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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 46

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Officer position, an abortive attempt to replace the Synod website, and a now-underway effort to replace and vastly increase the
scope of corporate Synod’s constituent relationship management
system—all touching on important aspects of the Office of the
Secretary—have curtailed bandwidth for other important projects,
like data analytics and the Commission on Constitutional Matters’
effort to revise congregational constitution guidelines. With a new
triennium, hope may be renewed. Part of that hope rests on the
board’s proposal to revise the Operations Team structure, to consolidate the Chief Financial and Chief Administrative Officers into
one Chief Operating Officer and then build out under that officer a
rank of high-caliber leaders for important areas of corporate Synod
function, including legal, compliance, and information functions. It
is hoped that some of the work that falls to this office can find its
new and proper home, were that realignment to be achieved.

G. Conclusion
I conclude with a note of appreciation for the many folks
throughout the Synod whose concern for the Synod’s well-being
and cooperation have made our work, to the extent it has been accomplished, possible.
In Fiscal Year 2026, including the commissions and dispute resolution and expulsion, the staff of Rosters, Statistics, and Research
Services, and all overhead, the office cost each parish in the Synod
about $326, on which we earnestly attempt to deliver value, and to
do so all the more effectively in years to come. (The Secretary also
maintains the Council of Presidents budget, which amounts to an
additional $44 per parish per year.) We remain deeply grateful for
and humbled by the Synod’s investment in this work. Even though
now augmented with the new position, we daily find ourselves taxed
beyond capacity but with no shortage of opportunities for new and
improved work with significant promise. The Synod is worth it and
needs our work if it is to accomplish its vital objectives, for and on
behalf of our member congregations. The Lord prosper the work of
our hands so that the investment of the “diversity of gifts” in us may
truly be “for the common profit.”
John W. Sias, Secretary

used by the Synod’s districts and national office; and
o
•

Implementation of a new online reporting tool for congregations to manage and submit lists of seventh–twelfth grade
students in support of Set Apart to Serve and recruitment efforts by the Synod’s universities and seminaries.

•

Redesign and upgrade of the LCMS internet locators
(locator.lcms.org) with a focus on heightened security to
thwart the increased level of attempts by external parties to
scrape Synod’s data; this included adding a log-in element to
access the information on rostered church workers.

•

Acquisition of new scanning hardware to support the continued updating and accessing of Synod’s roster archives.

•

Implementation of the collection of an array of new statistical data points covering enrollment capacity, programs,
staffing data, finances, and admissions practices on behalf of
LCMS School Ministry.

Research Services provides a full range of research and analysis services for the Synod and its agencies. Close integration of
Research Services with Rosters and Statistics and the Office of the
Secretary, as well as close interaction with ministry units at the International Center, the Council of Presidents, and Synod’s partner
agencies (CPS, LCEF, etc.) has proven fruitful in exploration of
new approaches and fields of study with potential to impact the
present and future ministry of the Synod and its constituents; the
same connections will continue to grow in importance as core technologies and access to analyzable data continue to be enhanced.
Some of the key reports delivered in the past three years include
the following:
•

Multiple studies on pastoral formation and routes to pastoral
ministry.

•

Extensive study of church worker wellness, surveying rostered workers, congregation leaders, and district presidents.

•

Research support for the Circuit Alignment Task Force (Res.
9-06A), including surveys of parish pastors and district presidents.

•

Research support for the Created Male and Female Task
Force (Res. 1-04A), including two major surveys of rostered
workers.

•

Multiple yearly surveys of congregations, church workers,
and LCMS youth in support of Set Apart to Serve.

•

Program evaluation support for major events, including the
2023 Synod convention, the 2024 Worship Institute, and the
2025 LCMS Youth Gathering.

R4.1

Rosters, Statistics, and Research Services
The Department of Rosters, Statistics, and Research Services
(RSRS), reporting to the Office of the Secretary, provides the core
“organ of recollection and administration” for roster, leadership, contact, and statistical information related to congregations, individual
members, schools, districts, and other agencies and affiliated entities
of the Synod. Some of this information is published in The Lutheran
Annual or to the Synod webpage; some is utilized by districts and
others in the Synod for ministry, administrative, and research purposes. The preceding three years have continued to produce meaningful
changes for the department. Using updated systems and optimized
processes, RSRS continues to transform from a transactional data-entry unit into a strategic information and user support provider.
Noteworthy accomplishments include the following:
•

Implementation of two new applications to support LCMS
District offices with
o

the call process and general roster management of
ordained and commissioned ministers—unifying, for
the first time, the roster management system jointly

2026 Convention Workbook

mapping and analysis of congregations and schools
by district and circuit.

Scott Kostencki, Director
R5

Board of Directors
A. Relationship to the Synod
It is necessary to understand clearly what the Synod is when
considering a report from the Synod Board of Directors (BOD).
The Synod is an organization of congregations. The congregations created the Synod to carry out specific activities that congre-