LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 76

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76 SYNOD REPORTS

Ministry Services

The reader is reminded that this area includes the following ser-
vices: Demographic Services, Capital Funding Services, Laborers
For Christ, Strategic Ministry Planning and the Architectural Ad-
visory Committee. Several major initiatives have been accom-
plished in this area.

They include the creation of a new stewardship program, “Con-
secrated Stewards (CS),” pioneered by Herb Mueller and adapted
for the LCMS by the Reverend Dr. Art Scherer, former president of
the Southeastern District. As of this writing, 95 CS coordinators
have been trained in 27 districts. For a fee of $500 for materials,
congregations are experiencing an average increase of 25 percent in
pledges compared to the prior year. LCEF also is including mate-
rial about the Kids into Discipleship and Stewardship (K.I.D.S.)
stamp program with stewardship training, so the next generations
of LCMS leaders become “practicing stewards” at an early age.

Laborers For Christ (LFC) accepted a new mission to assist the
Souther District in Hurricane Katrina recovery by modifying and
operating a camp for volunteer workers from across the LCMS.
The camp, named Camp Restore, is expected to operate for two
years with a stream of volunteers (up to 200 at a time) flowing
through the facility. Assistance will be provided by LFC for con-
gregations and schools, first, and then individual homes.

Other initiatives have been accomplished in each of the service
areas to ensure LCEF provides the best possible service at reason-
able costs to the congregations and schools we serve. The best sum-
mary of LCEF support for the LCMS is the following chart, the
“Arch of Services” provided for the LCMS.

(Capital Pand Dvtre:
Coprual Nasnding Services

we

Administration and Service

LCEF continues to modernize its operations to keep pace with
the services available in competing sectors. In the early portion of
the triennium, LCEF modernized its financial system with a two-
year effort to convert to the Fidelity software system. This system
is recognized as one of the best available across the country.

LCEF continues to partner with other LCMS entities or boards
to actively seek improvement in the church worker indebtedness
situation, improvement in the financial operation of our K-8
schools, and improvement in stewardship in the LCMS.

These three years have been busy and productive. LCEF is
poised to begin the new triennium in an excellent position: focused
on the mission with a clear vision of our purpose and direction, to
serve the Lord and His Church . . . to be Ablaze! for Him.

David Belasic, Chairman
Merle Freitag, President

2007 Convention Workbook

R4-03
Accounting Department

The Accounting Department maintained all budgetary, finan-
cial, and accounting records for corporate Synod on behalf of the
Vice-President-Finance—Treasurer. Cash receipting and certain
treasury/banking functions were also performed on the Treasurer’s
behalf. The department provided similar accounting, cash receipt-
ing, and treasury services for Concordia Plan Services, Pension
Plan for Pastors and Teachers, radio stations KFUO AM and FM,
Concordia University System, LCMS Holdings Limited, LCMS
Housing Corporation, and several districts of the Synod. The de-
partment provided payroll and accounts payable services to The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Foundation and the Concordia
Plan Services.

The department prepared checks of all disbursements for the
above entities based upon appropriate approvals, served as the cus-
todian of payroll and payroll related records, and published and dis-
seminated financial and management reports for all entities served.
The department prepared and filed tax and other compliance re-
lated informational returns to various state agencies and federal tax
authorities. The department continuously monitors compliance with
federal and state tax matters for corporate Synod and certain other
related entities.

During the past triennium, the Accounting Department prepared or
assisted in the update and publication of several documents designed
to assist congregations, schools, pastors, and teachers by providing
pertinent tax, accounting, and personnel guidance on matters specifi-
cally related to not-for-profit and church-related organizations. In each
of the past three years, the department published and disseminated
through district offices, and now widely available on the Internet, the
Congregational Treasurer's Manual and provided assistance in de-
veloping and coordinating needed materials for the annual Joint Busi-
ness Administrators Conference. Along with these documents, the
department assisted church workers by responding to over 1,000 tele-
phone inquiries and 500 e-mails related to tax and payroll matters, an-
nually. Additional guidance and tax updates were provided by the
department through publication of a Tax and Information Guideline
for Ministers of Religion. Timely Tax Thoughts articles appeared in
official publications of the Synod and were posted on the Synod’s
Web site. In each of the past three years, the department responded
to invitations by Concordia Seminary-St. Louis to participate in its
annual Financial Planning Workshop attended by fourth-year stu-
dents and spouses.

Charles E. Rhodes, Executive Director

R4-04
Internal Audit Department

The Internal Audit Department provides independent appraisals
of accounting, financial reporting, and operational activities of
boards, commissions, service departments, and agencies of the
Synod as requested by their governing boards or the Synod’s Board
of Directors. The scope of the Internal Audit function includes ex-
amining and evaluating

* the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls,
* the accuracy and reliability of financial reporting, and
¢ compliance with applicable policies, procedures, laws/regula-
tions, and/or accounting principles.
The department conducts all audit work leading to the expression
of an opinion on financial statements in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards established by the American Institute of