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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 351

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

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
CUS Governance Model Proposal until there is extensive
synodwide dialogue and feedback given; and be it further
Resolved, That the Texas District Board of Directors request the
LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee publish through the appropriate
Synod publications and the LCMS website the feedback they have
formally received and the committee’s disposition of those
recommendations, questions, and concerns, and that all of this
information would be made available to all delegates to the 2023
Synod convention through the convention workbook; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Texas District Board of Directors
recommends to the Res. 7-03 Committee that a process for
synodwide introduction to, discussion of, and consensus concerning
these significant changes be designed and implemented by the
Synod Board of Directors, with the concurrence of the Council of
Presidents, to be completed no later than six months prior to the
convention of the Synod during which these proposals will be
considered, using the regional conferences held by the Blue Ribbon
Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance as a model; and be
it finally
Resolved, That Texas District Board of Directors memorialize
the Synod in convention in 2023 with these requests and
recommendations to further study and amend the LCMS 2019 Res.
7-03 CUS Governance Model Proposal.
Board of Directors
Texas District
Ov. 7-03

To Provide Comment to 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee
concerning CUS Governance Model Proposal
WHEREAS, The Synod in convention adopted 2019 Resolution 703, “To Direct a Collaborative Process to Propose a New
Governance Plan” (Proceedings, 171) with respect to university
education; and
WHEREAS, 2019 Res. 7-03 resolved that the proposed new
governance plan specifically address the objectives of 2013 Res. 501A and 2016 Res. 7-02B by continuing to:
• strengthen all Concordia University System (CUS)
institutions’ connection to the Synod;
• strengthen the confessional Lutheran identity of all CUS
institutions;
• review the composition, size, and selection of boards of
regents;
• review the process for selecting presidents of institutions;
• review the overall governance of CUS and the boards of
regents of the CUS institutions; and
• review the financial models for the institutions;
and
WHEREAS, 2019 Res. 7-03 further resolved “that a report on the
initial governance model proposals be disseminated to the Synod
for a six month period of comment commencing not later than 15
months prior to the start of the 2022 convention of the Synod”; and
WHEREAS, At the Feb. 19, 2021, meeting of the Synod Board of
Directors (BOD) the board approved dissemination of the initial
governance model proposal, “setting the stage” for the “built-in six
month period of comment by the Synod’s congregations, districts

351

and circuits, the universities themselves, and others” (Reporter,
March 8, 2021); and
WHEREAS, The Florida-Georgia District in convention has
concerns about the issues of control in CUS governance, the
complexity of these bylaw changes, the ambiguity and vagueness
prevalent in the bylaw changes, the potentially onerous burden on
both universities and the Commission on University Education from
the Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards, and
unresolved financial questions; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention, for the sake of the
mission, health, and long-term viability of the remaining CUS
institutions, request the 2019 Res. 7-03 committee withhold any
resolutions to the 2023 Synod convention to implement the 2019
Res. 7-03 CUS governance model proposal until there is extensive
synodwide dialogue and feedback given; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2019 Res. 7-03 committee provide to the
Synod specific guidance and information regarding limits of
ascending and descending liabilities through the appropriate Synod
publications and the Synod website and that all of this information
would be made available to all delegates to the 2026 Synod
convention through the convention Workbook; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2019 Res. 7-03 committee publish through
the appropriate Synod publications and the Synod website the
feedback they have formally received and the committee’s
disposition of those recommendations, questions, and concerns, and
that all of this information would be made available to all delegates
to the 2026 Synod convention through the convention Workbook;
and be it finally
Resolved, That the Res. 7-03 committee process for synodwide
introduction to, discussion of, and consensus concerning these
significant changes be designed and implemented by the BOD, with
the concurrence of the Council of Presidents, to be completed no
later than six months prior to the Synod convention during which
these proposals will be considered, using the regional conferences
held by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and
Governance as a model.
Florida-Georgia District
Ov. 7-04

To Delay Process
of Restructuring Concordia University System
WHEREAS, Three of our 10 beloved schools of higher education
have closed in the last several years, making clear the need for a
careful study and reporting to the Synod as a whole before taking
any significant steps at restructuring the Concordia University
System (CUS); and
WHEREAS, The causes and implications of the closures of
Concordia College Alabama; Concordia University, Portland; and
Concordia College—New York have neither been fully studied nor
shared with the owners (members of Synod: congregations and
called workers) prior to the proposed restructuring; and
WHEREAS, The 2019 Synod convention called for a task force to
study and propose a reorganization of the CUS before the closing
of Concordia University—New York and Concordia University,
Portland; and
WHEREAS, The task force was organized and such a
reorganization is under consideration; and

2023 Convention Workbook