LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 41

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 41

KFUO/FCC Matter: Closure

The KFUO/Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod/FCC federal lit-
igation concluded in 1998 with complete victory and tota! vindica-
tion for KFUO and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Initi-
ated in 1990 by the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People and joined by the Federal Communications Com-
mission, the case charged KFUO with religious discrimination for
giving hiring preference to Christians and Lutheran Christians. In
April 1998, upheld on appeal in December 1998, the courts decided
entirely in favor of KFUO and the Synod. The courts also declared
the FCC’s Equal Employment Opportunity rules to be unconstitu-
tional. KFUO’s long-standing broadcast record was completely
cleared, and its radio licenses were renewed for a full term, until
2005.

In a postscript, the FCC reinstated its EEO rules again in 1999.
In January 2001, the federal courts again declared them unconsti-
tutional.

KFUO and the BCS again want to acknowledge the generous
support of the Marvin M. Schwan Charitable Foundation for sup-
porting the legal defense of KFUO and the religious freedoms guar-
anteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Executive Director

After more than 18 years as the executive director of the Board
for Communication Services, Rev. Dr. Paul W. Devantier left that
post in July 2000 to become chief communications officer for
Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, in Watertown, WI. Dr.
Devantier was the first and only executive director the board had
known since it was established by the 1981 Synod convention.

Dr. Devantier’s tenure saw many important developments for
synodical communications. He provided the leadership for the two
accomplishments highlighted above—the successful defense of
KFUO in the FCC case and development of the two mass-media
campaigns. During his years at the helm, the department also re-
ceived considerable recognition from peers, professionals, and the
public for the videos it produced, for the Synod’s two official peri-
odicals, and for its broadcast ministry.

The Board for Communication Services thanks God for Dr. De-
vantier, for his gifts, and for the wonderful service he has rendered
to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. We pray God’s richest
blessings on him and his family, on his continued service to the
Kingdom, and for much joy in his work at Bethesda.

The board also thanks God for the gift of Rev. J. Thomas La-
packa, who accepted the call to become its executive director and
began work in that capacity in January 2001. Pastor Lapacka brings
considerable experience, vision, insight, and leadership to the com-
munication task given the BCS by the Synod. The board prays our
Lord’s richest blessings also on Pastor Lapacka and his family, that
he will be strengthened in his task and that he will carry out his re-
sponsibilities with joyful confidence in Christ’s gracious presence.

News and Information

The Division of News and Information produces the Synod’s
two official periodicals—The Lutheran Witness and Reporter—and
operates a News Bureau that distributes news and information pri-
marily to internal audiences Synodwide.

The Lutheran Witness magazine is published monthly for the
laymembers of the Synod’s 6,000-plus congregations. As this re-
port is written in February, the magazine has a circulation of some
250,000. Reporter, a monthly newspaper with a circulation of
33,000, targets its news, ideas, and resources to the Synod’s pro-
fessional church workers and to the lay leaders of its congregations.

Through the periodicals, e-mail listservers, personal contacts,
and other available means, the division seeks to provide accurale

and useful information in order to strengthen the Synod’s mission
and ministry.

Accomplishments

* Readers of The Lutheran Witness give the magazine high marks
“for overall appearance, overall content, and its position as a reli-
gious publication.” according to a readership survey conducted in
1999 by Concordia Publishing House. “The Lutheran Witness is
important to its recipients. It tends to be thoroughly read and
should be continued,” said the survey report.

¢ A readership survey conducted tor Reporter in 2000 by The
Qualis Company, a St. Louis-based research firm, found that the
newspaper gets high marks for credibility (94 percent said it is
“always” or “usually” credible). Although only just over a third
(38 percent) of readers said they “frequently find ideas. sugges-
tions, or helps that they use or pass along to others,” only one
other periodical (The Lutheran Witness) of 17 publications tested
in the survey ranked higher on this “uselulness” scale.

¢ Both official periodicals were recognized for excellence by their
peers and other journalism protessionals in three annual competi-
tions sponsored by The Associated Church Press (ACP) since the
last convention report was prepared (in 1998, 1999, and 2000).
The Lutheran Witness won nine ACP awards in three years, in-
cluding first place in 1999 as “Best in Class” among denomina-
tional general-interest magazines. Reporter garnered || awards,
including two third-place awards (in [998 and 1999) in the “Best
in Class” competition for national and international newspapers.

The Lutheran Witess completed a |4-part series on Lutheran
worship. Prepared in cooperation with the Commission on Wor-
ship and titled “Oh, Come, Let Us Worship Him.” this major se-
ries detailed the rich meaning in the various components of the
historic liturgy. At this writing, plans are to make the series avail-
able to congregations and others through the Commission on
Worship in two formats: a complete reprint with Bible-study
questions added, and in a condensed format especially for use in
parish newsletters.

¢ The division’s News Bureau established “LCMSNow.” an e-mail
listserver especially for religion writers and editors on secular
newspapers. Subscriptions are available only upon their request.
LCMSNow currently has 65 journalist-subscribers.

Plans and Challenges

¢ At this writing, the Board for Communication Services, Concor-
dia Publishing House, and the Synod’s Board of Directors are in
discussions aimed at more efficient and cost-effective production
of The Lutheran Witness. The intent is that new efficiencies not
only will allow the magazine to be financially self-supporting. but
also will provide marketing and circulation-system improvements
that will put the magazine into more LCMS homes.

Plans reported in the 1998 Convention Workbook to develop with
CPH a site for The Lutheran Witess on the World Wide Web
were not realized when the Web-developer contracted by CPH
for the project went out of business shortly before the project was
completed. Budget constraints at CPH resulted in the project not
being resurrected at that time. However. the Board for Commu-
nication Services is hopeful that the discussions cited above also
will finally make possible a Lutheran Witness Web site.

Increasing costs and a decline in budget from unrestricted funds
(funds contributed primarily in “Sunday-morning offerings”) led
in 2000 to a SO percent cut in the number of those who receive
Reporter at the Synod’s expense. Because such cost-reducing
measures are only temporary and result in less-ettective synodical
communications, new formats and delivery systems for carrying
Synod-related news are being investigated as additions or alter-
natives to Reporter's tabloid-newspaper format.

Staff of the official periodicals continue to consult with Dr.
Robert Kuhn, chairman of the Church Growth Study Committee,
as to ways in which the periodicals can carry out provisions of
1992 Res. 3-09, “To Address the Church Growth Movement.”
This year’s release of the Committee's report should now make it

2001 Convenuon Workbook