LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 363

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

FLOOR COMMITTEE REPORTS AND OVERTURES ASSIGNMENTS

7. University Education

LCMS congregations. In cases where this standard is not met, the institution will develop a plan to reach this minimum standard and submit
it to the CUS. The institution has an ongoing faculty and staff development program required of all faculty, senior administrators, and senior
staff members that clearly explains the tenets of LCMS higher education
and what it means to be a faculty, administrator, or staff member at a
CUS institution. Adjunct or part-time faculty members engage in a similar faculty development program that likewise explains the fundamental
tenets of LCMS higher education and what it means to be a part-time
faculty member at an LCMS institution.

REPORTS
R1, R1.1, R1.2, R2.2, R10, R15, R56, R57, R58, R63
OVERTURES
7-01

To Adopt Lutheran Identity Statement for CUS
Institutions as Prepared by CUS Presidents
Whereas, The Synod is blessed with university leadership that
seeks to reflect the confession and practice of the church; and
Whereas, The presidents of the Concordia University System
(CUS) have endorsed an identity statement and its protocols as a
means to demonstrate their support for the Christian teaching and
Lutheran confession and practice of the church:
Lutheran Identity Standards for CUS Institutions
As educational institutions of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod,
the colleges and universities of the Concordia University System confess the faith of the Church. The Concordias uphold the teachings of
sacred Scripture and its articulation in the Lutheran Confessions. This
includes the biblical teaching that Jesus Christ—true God and true
man—is the sole way to God’s mercy and grace; that at the beginning
of time the triune God created all things; that life is sacred from conception to natural death; and that marriage between a man and a woman
is a sacred gift of God’s creative hand—over against the reductionistic
assumptions of many in our culture who view men and women as only
transitory and material beings.
As educational institutions of the LCMS, the Concordias are committed
to providing an excellent, robust curriculum in the liberal arts and professional studies, which together equip students for various vocations of
service to church and society. As C. F. W. Walther wrote, “As long as
and wherever the Christian church flourished, it always and everywhere
proved itself to be a friend and cultivator of all good arts and sciences,
gave its future servants a scholarly preparatory training, and did not disdain to permit its gifted youth at its schools of higher learning to be
trained by the standard products of even pagan art and science.”
Accordingly, the colleges and universities of the Concordia University
System affirm and promise to uphold these identity standards:
1. Identity statements
The institution’s mission statement (and/or vision statement) clearly
identifies it as an LCMS institution, as do the institution’s primary print
and electronic publications.
2. Governing board
All of the institution’s regents are active members in good standing of
LCMS congregations (Bylaw 3.10.5.2–4).
3. Senior leadership
The president and the senior leaders over academics, student life, admissions, and athletics are active members in good standing of LCMS
congregations, and all faithfully participate in worship and religious activities on campus and in their local congregations.
4. Faculty
Each tenure track or continuing-level faculty search is given optimal
exposure among members of congregations of the LCMS to identify
faculty who are qualified in their respective academic disciplines and
are members of LCMS congregations. Ideally, all faculty members are
active members of LCMS congregations. When academically qualified
LCMS members are not available, faculty members will be Christians
who affirm, at minimum, the content of the Ecumenical Creeds and are
members of Christian congregations. All faculty members promise to
perform their duties in harmony with the truths of Holy Scripture, the
Lutheran Confessions, and the doctrinal statements of the LCMS (cf.
Bylaw 3.10.5.6.2). The majority of the full-time faculty are members of

363

5. Theology faculty
All theology faculty (full-time and part-time) are active members in
good standing of LCMS congregations and fully affirm the theological
confession of the LCMS. As the LCMS Bylaws indicate, all full-time
theology faculty receive prior approval from the CUS Board of Directors before being appointed or called (Bylaw 3.6.6.1).
6. Academic freedom and responsibility
All full-time faculty acknowledge their acceptance of the CUS statement
of Academic Freedom and Responsibilities. All faculty, both full- and
part-time, pledge to perform their duties in harmony with Scripture, the
Confessions, and the Synod’s doctrinal statements (Bylaw 3.10.5.6.2).
7. Faith and learning
In accordance with the doctrine of the two kingdoms, all faculty strive
to faithfully bring Lutheran theology into interaction with their various
academic disciplines while respecting the integrity of those disciplines.
Likewise, in other campus arenas, faculty, staff, and administrators will
seek to apply Lutheran theology within their campus vocations.
8. Required theology courses
The institution requires two to three theology courses for an undergraduate degree, typically in Old Testament, New Testament, and Christian
doctrine. Because these courses are directly related to the theological
identity of CUS institutions and to the identity formation of graduates,
these theology courses will normally be taken at a CUS institution. Exceptions to this will be approved by the institution’s called theological
faculty.
9. Preparation of church workers
The institution provides resources to recruit, form, nurture, and place
students preparing for professional church work in the LCMS (e.g., preseminary, pre-deaconess, deaconess, Lutheran teachers, DCEs, DCOs,
DPMs). Specific programs vary by campus.
10. Campus ministry
The institution offers regular opportunities for worship that reflect the
confession of the church. Faculty, staff, and students are strongly encouraged to participate in these services. The institution calls a campus pastor or chaplain, who is a minister of religion—ordained of the
LCMS, who oversees the worship life of the community, organizes opportunities for Christian service and witness, and provides pastoral care
for students.

and
Whereas, Such commitment by the presidents is distinctive and,
by God’s grace, will recommend their institutions not only to members of the church but also to those that are seeking such a full and
transparent commitment to the integration of the finest in university
education with the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and
Whereas, While some have noted the drift of colleges and universities away from the churches that gave birth to them, the Synod
can give thanks for such a clear and forthright expression of solidarity with the church; and
Whereas, Pastors, congregations, and parents are urged to support these faithful presidents and send students as well as financial
assistance so that their mission as institutions of the Synod might
flourish and display the truth that all true knowledge and learning
is rightly ordered in relation to God’s revelation in Jesus Christ; and
2016 Convention Workbook