LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 373

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UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Whereas, Providing the opportunity for higher education to citizens of the Black Belt (and beyond in the Southeast) is going to
exceed what student tuition payments currently can provide; and
Whereas, CCA has developed educational programs that enable
students from that impoverished area to earn associate and bachelor degrees; and
Whereas, Explorations toward combining with another
Concordia University System (CUS) school have been made, but
have not produced results; and
Whereas, Other institutions in the CUS have been generous in
offering CCA assistance in developing new academic programs, but
these efforts are limited by constraints of the accreditation process;
and
Whereas, The acquisition of an adjacent 36-acre campus in 2011,
as well as more than 21 capital improvement projects on the campus
and a viable campus master plan, provide the college with a campus
that will be serviceable for the future; and
Whereas, In spring 2016, the college is completing a strategic
plan, accompanied by a business plan; and
Whereas, CCA fills a unique niche in that it is the only Lutheran
Historically Black College or University (HBCU); and
Whereas, The college’s board of regents, in spring 2016, is
exploring a reorganization plan that would continue affordable traditional degrees for commuting and residential students; would stress
Lutheran Christian, cultural, educational, patriotic, and work-ethic
goals as it incorporates aspects of a “work college”; and would offer
online courses, certificate programs, and an emphasis on Christcentered civil justice; and
Whereas, The reorganized school would desire to assist the
Synod’s mission of preparing church workers and, in fact, would
look favorably upon a possible future request from the Synod to reenter its system; therefore be it
Resolved, That CCA be divested from the CUS; and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS provide no less than three million dollars of assistance in each of the calendar years 2016, 2017, 2018, and
2019; and be it further
Resolved, That the current campus of CCA be deeded to its successor entity without cost; and be it further
Resolved, That each of the 35 LCMS districts be encouraged by
the Synod’s Board of Directors and CUS to determine for itself how
to provide 10 thousand dollars of financial support in each of the
calendar years 2017, 2018, and 2019, but that it not be from money
currently shared with the Synod; and be it further
Resolved, That the successor entity, with the assistance of a prospective donor list provided by the Synod’s mission advancement
unit, have permission to solicit donations from members and organizations within the Synod; and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS would assist the college in conducting
a broad capital campaign to support the higher education mission
among the underprivileged in the Alabama Black Belt; and be it
finally
Resolved, That the successor entity be granted recognized service
organization (RSO) status in the Synod, thus enabling the institution
to extend divine calls to ordained and commissioned members of the
Synod and to participate in the Concordia Plans.
Board of Regents
Concordia College Alabama

373

7-19

To Enable Concordia University System
to Maintain Doctrinal Integrity
in Face of Existential Threats
Preamble
The redefinition of marriage promulgated by the Supreme Court
of the United States has established a precedent in law which places
institutions of higher education in an extremely precarious situation.
This was made explicit in oral argumentation before the Supreme
Court on April 28, 2015. One justice directly asked the Solicitor
General of the United States whether the court’s redefinition of marriage could result in the loss of tax-exempt status for universities and
colleges which do not change their teachings and practices in accordance with the redefinition. The Solicitor General openly declared,
“It’s certainly going to be an issue.” Many observers of the court were
stunned. They have interpreted his answer to this predictable question
to be not an accidental admission, but a deliberate and public warning to religious schools across the nation.
For schools that operate on the thinnest of margins and are often
located on acres of prime real estate, the loss of tax-exempt status
would immediately add exorbitant property taxes to their budget while
simultaneously denying the ability of donors to receive a tax writeoff for their generosity. The aggregate effect of these two realities
would have the immediate effect of closing many institutions. The
monumental threat of such financial loss would tempt many institutions to compromise their own doctrine and practice lest they be
driven into bankruptcy.
Federal Title IX funds are a second area of exposure. Every one
of our Concordia universities receives funds from the federal government under the condition that they abide by Title IX (a 1972 law
which, among other things, prohibits discrimination on the basis
of sex). Recently, however, the U.S. Department of Education has
unilaterally reinterpreted the term “sex discrimination” to include
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Based on this new interpretation, an entire school district in northern Illinois was forced to change its policies about what is sexually
appropriate or risk the loss of federal education dollars. The same rule
change could, at any moment, be applied to other schools which are
obligated to follow Title IX.
While these two threats have not yet been applied to religious
schools, there are still other threats which are happening right now.
We notice, for instance, the case of Gordon College in Massachusetts.
The president of this explicitly Christian school was one of fourteen
signers of a letter to President Obama requesting an exemption from
his executive order regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
Following this signature, Gordon College experienced three penalties. First, their accreditation before the New England Association of
Schools and Colleges was called into question. Second, their management and maintenance contract with the city of Salem, Massachusetts,
was cancelled. And third, their agreement with the Lynn Public
Schools for student-teaching classrooms was voided. This example
demonstrates that financial and institutional threats exist not only at
the federal level, but in municipalities, counties, states, and regional
organizations.
A second example is happening in California at Pepperdine
University, which is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The state
court of California has allowed a suit to go forward from two former
students. They allege that Pepperdine’s policy against premarital sex
2016 Convention Workbook