Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2026 · 69th Convention, Phoenix › Page 456
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 456

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

456

congregations of the Synod, to which the board is ultimately
responsible;
(r4) ensure that all governing and other legal documents and
policies of the institution conform to and are consistent with
the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod, and
modify institutional governing documents only after proposed
modifications have been approved by the Commission on
Constitutional Matters and with at least 30 days advance
notice to the Synod Board of Directors as custodian of Synod’s
property;
(l5) duly consider the common confession, mission, interest,
and cooperative strength of the Synod, with its congregations,
agencies, and other institutions, as it makes decisions with
impact beyond its campus, especially as it plans new
programs, discontinues existing programs, cooperates and
consolidates operations with other Synod schools, operates in
a worldwide online marketplace, cooperates with the Synod
Board of Directors in the legal defense of the right to the free
exercise of our confession, and interacts with the ministries
and partner churches of the LCMS, domestically and
internationally, in harmony with its programs and consistent
with its protocol agreements;
(i6) review and approve academic programs recommended by
the administration and faculty, giving due consideration to the
Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcomes Standards and
coordination with other Synod colleges and universities;
(h7) ensure the communication of board-approved strategic
plan documents to the Concordia University System
Institution Advisory Council; and
(q8) exercise its exclusive duty of institutional governance in
the interest of the Synod without abdicating its authority to, or
commingling its authority with, that of others;
(se) take the leadership in assuring the preservation and
improvement of the assets of the institution and see to the
acquisition, management, use, and disposal of the properties and
equipment of the institution, including that the board shall:.
(o1) maintain effective internal controls and operate with
financial transparency, annually reviewing and approving the
institutional budget and providing, within 30 days of board
acceptance and final issuance of the institutional audit, audited
financial statements and other information as specified in the
policies of the Synod Board of Directors and to congregations
of the Synod upon request;
(t2) safeguard present and future assets of the institution,
making every effort to ensure designation of gifts, whether to
the university itself or to any associated foundation, so that
they will continue to be available to higher education within
the Synod in the event of the closure, divestiture, or separation
of the institution; and
(g3) maintain and approve an institutional master plan, any
modifications to which shall be submitted to the Synod Board
of Directors for its approval (Bylaw 3.3.4.5 [e]);
(wf) effectively and intentionally govern the institution and its
president so that administration and faculty carry out their
management and educational responsibilities in a manner
consistent with the foregoing, including that the board shall:; and
(n1) develop detailed policies and procedures for governance
of the institution, to include policies and procedures compliant
(p) maintain policies and procedures for handling faculty
complaints and dispute resolution in compliance with Bylaw
3.10.6.9.6 for handling faculty complaints and dispute
resolution;
(x2) participate fully in the procedures for the selection and
regular review of the president of the institution and of the
major administrators; approve of the appointment of faculty

2026 Convention Workbook

members who meet the qualifications of their positions;
approve sabbatical and study leaves; and encourage faculty
development and research.;
(u3) initiate a performance review of the institution’s
president upon identification of significant operational
deficiencies; and
(v4) effect the removal from office of the institution’s
president upon a finding, under the procedure of Bylaw
3.10.6.8.3 or Bylaw 3.10.6.8.1 (e) or (f), that he is unfit to
serve as the spiritual head of the college or university;.

C. TO AMEND BYLAW 4.2.2 TO ALLOW FOR
ELECTRONIC DISTRICT CONVENTION DELEGATE
ACCREDITATION
Rationale
At the Synod level, pre-convention processes have made increasing
use of electronic methods for official acts, such as reporting of
circuit delegate and alternate elections and their certification by the
district secretaries, registration of presidential voters, nominations
for President and vice-presidents, and the election of the President.
Electronic means:
allow more rapid turn-around without the uncertainty of mail
delivery and delay.
allow for more targeted reminders when individuals or
congregations have not yet submitted, improving participation.
avoid a data entry step involving reading of usually handwritten
information, improving the reliability of information gathered.
save mailing cost and inconvenience.
allow increased automation of processes, saving staff time and
money and improving service.
The use of electronic means for these processes has been permitted
gradually at the Synod level by a number of convention and
commission actions, including:
2010 Res. 4-07, which replaced signatures for President/vicepresident nominating ballots with “a secure and verifiable method”
to be provided by the Secretary of the Synod;
2023 Res. 9-02 [F], which made explicit the CCM’s opinion that
provision of a “form” and corresponding “signatures” could be done
electronically (Proceedings, 200–1; see also CCM Op. 20-2930);
and
2023 Res. 9-02 [G], which did the same for the nomination ballots
for regional vice-president, completing the work, in this regard, of
2010 Res. 4-07 (Proc., 201; see also CCM Op. 20-2930).
The noted CCM opinion observed:
Bylaw 3.12.2.3 (b), as so amended, simply states that the
congregation shall present to the Secretary of the Synod “a
proper credentials form provided by the Secretary.” It does not
specify how this form is to be distributed. It could be a paper
form mailed to each congregation, or it could be an electronically
fillable form accessible on the Synod website.
The bylaw further specifies that this form must be signed by two
of the congregation’s officers. This could be done via an
electronic signature (which has come to be commonly
understood—as in the case of Missouri contract law, for
example, for fifteen years—not necessarily to require a
handwritten mark) before the form is electronically submitted to
the Office of the Secretary. …
Thus, the wording of Bylaw 3.12.2.3 (b) allows the Secretary of
the Synod to use a “secure and verifiable method” for the