Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2019 · 67th Convention, Tampa › Page 470
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 470

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

470

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

WHEREAS, The CUS Board and Synod Board of Directors have
worked diligently to assist Concordia University Chicago (CUC)
with approval of recent capital projects such as our new Concordia
Hall residence hall, our presidential search, financial arrangements,
and many other matters; and
WHEREAS, The members of the CUS Board and Synod Board of
Directors, including laymen, commissioned workers, and pastors,
spend countless hours of dedicated service to the Church and to the
CUS schools, on a completely volunteer basis; and
WHEREAS, The Synod Board of Directors, in particular, has
worked valiantly to assist CUS schools over the last decade,
including absorbing millions of debt from Concordia University,
Ann Arbor and providing millions in funding support to Concordia
College Alabama; such involvement of the Synod is vital where
district or local efforts alone may prove insufficient; and
WHEREAS, Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison and
Secretary of Synod Rev. Dr. John Sias have also provided a positive
and faithful vision for the future of the CUS as we must adapt to a
changing world; such bold leadership is vital as institutions of
higher education that faithfully confess the Gospel of Jesus Christ
face new and unprecedented threats to our religious liberty; and
WHEREAS, As a board of regents we gratefully recognize that we
can always benefit from the counsel, assistance, and support of our
Synod, its officers, its congregations, the CUS Board, and the Synod
Board of Directors, who have worked to help strengthen CUC and
other CUS schools; we, and our fellow board members at sister CUS
schools, do not seek to fight for “control” (however that is defined)
or seek our own selfish power and institutional independence;
rather, we seek to work for the greater good of the Church in its
visible form in our Synod; and
WHEREAS, We note with sadness that sometimes the good faith
efforts of the CUS, the officers of Synod, and the Synod Board of
Directors are unfairly and inaccurately maligned in an unchristian
manner; we call upon all in the Synod instead to repent, give thanks,
and put the best construction upon the work of our servant leaders
of the CUS in this challenging environment as we are called to do;
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm the efforts of the
CUS Board, the Synod Board of Directors, and the officers of
Synod, in service to the Church, to aid and support our CUS
colleges and universities; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention rise in the singing of the common
doxology to give thanks for the servant leadership displayed by all
those involved in CUS governance within the last triennium.
Board of Regents
Concordia University Chicago
Ov. 7-13

To Move Our Concordia Universities
and Seminaries to Independence
from Government Funding
WHEREAS, “The common goal [of our Concordia Universities
and Seminaries] is to develop Christian leaders for the church,
community and world” (lcms.org/cus, quoted on September 8,
2017); and
WHEREAS, “The Concordia University System is one of the most
powerful and far-reaching tools the Lord of the Church has given

2019 Convention Workbook

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to take the good news of
life in Jesus Christ to a world desperately in need of hearing and
believing in Him, through professional church workers and those
trained for other service in our communities” (cus.edu, quoted on
September 8, 2017); and
WHEREAS, In pursuit of its common goal, our Concordia
University System (CUS) adopted ten Lutheran Identity Standards,
which were approved by Synod at its 2016 convention. The first
paragraph of the preamble reads, “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” (cus.edu, accessed September
8, 2017); and
WHEREAS, Faculty and students in our CUS receive government
grants and loans for research and tuition support (for an example of
the receipt of federal funds for research support, see the listing of
Prof. Matt Wise at cu-portland.edu/academics/college-artssciences/faculty-research [accessed September 8, 2017]); and
WHEREAS, The schools of the Wisconsin Synod to this day do
not receive federal funding; and
WHEREAS, The acceptance of government monies is increasingly
coming with requirements, which attempt to pressure our
institutions of higher learning to compromise their Christian
witness; therefore be it
Resolved, That the English District memorialize the Synod in
convention to reaffirm the stated mission and goals of the CUS; and
be it further
Resolved, That the district in convention call upon the LCMS to
urge our institutions of higher learning to issue a financial progress
report in 2022, detailing how they are advancing toward
independence from government funding; and be it finally
Resolved, That the district in convention call upon the LCMS to
take at least one of the following actions: (1) begin a fund-raising
campaign with the goal of supporting our institutions of higher
learning to allow them to become financially independent of
government funding; (2) restructure the CUS such that it liquidate
the assets of most of the campuses in order to use the proceeds to
create an endowment that will allow up to four remaining campuses
to operate on a model employed by Grove City College in
Pennsylvania and Hillsdale College in Michigan.
English District
Ov. 7-14

To Nurture Our Lutheran System
of Higher Education
WHEREAS, The Concordia University System (CUS) exists to
“build national identity, enable cooperative endeavors and enhance
the strength of the colleges and universities of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod as they engage students of diverse ages
and cultures in quality, Christ-centered, value-oriented, Lutheran