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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 85

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

C. Concordia University System Education
Network (CUEnet)
CUEnet was founded in 1996 as a collaborative effort among
CUS colleges and universities to provide online teacher colloquy
education. Online teacher colloquy remains the primary activity of
CUEnet. CUEnet’s offices are located in Bend, Ore., while students
are served throughout the entire Synod. Administratively, CUEnet
is responsible to the leadership of the CUS and the CUS campus
presidents.
In addition to providing online teacher colloquy, CUEnet also
offers colloquy courses for those pursuing colloquy in other categories of commissioned ministry through one of the CUS colleges or
universities. The first six courses (Old Testament, New Testament,
History of Theology, Christian Doctrine, Lutheran Confessions,
and Varieties of Belief) are common to all commissioned colloquy programs. As such, students may take these six courses with
CUEnet if the institution through which they are seeking certification allows.
CUEnet provides a seminar program, Gemstones, and Images
of Faith as additional educational resources. These programs draw
on material from the colloquy courses, along with additional materials, to further enhance Lutheran education within the Synod and
beyond. Additional information will be shared about each of these
elsewhere in this report.

C.1. Leadership Change
During the 2023–26 triennium, CUEnet experienced a leadership change. Prior to the 2023 convention, several individuals who
had previously served CUEnet for many years discontinued their
service. CUEnet’s founder, the Rev. Dr. Ray Halm, was called to
his eternal rest. CUEnet’s chief operations officer, Dr. Heather
Stueve, accepted a call to serve at another LCMS ministry. Another
long-time staff member also left CUEnet to pursue a different area
of service. The result of these various staff changes was a period of
vacancy, which included additional staff transitions.
In the summer of 2024, the Rev. Dr. Paul A. Philp was called by
CUS to serve as executive director of CUEnet. Dr. Philp served the
ten years prior as the CUS director of institutional research and integrity. In that role, he regularly interfaced with the CUEnet staff on
various issues and served as the CUS representative to the Colloquy
Committee for Commissioned Ministry (CCCM). Dr. Philp was installed in September of 2024 and continues also to serve as assistant
to the CUS president and CUS representative to the CCCM. Dr.
Philp’s connections to the CUS, the individual CUS institutions, the
CCCM, and CUEnet enable regular interaction and partnerships to
continue the work of teacher colloquy.

C.3. Curriculum
As noted above, the CUEnet courses include the first six courses
common to all categories of the commissioned ministry colloquy.
CUEnet’s curriculum includes two additional courses specific to
teacher colloquy: Lutheran Teacher I and Lutheran Teacher II. Each
course in the curriculum is offered in a month-long format. The
courses are offered in an asynchronous format so that students may
progress at their own pace. Students watch prerecorded course videos, read from various sources, and complete assignments, which
are submitted to their course mentor. Each course is mentored by
an ordained LCMS pastor with expertise in the course content area.
CUEnet is currently blessed to have five pastors serving as mentors.
Students may take courses each consecutive month, enabling them
to complete the coursework portion of their colloquy journey in as
little as eight months.
The current CUEnet curriculum and associated videos are due
for review and upgrade. This process is beginning and will be a
significant focus during the 2026–29 triennium. Res. 7-04B required the CUS to develop theological and curricular standards for
all programs leading to certification as a commissioned minister.
This process has been undertaken, and the overarching theological
standards have been completed. Phase II of this work, to develop program-specific standards, is currently underway. The CCCM
is also responsible for developing standards for all categories of
commissioned colloquy. This parallel but separate process is also
currently transpiring. The CUEnet curriculum will be required to
be responsive to these standards as it is revised and redesigned. As
such, the curriculum review process timeline depends on the work
of the CUS and the CCCM on standard development.
An advisory committee will be formed to facilitate the curriculum review process. This committee will draw its membership from
educational leaders and subject-matter experts across the Synod’s
higher education institutions. District education executives and
other Synod leaders will also be important resources for this committee. The committee will advise on the curriculum redesign and
assist in course development. They will also review the course delivery model and seek to determine the best means for the future of
online teacher colloquy course delivery.

C.4. CUEnet Non-Colloquy Offerings
•

Seminar is a program of theological study designed to enhance a non-Lutheran teacher’s understanding of the distinct
teachings, practices, and identity of the Lutheran school in
which they are teaching. The program surveys the major
doctrines of the Lutheran Church and compares and contrasts these teachings with those of other Christian denominations and other religions. Compared with colloquy, seminar is a significantly shorter, less rigorous introduction to
Lutheranism. It does not lead to becoming rostered. Neither
scholarships nor college credit is available.

•

Images of Faith is a set of multimedia presentations designed to supplement a congregation’s catechism program.
Complete with a handbook that offers discussion points and
conversation starters, this collection of 23 videos covers topics including the Ten Commandments, the Creeds, the Lord’s
Prayer, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and more. It is available
at no cost to the congregations and schools of the LCMS,
WELS, and ELS.

•

Gemstones is an ever-expanding, searchable library of video
presentations on a variety of theological topics. It is designed

C.2. Strategic Planning
CUEnet is developing a strategic plan for the future. This strategic plan will build on CUEnet’s strengths in colloquy education and
explore new and expanded ways for CUEnet to partner with various
stakeholders in this area. A critical component of CUEnet’s strategic future will be strengthening its relationships with the CUS institutions it serves. Closer relationships with the campuses will enable
sharing of ideas with content experts, strengthening CUEnet’s offerings. CUEnet will also seek to build strategic partnerships with
other entities to bolster the work of CUEnet, increase philanthropic
support for student scholarships, and develop added resources for
use in the congregations and schools of the Synod.

2026 Convention Workbook