LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 74

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74

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

• Over 15,500 linear feet (3 miles) of archival material in environmentally controlled rooms
• Two high-quality museums (a permanent exhibit on the Reformation
and history of the Synod at the LCMS headquarters in Kirkwood,
Missouri, and a museum with changing exhibits at CHI, located on
the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis)
• The newly updated and expanded Concordia Historical Institute
Quarterly (the longest-running journal of Lutheran history in North
America)
• A professional archival and research service that organizes, catalogs, and provides access to the millions of archived items in the
CHI collection
• An annual awards program that recognizes excellence in publishing
books and articles on the history of Lutheranism in North America
• A large archival collection of historic photographs, motion picture
film, audio- and videotapes, artifacts from the mission field, as
well as fine art associated with the Reformation and the Lutheran
Church in North America
• A completely redesigned website: concordiahistoricalinstitute.org
• Two historic sites spotlighting the life and faith of the first Lutheran
settlers in Perry County, Missouri (the Saxon Lutheran Memorial
and Hill of Peace Lutheran Memorial)
Over the last three years, CHI has presented to church and community historic treasures entrusted to its care in new and exciting
ways. One of these is the current CHI exhibit “Bringing Christ to the
Highlands: Painting a Portrait of Early Lutheran Mission Work in
Papua New Guinea.” This exhibit chronicles the beginnings of LCMS
mission work in Papua New Guinea. (A printed catalog is available
for those not able to visit the CHI exhibit on the campus of Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis.)
The Institute is excited to provide engaging resources for the
upcoming 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. It has written
25 sets of bulletin inserts, short biographies, and Bible studies on
important “Faces for the Reformation.” These resources are available to individuals and congregations free of charge on the Synod’s
lutheranreformation.org website. CHI has also partnered with
Concordia Publishing House in producing a beautiful catalog of CHI’s
Reformation Coin and Medal Collection, the most significant institutional collection of these medallic witnesses to the Reformation
outside of Europe. It is our prayer that this publication will serve as
a fascinating introduction to the Lutheran faith confessed in numismatic art over the last five centuries.
Concordia Historical Institute is dedicated to enhancing its service
to the LCMS in the next triennium. We continue to cultivate stronger,
mutually beneficial partnerships with departments of the Synod and
local archives maintained by LCMS districts, educational institutions,
RSOs, and congregations. CHI has recently been blessed with two
special endowments that will fund major research/publishing projects
over the next several years: one on the history of the Walther League
and the other on the history of the walkout at Concordia Seminary.
Both projects will do much to advance research on these two important historical subjects.
By the grace of God, Concordia Historical Institute, now under
the guidance of a full-time director, will continue to solicit historically valuable documents and artifacts and increase the value of its
services, products, and events, while reducing risks associated with
collecting, organizing, preserving, publishing, and exhibiting historic
treasures (especially as more documents are generated and stored
electronically).
With joy, Concordia Historical Institute continues to serve the
LCMS so that generations to come might not only better understand
the fascinating history of our Synod, but more clearly understand the
redeeming work of Christ in the life of the Lutheran Church. To that
2016 Convention Workbook

end, the Institute asks for your continued prayers and financial support in moving Lutheran history forward.
Daniel Harmelink, Executive Director
R13

Board of Trustees—Concordia Plans
Board of Directors—Concordia Plan Services
Years Ended December 31, 2013–2015
“Concordia Plan Services Walks Together with LCMS Ministries in
Caring for Workers and Their Families … so that the Word of God
Continues to Spread!”

Concordia Plan Services (CPS) was created by The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) to care for its workers. For more
than fifty years, CPS has done just that, and today is the benefits
administrator of choice for approximately 6,000 LCMS organizations in the United States and in mission fields worldwide. More than
31,200 active workers, along with approximately 53,100 dependents,
are covered by the various benefits of the Concordia Plans.
CPS also provides retirement benefits to over 21,100 retirees and
health benefits for more than 250 seminary students (and their eligible dependents), and it offers continued health coverage for qualifying
retirees. As of December 31, 2015, the asset value of the Concordia
Plans exceeded $3.7 billion.
Serving You

CPS exists to serve the LCMS community, and through that service links together churches, schools, universities, seminaries, RSOs,
and others. Through the collective strength of our ministries, CPS
can provide high-quality benefits to servants of the Lord across the
LCMS. Only when working together can we care for LCMS workers
across town, across the country, and around the world.
In the last three years, CPS initiated and expanded products and
services to provide proactive, resource-focused assistance to LCMS
workers and employers.
Ministerial Care: Recognizing that ordained and commissioned
ministers within the LCMS face unique challenges both at work and
at home, CPS expanded its resources to these groups.
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Expanded the Pastoral Support Network (PSN), a telephonic resource
available to pastors and their families, which is free and confidential.
Established the Ministerial Care Coalition (MC2), which is comprised
of individuals located in most LCMS districts who are focused on
caring for commissioned ministers and helping them find and access
resources when in need.
Worked with the Office of National Mission and the Concordia Center
for the Family (located on the Concordia University, Ann Arbor, campus) to distribute the “Church Worker Family Needs Survey.” The
survey was piloted in 2015.

Wellness: Introduced in 2011, the Be Well Rewards program came
to an end in 2015. Participation had fallen in recent years and CPS
identified the need for a new program to better engage Concordia
Health Plan members in healthy living.
In early 2016, CPS introduced Vitality, an interactive wellness
platform that encourages CHP members to be active all year long
and improve their lifestyles. The Vitality program focuses on personal responsibility and understanding how your actions impact your
health. More than an incentive/reward program, Vitality promotes
adoption of a healthy lifestyle. The incentives offered through Vitality
are obtained in a more intentional way to encourage healthy living.
Vitality is just one tool that CPS introduced to help CHP members maintain good health, as well as keep healthcare costs down.
Other tools include these: