LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 152

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152

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

professional studies after they have completed the prescribed
undergraduate curriculum, or who for any other valid reason are
not ready for first calls to service in the church, shall continue to
be eligible for unqualified recommendation for first calls as long
as they can be recommended by the faculty of the educational
institution of the Synod from which they have graduated. The
respective faculty shall annually ascertain through personal interviews with the candidate or through satisfactory testimonials
that each candidate so classified is still qualified for recommendation for a first call to serve in the church.
2.8.1
Candidates shall be declared qualified for first calls.
(a) They are those who before the effective date of the first calls
will have satisfactorily completed the prescribed courses of
studies and will have received diplomas from their respective
educational institutions seminaries of the Synod or in Synodaccredited programs of affiliated colleges or universities, or
have fulfilled the requisites of a colloquy or other approved
education program of the Synod (Bylaws 2.7.2 and 2.7.3).
2.8.2
It shall be the responsibility of Synod’s colloquy committees or, subject to the policies of the Colloquy Committee
for Commissioned Ministry and within programs for which their
respective institutions are currently accredited by the Synod, the
faculties of educational institutions of the Synod Synod-affiliated colleges and universities to declare colloquy candidates
qualified for first calls.
2.8.3
For purposes of declaring candidates qualified for
placement and recommending them for membership in the
Synod, the Synod considers the such a “faculty” of an educational institution to be defined as follows:
(a) Seminaries: all full-time faculty members who are in good
standing on the Synod’s roster of ordained ministers.
(b) Affiliated colleges and universities: all full-time faculty
members who are in good standing as individual members
of the Synod or are members in good standing of a member
congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
2.8.4
Only faculties of such affiliated colleges and universities as are currently accredited by the Commission for University Education may declare qualified and recommend candidates
for first calls, and each of these, only with regard to programs
leading to candidacy for commissioned ministry (Bylaw 2.6.1.1)
for which it is specifically and currently accredited by the commission.
2.8.4.1
A graduate of such a program that was accredited by
the Commission for University Education at the time of matriculation but no longer accredited at the time of qualification
for a first call may apply to the Colloquy Committee for Commissioned Ministry for examination, any necessary remediation,
and certification. The institution offering such a program shall
share records with the Colloquy Committee as necessary to assess the candidate’s preparation and fitness for commissioned
ministry.
2.9.1
The Council of Presidents, acting as the Board of Assignments, shall regularly assign to qualified graduates of educational institutions of the Synod seminaries and Synod-accredited
programs of affiliated colleges and universities, and to workers
available from colloquy programs, as “first calls” those calls that
have been duly extended to fill active member positions as identified in Bylaw 2.11.1 for ordained and commissioned ministers
if positions for which candidates are qualified are available.
2023 Convention Workbook

…And be it further
Resolved, That Bylaws 3.10.3.1–2, establishing the membership
and function of the Colloquy Committee for Commissioned Ministry, be amended as follows, to reflect the new relation of the Synod
and the schools:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.10.3.1
The Colloquy Committee for Commissioned Ministry shall consist of the First Vice-President of the Synod as
chairman, ; a representative of Concordia University System
the Commission for University Education, designated by the
commission, and; two college/university presidents of affiliated
colleges or universities that are in good accreditation standing
and that operate a program or programs qualifying graduates
for commissioned ministry, appointed by the President of the
Synod; and two three Concordia University System faculty of
the same, who are involved in colloquy and appointed by the
president of Concordia University System chair of the Commission for University Education, and one representative from
CUEnet.
3.10.3.2
The committee shall direct the Synod’s activity in matters of colloquies for commissioned ministers.
(a) The committee shall oversee maintain policies specifying,
for each category of commissioned ministry at each college
and university of the Synod, the prerequisites for colloquy
application, required courses of study, and internship expectations.
(b) The committee shall also establish and monitor academic
and theological standards for each of the colloquy programs.
The committee shall consult the directors of the programs at
the Synod’s colleges and universities Commission for University Education and its Institution Advisory Council when
establishing or reviewing the standards.
(c) The committee shall render a report on the commissioned
ministry colloquy activities to each convention of the Synod.
3.10.3.3
The committee shall additionally facilitate the examination, remediation, and qualification for first call of suitable
candidates from disaccredited programs applying under Bylaw
2.8.4.1.
E. TO ENCOURAGE AND FACILITATE AFFILIATED
COLLEGES’ AND UNIVERSITIES’
BUSINESS CONSULTATION AND EFFICIENT COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION
IN SHARED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
In the impression of the 2019 Res. 7-03 committee, the institutions’
success in the present environment—certainly their thriving, as
tuition-dependent schools with relatively limited endowments—requires not only the sort of shared values advanced by the accreditation program developed above but also efficient coordination and
collaboration or organic consolidation. To address this issue, the
first whereas of 2019 Res. 7-03 acknowledged the college and university presidents’ conclusion that “greater integration and collaboration would strengthen the individual institutions and the system
as a whole.” Given the natural inertia and independence of every
individual human institution, however, broad success in such synergetic efforts will likely require strong leadership.
Concordia University System has in the past facilitated some common efforts of the colleges and universities, including the employment of staff and the maintenance of finances, principally in the