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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 357

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

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Resolved, That this resolution be forwarded to the Synod for
adoption at its 2023 convention.
Montana District
Ov. 7-12

To Make All Concordia University System
Board-Appointed Regents Advisory Members
WHEREAS, Accountability to the Word of God and the Lutheran
Confessions have been a hallmark of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod; and
WHEREAS, The members of Synod, congregations, and the
institutions of Synod have agreed to be held accountable to these
authoritative documents through the process of ecclesiastical
supervision and convention action; and
WHEREAS, The current bylaw provision of board selfappointments for the purpose of management of the institution is
both good and necessary; and
WHEREAS, These board self-appointments present a conflict to
the accepted practice of fraternal accountability to the Synod as a
whole; and
WHEREAS, This lack of accountability could afford the devil an
opportunity to divide the community of the Synod; therefore be it
Resolved, That all board appointed members of any Concordia
University System (CUS) board of regents be vetted in the same
manner as elected members as determined by the Commission on
Handbook; and be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.10.6.2 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.
…
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. Boardappointed members of any board of regents are advisory. They
will have voice but no vote.
…

and be it finally
Resolved, That upon the approval of 2023 Synod convention this
action be applied immediately to all board self-appointed regents
across the CUS regardless of their time of appointment.
South Wisconsin District
Ov. 7-13

To Return Concordia University System
Institutional Governance to the Synod
WHEREAS, the Concordia University System (CUS) institutions,
which are agencies of Synod (Bylaw 1.2.1 [a]), were initially
founded by the Synod; and
WHEREAS, Until 1986, all CUS institution board members were
elected by the Synod or by a district in convention; and
WHEREAS, In 1986, two board-appointed positions were
authorized; in 1992, two additional board-appointed positions were
authorized; and in 2007, an additional four board-appointed
positions were authorized, with the result that since 2007, the eight
board-appointed members (who can vote on other appointed

357

members) have outnumbered the five Synod-elected members of
each CUS Board of Regents; and
WHEREAS, Recent actions by the Board of Regents of Concordia
University Texas demonstrate that when a board is not primarily
accountable to the Synod, it can seek to act primarily for
institutional self-preservation rather than in the interests of, and in
service to, the broader church (see Concordia University Texas
memo,
steadfastlutherans.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/11/CUTexasLetter.pdf); and
WHEREAS, The geographic district in which each CUS school is
located also elects five members to the board of regents (including
the district president), with the result that six districts of the Synod
elect regents at their conventions whereas 29 districts do not, even
though the CUS schools serve the entire Synod and are not the
property of any one district; and
WHEREAS, The seminaries, which likewise serve the entire
Synod, have boards with a district president elected by the entire
Council of Presidents, and have four board-appointed regents
chosen by the elected board members (to avoid creating a selfperpetuating board, appointed members do not vote on other
appointed members), which arrangement has been salutary for the
governance of the seminaries and has caused no financial,
governance, or accreditation problems; therefore be it
Resolved, That in order to rebalance the governance of the CUS
Boards of Regents, the Synod revise the appropriate bylaws to
provide for election of a thirteen member Board of Regents,
consisting of four laypersons, two ordained ministers, and one
commissioned minister, each elected by the Synod in convention
for six year terms, with the terms staggered; one district president
elected by the Council of Presidents for a three year term; one
representative appointed by the Praesidium of Synod for a three
year term; and four persons appointed by the elected members of
the board for six year terms, such persons to be ineligible to vote on
the appointment of appointed members; such changes to take effect
for the 2024 district and 2025 Synod convention cycle, with all
current members to complete their current three-year terms.
St. Paul
Brookfield, IL
Ov. 7-14

To Restore Composition
of Boards of Regents of Our Concordias
WHEREAS, 2007 Resolution 5-04 changed the composition of the
boards of regents at our colleges and universities, increasing the
number of members on the boards, but decreasing the number
elected by the Synod in convention, and making more regents
appointed voting members; and
WHEREAS, Since the 2007 change, there have been instances in
which some of our Concordias have acted in ways not reflective of
the will of the Synod; and
WHEREAS, It is desirable that the boards of regents of our
Concordias more closely reflect the will of the Synod, and that goal
can be served by restoring the composition of the boards to their
pre-2007 numbers, with a greater proportion of the boards being
elected by the Synod in convention, rather than appointed; therefore
be it
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.10.6.2 be amended as follows:

2023 Convention Workbook