LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 7

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 7

R1-8-01
Office of Government Information

The Office of Government Information (OGI) functions as an
administrative unit of the office of the President of the LCMS. The
executive director serves as the assistant to the President of the
LCMS in the area of governmental affairs and is responsible for all
aspects of the operation of the Synod’s office in Washington, D.C.
The office gathers, evaluates, and disseminates information on pub-
lic policy issues and Federal activities in order that the LCMS Pres-
ident and other synodical officials may be well-informed and ad-
vised on governmental actions and public issues that may impact
the work of the church and the lives of its members. The office also
provides information on church-state issues to clergy and laity.

Background

In the mid-1970s, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
withdrew from the Office of Governmental Affairs of the Lutheran
Council in the USA because its activism and views were often con-
trary to LCMS theological principles and policies. Yet many in the
LCMS felt the Synod needed to reestablish a liaison with those
who make and influence public policy. Moreover, as other
Lutheran churches were more visible to the news media and na-
tional organizations, some feared the public and government would
assume these churches represented all Lutherans. To regain con-
tact with officials in Washington, the LCMS Board of Directors
authorized the development of the Office of Government Informa-
tion in April 1985.

Organization

OGI functions as an administrative unit of the office of the
LCMS President. The executive director reports to the LCMS Pres-
ident and serves as assistant to the President for government af-
fairs. Supporting this work is the Washington Advisory Council,
an advisory group comprised of clergy and laity selected by the
LCMS President on the basis of their experience, knowledge of the
LCMS, and understanding of the Federal government.

Performance and Goals

The work of the Office of Government Information is con-
ducted in accordance with the five duties with which the office has
been charged by Synod’s Board of Directors.

1. OGI gathers needed information on public policy issues for
use by the LCMS President and other synodical officials. Through
personal contacts and meetings, published and nonpublished ma-
terials. electronic resources, news reports, and interaction with
other agencies, OGI monitors congressional legislation, U.S.
Supreme Court cases, Federal regulations, and departmental pro-
grams of the national government, especially those related to

¢ Christian education and religious child care;
* family issues;

« the free exercise of religion;

* the sanctity of human life;

« the Synod’s operations as an institution (e.g., laws and regula-
tions on hiring or enrollment).

Over the last triennium OGI has especially expanded its use of
electronic tools to take advantage of the increasing amount of in-
formation available online. We expect this trend to continue in the
next tiennium. OGI will continue to adapt its methods of gathering
and assessing information as the delivery systems for information
continue to evolve. This will also require ongoing staff trataing and
development.

2. OGI works to educate LCMS Lutherans on issues with moral
or institutional importance. In presenting information and counsel,
OGI assists the LCMS President, boards and commissions, Synod
staff members, District staffs, congregational government affairs
committees, professional church workers, congregations and their
members. It helps all LCMS Lutherans become better informed cit-
izens through

* aregular column in The Lutheran Witness,

* news reports in Reporter and other LCMS publications;
* interviews on KFUO Radio:

* regular mailings to the clergy and to the members of LCMS con-
gregations who have asked to be placed on OGI's mailing lists,
which address public policy issues in variety of areas: (1) the
sanctity of human life, (2) Christian education and the education
of Lutheran children in the public schools, (3) religious child
care, (4) human sexuality (e.g., homosexual rights legislation),
and (5) religious freedom;

¢ an Internet site (WWW.OGI.LCMS.ORG),

* a weekly newsletter, the “Church and State Update,” sent to syn-
odical and District offices by fax and to others around the world
via e-mail using a listserver (CSU @OGI.LCMS.ORG),

presentations at various events throughout the Synod.

Over the last triennium OGI has expanded its use of news media
(print and electronic) and the Internet to distribute information.
Both the World Wide Web site and the weekly newsletter were also
begun within the last three years. In the next triennium we expect
these trends to continue. We are also looking for means to extend
our communication at the congregational level.

3. OGI strives to increase the visibility of the LCMS among the
national news media and among other national offices. OGI’s In-
ternet site and weekly newsletter (mentioned above) are used as a
resource by individuals and organizations around the country and
around the world. OGI's executive director does frequent inter-
views on a variety of Christian (and some secular) radio programs
and has written columns and articles for a number of print media
outlets. We expect that these efforts will continue and increase dur-
ing the next triennium.

4. OGI communicates LCMS policy positions to appropriate
government entities, news media, and national offices. In keeping
with the clear scriptural distinction between the God-given mission
of the church and the God-given mission of civil authority, OGI’s
main function is to monitor public policy to provide members of
Synod with accurate information on church/state issues, so that
Lutherans as individual citizens are able to respond effectively to
government as they see fit. The Synod generally refrains from en-
dorsing specific legislation and does not directly lobby government
officials; Synod addresses public policy only when the reasons for
doing so are clearly based on the Word of God. Only rarely does
the LCMS as a church body take such steps as joining an amicus
curiae brief to present its views to the U.S. Supreme Court, or writ-
ing to Congress to comment on proposed legislation.

Government departments and officials increasingly contact OGI
to solicit information on how proposed legislation, regulations, pro-
grams, and court rulings could potentially affect the Synod. Within
the last triennium OGI has been contacted by such agencies as

¢ the Administration for Children and Families in the Department
of Health and Human Services;

* the Environmental Protection Agency;

* the Federal Communications Commission;

¢ the Immigration and Naturalization Service;

* the Office of Public Liaison in the White House;

* the U.S. Department of Education, especially its Office of Edu-
cation Research and Improvement and also the Office of the Sec-
retary;

* U.S. Department of Labor,

* US. State Department,

* various members of Congress and their staffs.

In the next triennium OGI expects that these contacts will con-
tinue and expand within the limits established by the teachings of
Scripture.

5. OGI maintains and works to expand communications be-
tween the Synod and Washington-based religious and issues-ori-
ented organizations. To monitor effectively Federal activities, OGI
works closely with the Washington offices of a wide variety of
other organizations. Among these are Agudath Israel of America,
the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Bap-
tist Convention. the Coalition for the Free Exercise of Religion, the