting or in need of clarification in the existing
procedures.
One of those areas was addressed by the 2013 convention with
Res. 7-18 “To Study Doctrinal Training for Reconcilers,” which
referred a perceived need for doctrinal training for the lay reconcilers to the Council of Presidents, CCM, and Secretary of the Synod
“for appropriate study and recommendations.”
After extensive discussions during the current triennium
that included the Council of Presidents and CCM, as well as the
Commission on Handbook and the reconcilers themselves during
regional training meetings, it was generally agreed that providing such
comprehensive doctrinal training would not be a reasonable solution.
Instead, a proposal worthy of convention consideration has been submitted by the CCM that will provide opportunity for panel members
to pursue assistance from knowledgeable resources and persons when
serving on panels in cases that involve doctrinal issues.
Other Responsibilities
The Secretary of the Synod is privileged to serve as a voting member of the Board of Governors of Concordia Historical Institute.
In recent years, the institute has endured some financial and other
struggles, but it has weathered these storms, thanks in large part to
the valiant and generous leadership provided by former Executive
Director Larry Lumpe. And thanks to recent increased financial support allotted by the Board of Directors in the Synod’s budget along
2016 Convention Workbook

with special support from Concordia Publishing House, the institute’s
prospects for greater effectiveness and service under the leadership of
its new director, Rev. Daniel Harmelink, have been greatly improved.
During the past three years, the President of the Synod appointed
me to serve as his representative on the Board of Directors of
Concordia Publishing House. Like its other synodwide corporate
entities, the publishing house is a unique blessing to the Synod (i.e.,
having its own publishing house to provide trustworthy printed and
electronic materials for use in congregation and home, under leadership and administration that continues to weather the latest economic
trends, winning the highest possible business awards in our land while
producing some of the highest quality products to be found on bookshelves and computer apps anywhere).
In Conclusion
After 18 years of having the privilege of serving in this office,
this time this report is indeed “in conclusion.” I have appreciated
very much my opportunity to serve our Synod as its Secretary. I look
forward to helping my successor carry on the important work of the
Secretary’s Office.
Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary
R5

Board of Directors
The Constitution of the Synod conveys the responsibility and
authority that the Synod gives to the Board of Directors:
The Board of Directors is the legal representative of the Synod. It is the
custodian of all of the property of the Synod, directly or by its delegation of such authority to an agency of the Synod. It shall exercise supervision over all the property and business affairs of the Synod except
in those areas where it has delegated such authority to an agency of the
Synod or where the voting members of the Synod through the adoption
of bylaws or by other convention action have assigned specific areas
of responsibility to separate corporate or trust entities, and as to those
the Board of Directors shall have general oversight responsibility as set
forth in the Bylaws. (Art. XI E 2)

Legal, property, and business matters are included in its responsibility and have been given attention throughout the past triennium.
Board Actions
The board made strides to improve its efficiency and effectiveness over the past three years. Implementation of a consent agenda
for meetings occurred, which allowed for accepting in one motion a
number of reports and noncontroversial action items that had previously been handled individually. In order to increase its effectiveness,
the board engaged in a 10-hour retreat focused on “The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod of the Future.” The time was spent laying
the foundation for future discussions, with the identification of eight
“next steps” for the board to consider. Additionally, the board engaged
in a self-evaluation process to re-examine its collective and individual performance and identify plans for improvement.
To strengthen existing relationships, meetings were held between
the chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Administrative
Officer of the Synod, as well as the board chairmen and executives of Concordia Publishing House, the LCMS Foundation, the
Lutheran Church Extension Fund—Missouri Synod, and Concordia
Plan Services. The meetings were meant to encourage a mutually beneficial relationship and led to helpful discussions on the role of the
Board of Directors in the work of Synod agencies as well as corporate
Synod, enhancing the relationships between LCMS board members
and agency board members, and identifying earlier such items that
may come before the Board of Directors so that the board can be better prepared to provide informed assistance.