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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 95

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Each of these subject areas is being submitted in the form of an
omnibus overture for consideration by the 2019 convention of
the Synod. In each case, action by the convention to adopt the
proposed changes will both support and enhance the Synod’s
constitutional objectives (Constitution Article III) and bylaw
purposes (Bylaw 1.1).
During the course of the triennium, the commission will
have met nine times prior to the 2019 convention. Recognizing the importance of good stewardship of time and money,
three of the commission’s meetings were held remotely, using
electronic means. The minutes of each commission meeting are
publicly available on the Synod’s website under the “About”
menu, then the “Leadership” link, and then the “Commission
on Handbook” tab.
Dale L. Sattgast, Chairman

R12

Commission on Theology
and Church Relations
The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
(CTCR) has three primary functions: (1) to “assist the President
of the Synod at his request in discharging his constitutional responsibilities for maintaining doctrinal unity within the Synod”
and “for maintaining doctrinal integrity as he relates to other
church bodies”; (2) to “provide guidance to the Synod in matters
of theology and church relations”; and (3) to assist the members
of the Synod in their witness regarding “societies, lodges, cults,
or any organizations of an unchristian or anti-Christian character” (2016 Bylaws 3.9.5.2 to 3.9.5.4). CTCR responsibility
includes responding to expressions of dissent (Bylaw 1.8) and
approving church body requests for altar and pulpit fellowship
(Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2). It also renders official theological opinions as
requested or mandated by Synod bylaws.
The CTCR consists of sixteen voting and four advisory
members. Voting members include two parish pastors, one parish teacher, and two laypersons elected by the Synod convention. Appointed members include four Council of Presidents
(COP) appointees including two pastors (one of whom is a
district president) and two laypersons; four seminary professors, with two from each seminary faculty; and three additional
members (one of whom is a Concordia University System professor) appointed by the President of the Synod, in consultation
with the vice presidents. The President and First Vice-President
of the Synod and the presidents of the two seminaries are advisory members, with no term limits on their service. CTCR
members elected in convention serve a six-year term and may be
re-elected once. Members appointed by the president or elected
by a seminary or the COP serve three-year terms and may be
re-appointed twice.
For the sake of efficiency, the Commission operates with an
Executive Committee and three working committees. The Executive Committee includes the CTCR’s officers, the chairmen of
the three committees, and the executive staff (see below). While
not rigidly defined, one committee focuses on matters pertaining to church and ministry (including church relations matters),
the second on other doctrinal issues, and the third on social and
ethical matters of concern to Christians and the church. All of-

ficial reports, opinions, or documents of the CTCR are finally
approved before their release or publication by the entire Commission meeting in plenary.
Current Commission members and the dates their current
terms expire are: Mr. Kenneth Balsters (2019), Rev. Dr. Andrew
Bartelt (2019*), Rev. Dr. James Bushur (2019), Rev. Robert Dargatz (2019), Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger (2019*), Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher II (2019*), Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs (2019), Mr. Timothy
Hardy (2022), Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison (advisory), Dr. Jack
Kilcrease (2022), Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer (advisory), Rev. Dr. Herbert Mueller Jr. (advisory), Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Oschwald (2019*),
Dr. Matthew Phillips (2019), Dr. Andrea Pitkus (2019), Rev.
Arlo Pullmann (2022), Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast (advisory), Rev.
Dr. Brian Saunders (2022), Dr. Jesse Yow Jr. (2019*), and Rev.
Dr. Roland Ziegler (2019*). (Asterisks signify that this person is
not eligible for reappointment or reelection to the commission
in 2019, due to bylaw-mandated term limits.) The Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, the assistant to the President for church relations (Director of Church Relations), regularly attends CTCR
meetings and reports to the Commission regarding matters of
church relations which are under the purview of the President’s
office. CTCR officers during the past triennium were Dr. Rast,
Chairman; Dr. Bartelt, Vice Chairman; and Dr. Fickenscher,
Secretary. At the beginning of this triennium, the Rev. Terry
Cripe, President of the Ohio District, served as representative
of the Council of Presidents. His service to the CTCR ended in
July of 2018 at the conclusion of his final term as district president. In November of 2018, the Rev. Dr. Brian Saunders, president of Iowa District East, was appointed by the Council of
Presidents as the district president representative on the CTCR.
The CTCR is currently served by two full-time executive staff members. The Rev. Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer, who has
served on the executive staff of the CTCR since 1991, has been
Executive Director since 2009. At its April 2018 meeting, the
Commission took action to renew Dr. Lehenbauer’s term for
another five years (cf. Bylaw 3.9.5.3.1[a][3][4]). The Rev. Larry
M. Vogel has served as Associate Executive Director since 2009.
In addition to facilitating the work of the Commission detailed
below in this report, the executive staff also responds to emails,
letters, and telephone calls requesting further information about
or clarification of the LCMS view of various topics and teachings. In the past triennium, around 400 such requests were addressed by email alone.
From 1991–2007, the CTCR was served by three full-time
executive staff members. Since 2008, however, one of those executive staff positions has been continuously vacant, primarily
due to Synod budgetary limitations. The Commission expresses
its urgent hope that this ongoing executive staff vacancy can be
filled in the coming triennium.

I. Theology
Assignments and Reports
(in chronological order with source
of the assignment)
The CTCR takes its responsibility to provide theological
guidance with great seriousness, seeking to address topics and
concerns that impact LCMS churches and their called workers
in the ongoing work of Gospel ministry.
2019 Convention Workbook