LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 266

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266

VIII. REPORT OF RES. 5-01A TASK FORCE
tion of the Synod, qualifications shall be reviewed and verified as outlined in Bylaw 3.12.3.7. When regents are elected
at district conventions or appointed by the board of regents,
qualifications of all nominees, including floor nominees,
shall be reviewed and verified by the chair and secretary of
the district board of directors or their designees.
(a) When regents are elected at national or district conventions,
the Concordia University System Board of Directors serves
as the nominating committee. In addition to normal nominating bodies, the local board of regents may also nominate
candidates. The Concordia University System Board of Directors reviews and verifies the nominees’ qualifications in
consultation with local boards of regents. The resulting slate
of candidates is given to district and synodical conventions
for election. Floor nominations may be made from the pool
of nominees previously vetted for positions in boards of regents in the prior three years. [NB: this will require modifications to other Bylaws including 3.12.3, Nominations]
(b) When regents are elected by the local board of regents, the
local board serves as the nominating committee, verifying
qualifications in conversation with campus stakeholders.
Their approved candidates are given to the Concordia University System Board of Directors for approval. Candidates
approved by the Concordia University System Board of Directors are eligible for election by the local board of regents.
[NB: this will require modifications to other bylaws including 3.12.3, Nominations]

Concordia University System Presidents
Replace all of 3.10.5.5 as follows.
3.10.5.5 The president of the institution shall be the executive officer of
the board of regents. He shall serve serves as the spiritual, academic,
and administrative head of the institution.
(a) He shall represent the institution in its relations to the Synod
and its officers and boards.
(b) He shall supervise, direct, and administer the affairs of the
institution and all its departments, pursuant to the rules and
regulations of the Synod and the policies of the board of regents.

Dean O. Wenthe, Chairman
Notes
1. C. F. W. Walther, “Foreword to the 1875 Volume: Are We Guilty of
Despising Scholarship,” in Selected Writings of C. F. W. Walther: Editorials
from “Lehre und Wehre,” trans. August R. Suelflow (St. Louis: Concordia,
1981), 124–25.
2. For purposes of clarity, this document is using member inclusively to
include both laypersons whose membership is in a local congregation and
called ministers of the Gospel who are themselves members of the Synod.

Appendix
CUS Academic Freedom Policy
1. Higher Education Mission Statement

“The colleges, universities, and seminaries of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod exist to supply the higher education services needed to accomplish the mission of the church.
“Strongly committed to the Lutheran concept of vocation, synodical colleges and universities are liberal arts institutions which
provide a Christ-centered spiritual and value-oriented environment
for men and women who will be Christians in the church and in secular occupations.
“The objectives of the Synod include the recruitment and education of professional church workers. Therefore, central to the system
of synodical higher education is the preparation of those who are
called to serve through preaching, teaching and related vocations.
2016 Convention Workbook

Professional preparation for the pastoral ministry is the special assignment of the Synod’s seminaries.”
“Statement of Mission and Purpose”
as adopted by the 1986 LCMS Convention
2. Freedoms and Opportunities
1. Much of value can be learned from the concepts of academic freedom that are commonly found in American culture. However, academic freedom and its related responsibilities as recognized and
practiced in the Concordias have their fundamental basis in the
Christian identity of our institutions of higher education.
2. A Concordia campus views academic freedom and responsibility
as an expression of the reality of the scriptural Lutheran faith. As
agencies of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the Concordias
express the confessional significance of believing in Christ and his
Scriptures, teaching the scriptural Lutheran faith, and confessing the
Gospel to the world.
3. A Concordia campus is a Christian community, characterized by a
high awareness of the reality and importance of collegial relationships and commitments.
4. A Concordia campus values the centrality of a Lutheran understanding of Law, Gospel, and the forgiveness of Christ for all. This reality permeates classrooms, administrative work, and human relations
among all campus constituencies.
5. A Concordia campus provides opportunities for faculty to integrate
faith, life, and learning. This includes opportunities to address issues
in our contemporary environment from the standpoint of informed
Lutheran scholarship.
6. A Concordia campus values the individuality of each faculty member and respects the right of faculty to hold diverse opinions. The
right of persons to retain the convictions of their faith and conscience is respected, but the institution has specific expectations
regarding the presentation of doctrinal teachings.
7. A Concordia campus expects its faculty to exhibit a strong commitment to scholarship and the professional expectations of the various
academic disciplines. The pursuit of knowledge through intellectual
inquiry and research is highly valued as a mark of institutional excellence.
8. A Concordia campus respects the right and responsibility of faculty
members to present the empirical and historical subject matter involved in their scholarly disciplines. Scholarly information related
to the subject matter may be presented, provided the manner of presentation is within the parameters of the responsibilities and limitations listed below.
3. Responsibilities and Limitations
1. A Concordia faculty member may present and discuss concepts that
conflict with synodical teachings, including historical information
and the results of research in a faculty member’s discipline. The
corresponding responsibilities are that the faculty member presents
the material in a manner that encourages constructive insights and
enhanced understanding of the issues, that he/she presents a fair and
accurate description of the synodical position, and that he/she does
not advocate a position contrary to that of the Synod.
2. A Concordia faculty member acknowledges that he/she functions
within a community that has multiple dimensions (e.g., campus,
congregations, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the churchat-large, society). As a responsible colleague, the faculty member
has a clear awareness of the position of respect and responsibility
that those communities confer upon faculty members.
3. A Concordia faculty member acknowledges that in certain situations
he/she will voluntarily limit his/her expression of opinions and convictions. Such limitations involve a professional and personal judgment regarding the appropriateness of the message to the audience,
so that the mission of the institution and of the church is supported
rather than hindered.