LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 102

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102 ~ SYNOD REPORTS

A large portion of the work of the Secretary’s Office is associ-
ated with the conventions of our Synod (Bylaw 3.3.3.1). Such
responsibilities begin already two years prior to a convention and
do not conclude until several months into the next triennium when
the newest edition of the Synod’s Handbook is published and
distributed. This final convention duty was particularly satisfying
this time around since the publication of the 2004 Handbook
marked the completion of six years of careful labor with the pro
tem Commission on Structure that resulted in a total re-ordering of
the Synod’s Bylaws and a much more user-friendly handbook.

Bylaw 3.3.3.2 adds many of the remaining responsibilities of
this office, duties associated with many other core functions of the
Synod. During this triennium:

¢ As a non-voting member and secretary of the CCM, I participated
in its discussions, prepared its minutes and other documents, and
disseminated its opinions.

¢ As administrator of the Synod’s dispute resolution process, I su-
pervised the selection and arranged for the training of our Synod’s
140 reconcilers and 25 hearing facilitators and guided and facili-
tated the use of this process throughout the Synod.

¢ As a voting member of the Board of Governors of Concordia His-
torical Institute, I participated in that board’s oversight responsi-
bilities as the official Department of Archives and History of our
Synod and was pleased to participate in the planning process that
will move the Institute’s museum function to the Synod’s Inter-
national Center. .

* As supervisor of the maintenance of the official roster of the
Synod, I worked closely with the Rosters and Statistics Depart-
ment and the Council of Presidents to maximize the accuracy and
usability of the roster, an ongoing challenge given all that goes
on in our Synod on a day-to-day basis.

¢ As editor of The Lutheran Annual, I worked closely with the Ros-
ters and Statistics Department and Concordia Publishing House
to provide an accurate compilation and user-friendly publication
of the official membership and organization rosters of our Synod,
adding new features to each new edition to serve the needs not
only of our Synod and its membership but also of those outside
our Synod who use the Annual to locate particular services or
ministries.

¢ And, as required, our office continued to maintain and update a
file of the governing instruments of the agencies of the Synod.

Bylaw 3.3.3.2 also allows for additional “work” for the Synod’s
Secretary, namely, “such other work as the Synod in convention,
the President, or the Board of Directors of the Synod may assign to
him,” opportunities for involvement in matters that are not always
secretarial in nature. The past three years have been no exception:

¢] have appreciated the opportunity to serve on the President’s
Church Relations Cabinet, which meets regularly to review and
advise the President regarding church relations matters. These are
significant, matters and meetings, given our Synod’s ever-increas-
ing role as a leader for confessional Lutheranism in today’s world.

* | have found very interesting the opportunity as an officer of the
Synod to meet twice annually with the leaders of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America to share current church body infor-
mation and to discuss the theological issues that separate our two
church bodies.

* I was privileged to serve as the secretary of the committee that
discussed possible altar and pulpit fellowship relations with rep-
resentatives of the American Association of Lutheran Churches
(AALC) and that unanimously advised the President of the Synod
to advocate such fellowship to the CTCR and ultimately to the
2007 convention.

¢ 1 was pleased to be asked by the Board of Directors to participate
in the discussions that led to the out-of-court resolution of the An-
derson lawsuit, serving as chairman of the four-member commit-
tee that brought the parties together to discuss issues and work
out a mutual agreement.

2007 Convention Workbook

¢In the interest of helping to restore order and harmony in our
Synod, I was thankful for the opportunity to serve on the Res. 7-
02A Committee that was mandated by the 2004 convention to
give further study to Board of Directors and CCM authority is-
sues in light of Missouri non-profit law and that is proposing a
number of helpful bylaw changes to the 2007 convention.

Due to my membership on the CCM and my staff-related respon-
sibilities with the Council of Presidents, I facilitated the develop-
ment of the Standard Operating Procedures Manual required by
the 2004 Handbook for the Synod’s dispute resolution process
and for its four processes for membership expulsion.

Upon appointment by the Board of Directors and subsequently
by the Board for Communication Services, I have continued to
serve as a member of the KFUO Radio Committee during a time
when advocacy for the AM and FM stations has proved to be par-
ticularly important and timely, especially given the opportunities
to pioneer new efforts for the worldwide communication of the
Gospel made increasingly possible by current advances in com-
munications technology now available to KFUO.

I have enjoyed working with the Chief Administrative Officer,
the Rosters and Statistics Department, and representatives of
those boards most involved in granting Recognized Service Or-
ganization status to reassess the current RSO granting process and
to develop a better-ordered and more uniformly monitored pro-
gram that will even more effectively and faithfully extend our
Synod’s mission and ministry through its association with inde-
pendent service organizations that are willing to honor the doc-
trine and practice of our Synod.

I have appreciated the opportunity to call together and consult
with district secretaries and representatives of district constitution
committees to coordinate our efforts to function together as a
Synod with such decency and good order as will enhance our
efforts to share the “One Message: Christ.”

I have particularly welcomed the opportunity to author the recent
series of “Board Briefs” inserts that now appear following each
Board of Directors meeting in issues of Reporter, providing a pos-
itive opportunity to share information regarding many of the prop-
erty, business, and legal matters that regularly are addressed by
the Board, decisions that often serve to mark progress that
is being made in and by our Synod to advance the cause of the
saving Gospel.

Finally, while other bylaws throughout the Handbook provide
yet additional responsibilities for the Secretary of the Synod
(including serving as the secretary and a voting member of the
Board of Directors and serving as a voting member of the Synod’s
Commission on Structure), they are silent regarding what is per-
haps the greatest opportunity and satisfaction that accompanies this
office. Each day provides occasion for a surprising number of con-
tacts not just with boards and bylaws, but with people, whether
other workers in the International Center with specific bylaw is-
sues, district officials with procedural questions, parish church
workers with constitutional questions, parties involved in dispute
resolution processes desiring clarification of procedural details,
leaders or members of congregations with particular Handbook
questions, or just ordinary people from around the world who visit
our Synod’s Web site and are left with not-frequently-asked ques-
tions on their minds. Such contacts add a refreshing personal and
even pastoral element to an office most often associated with
boards and bylaws.

Given the opportunity that this report has provided to recall the
honor and privilege and blessings associated with service as the
Secretary of the Synod during this past triennium, the words of
Martin Luther come foremost to my mind: “For all which it is my
duty to thank and praise, to serve and obey Him.” And about all
that I can add to those words is to say, “This is most certainly true.”

Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary