LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 356

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356

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
South Wisconsin District

Ov. 7-11

To Reform Composition of Boards of Regents
of Concordia University System Universities
to Improve Doctrinal Fidelity
and Amenability to Ecclesiastical Supervision
WHEREAS, The Concordia University System (CUS) is a
synodwide corporate entity of the Lutheran Church— Missouri
Synod (Bylaw 1.2.1 [w]); and
WHEREAS, Synodwide corporate entities are separate
corporations established by the Synod for business and legal
reasons, and not for purposes of independence from the Synod,
immunity from ecclesiastical supervision by the Synod, or
propagation of positions contrary to the teachings of the Synod; and
WHEREAS, Synodwide corporate entities including the CUS “are
to be servants of and to the Synod and its members” (Bylaw 3.6.1);
and
WHEREAS, Synodwide corporate entities “shall be accountable to
the Synod in convention for the discharge of [their] assigned duties”
(Bylaw 3.6.1.6 [h]); and
WHEREAS, Synodwide corporate entities “shall be accountable to
the President of the Synod for doctrinal faithfulness” (Bylaw 3.6.1.6
[i]); and
WHEREAS, All governing documents and instruments of
synodwide corporate entities must be in conformity with the
Constitution, Bylaws, and applicable resolutions of the Synod in
convention (Bylaw 3.6.1.7) and must provide that the entity is “a
component part of the Synod” (Bylaw 3.6.1.8 [b]); and
WHEREAS, The CUS has the overall responsibility to provide for
the education of pre-seminary students, ministers of religion—
commissioned, other professional church workers of the Synod, and
others desiring a Christian liberal arts education by facilitating prior
approval for theology appointments to college or university
faculties (Bylaw 3.6.6.1); and
WHEREAS, The CUS Board of Directors is charged with a
mandatory duty to ensure that the boards of regents and campus
administrators are actively working to preserve their Lutheran
identity by supporting the objectives of the Synod (Constitution
Article III) and deliver academic and student programs designed to
give students Christ-centered values (Bylaw 3.6.6.6 [a–b]); and
WHEREAS, The composition of the board of regents of the
institutions of the CUS was expanded to include from four to eight
regents appointed by each board itself to add expertise to the boards;
and
WHEREAS, While expertise certainly is needed in the board of
regents, subsequent experience has shown a tendency, resulting in
part from the new composition of the boards, for those boards and
campus administrators to exhibit independence from the Synod,
propagation of positions contrary to the teachings of the Synod, and
resistance to ecclesiastical supervision by the Synod; and
WHEREAS, A board of regents of an institution of the CUS
violated in multiple substantial ways numerous bylaws governing
the search for and appointment of a new president of the institution,
insomuch as to practically abdicate their responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, By virtue of the duties imposed upon him and the
powers vested in him by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod
2023 Convention Workbook

to exercise ecclesiastical supervision (Bylaw 1.2.1 [j]), the
President of Synod with a visitation team visited the campus of that
institution to gather facts; and
WHEREAS, Following the visitation by the President of Synod
and visitation team, the President delivered to that institution a letter
exercising the ecclesiastical supervision imposed upon and vested
in him (letter from President Harrison to members of the CUWAA
Board of Regents, May 9, 2022); and
WHEREAS, The board of regents of that institution has failed or
refused to give the letter of ecclesiastical supervision even the
consideration, let alone the action, due in the circumstances and
under the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod; and
WHEREAS, This failure or refusal is, in part, a symptom of the
independence from the Synod and resistance to ecclesiastical
supervision by the Synod that stems in part from the new, expanded
composition of the board of regents where many members are
appointed by the board of regents itself; and
WHEREAS, The harms resulting from independence and
resistance to ecclesiastical supervision clearly outweigh the benefits
of expertise provided by the new, expanded composition of the
boards of regents; and
WHEREAS, It is necessary to reform the composition of the
boards of regents for the sake of maintaining the CUS as a
component part of the Synod, as servant of and to the Synod and its
members, in doctrinal faithfulness, with Lutheran identity and
Christ-centeredness, amenable to ecclesiastical supervision by the
Synod through the Synod’s chosen office for exercising
supervision; therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.10.6.2 (1–5) be amended as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.10.6.2
The board of regents of each college and university shall
consist of no more than 18 members, all voting.
1. OneTwo ordained ministers, one commissioned minister, and
two laypersons shall be elected by the conventions of the Synod.
2. …
3. No fewer than four and no more than eight members shall be
appointed as members by the board of regents according to a
process determined by the individual institution.
43. The president of the district in which the college or university
is located or a district vice-president as his standing
representative shall serve as an ex officio a voting member.
54. One member, who may be an ordained minister, a
commissioned minister, or a layperson, shall be appointed by the
Praesidium of the Synod after consultation with the President of
the respective institution and the Board of Directors of the Synod
President of the Synod.
65. … (renumbering following)

and be it further
Resolved, That each college, university, or institution of the CUS
shall devise a plan of transition to the number of regents and
composition of the board of regents mandated by this resolution to
be fully implemented no later than the regents’ first meeting in the
third quarter of 2026 so that no current regent shall have the regent’s
current term shortened but no unnecessary delay in implementing
this resolution is allowed; and be it further
Resolved, That the plans of transition shall be subject to approval
by the President of Synod, and shall be submitted to the President
of Synod for review by Feb. 1, 2024; and be it finally