LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 167

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4. SYNODICAL ADMINISTRATION

4-01
The President’s Report
4-02
Report of First Vice-President

Early in the biennium, as the Milwaukee convention
resolution “To Abolish Position of Executive Director and
Establish the Position of Administrative Officer of the Board
of Directors” was implemented, the Board of Directors
asked the First Vice-President to serve as interim Adminis-
trative Officer in addition to his normal activities. This he
cid until Dec. 1, 1972, when the Administrative Officer ap-
pointee, Mr. John Schuelke, was installed. The interim as-
signment included the responsibility of serving as chairman
of the Council of Administrators and of Staff meetings, posi-
tions which the First Vice-President continues to fill to the
present.

Considerable time was devoted to attending and serving
as chairman of the seven Regional Conferences during the
fall of 1971. When Doctor O. R. Harms, Director of the
Synod’s 125th Anniversarv observance, needed assistance,
the First Vice-President was instrumental in obtaining the
services of Doctor Walter W. Stuenkel, president of Con-
cordia College, Milwaukee, for 5 months.

The First Vice-President planned and implemented a
Planned Program Budgeting System Seminar for all staff
personnel of synodical headquarters. He also planned and
implemented the Stewardship Conference in 1971 and imple-
mented the Fiscal Planning and Advisory Committee Con-
ference in 1972 of which he was chairman. During the spring
and early summer of this same year he represented the
President of the Synod at six District conventions.

The office of chairman of the Colloquy Board continued
to demand an increasing amount of time. During the past
biennium 18 candidates were certified for the pastoral min-
istry and 31 candidates for the teaching ministry. In keeping
with a Milwaukee convention resolution a Colloquy Board
for Lay Ministry was organized and is functioning. This
board is especially helpful in recruiting candidates from
minority groups. Again, in keeping with Milwaukee con-
vention Res. 6-20, Canadian LCMS students are able to
receive seminary training at Lutheran School of Theology,
Saskatoon, Canada. In keeping with directives given in the
Report of the Board for Higher Education to the Milwaukee
convention under the heading “Theological Training for
Canadian Students,” p. 285, the First Vice-President arranged
for the examination of three LCMS students attending
Saskatoon prior to their vicarage and four graduates for
their first assignment.

During the past biennium the First Vice-President con-
tinued to serve as an advisory member of the Board of
Directors of the Synod, as chairman of the Division of
Theology and Church Relations, as the President's repre-
sentative on the Editorial Commission for Official Periodicals,
and as chairman of the ad hoc Committee on Organivation
(Milwaukee convention Res, 5-09). At the request of the
President he conducted a visitation of Concordia College,
Portland, Oreg., and Lutheran Concordia College, Austin,
Tex.

He attended the annual meetings of the Lutheran Coun-
cil in the U.S.A. in 1872 and 1973 as an official synodical
representative. He also served as a member of the Com-
mittee on Inter-Lutheran Cooperation, as chairman of the
Inter-Church Committee to Evaluate LCUSA, and as vice-
chairman of Consultation on Lutheran Unity.

Throughout the biennium the First Vice-President as-
sisted the President in other sundry assignments and capaci-
ties as he was called on to do.

R. Wiederaenders, First Vice-President

4-03
Report of Secretary of Synod

In 1962 the Survey Commission had suggested that the
position of the Secretary of the Synod should be made full
time. After the present incumbent had divided his time

167

between his parish responsibilities in Dundee, IIl., and his
secretarial duties for the Synod, the Board of Directors
shortly after the Denver convention requested him to fill
the position on a full-time basis. The Milwaukee convention
action subsequently gave approval to this decision.

We are sometimes asked, “What does the Secretary do?”
The simplest answer would be that he serves primarily as
a secretary. By Bylaw prescription he fills four such posi-
tions:

1. Secretary of the Synod. This involves all of the custo-
mary duties of a corporation secretary with respect
to the development and custody of documents and the
handling of much corporate correspondence, as well as
a constant stream of telephone calls. Involved here
also are the extremely detailed responsibilities with
reference to the biennial convention. The Secretary
has charge of all pre-convention registration proce-
dures, edits the convention Workbook, functions as
manager editor of Today’s Business, serves in the cus-
tomary capacity of a secretary during the convention,
takes care of letters of notification and other corre-
spondence made necessary by convention action, and
edits the convention Proceedings.

2. Secretary of the Board of Directors. The Board meets
every other month. Its agenda fills to overflowing a
large-sized ring binder. Minutes are extensive. At
least 75 letters must be sent following each meeting
together with several hundred carbon copies to those
who might be most directly affected by certain actions
taken by the Board.

3. Secretary of the Commission on Constitutional Matters.
In some respects this is perhaps the most important
and the most logical of the additional assignments given
by the Synod in the Handbook. The work of this com-
mission has multiplied extensively just over the past
10 years. Much correspondence and drafting and re-
drafting of opinions is involved and in this process the
Secretary is asked to play a major role within the
Commission,

4. Secretary of the Council of Administrators. The Hand-
book stated that this obligation was to be imposed as
soon as the position of synodical Secretary would be
filled on a full-time basis. The Council consists of the
top administrators at headquarters. In addition to the
minutes, the principle factor here is that of long and
frequent meetings.

In addition, the Bylaws also prescribe to the Secretary
a role in the convention committee. make him responsible
for a manual on elections, and give him specific duties with
respect to the new process of nominating for President and
First Vice-President.

During the past biennium the Secretary was again ap-
pointed to serve as chairman of the Division of Church Gov-
ernment, a post which has always been filled by one of the
elected officers of the Synod. Included in this division are
the Council of Presidents, the Committee for Convention
Nominations, the Commission on Constitutional Matters, the
Board of Appeals, the Commission of Adjudication, the Syn-
odical Service Commission, and the Board of Doctrinal Re-
view.

He has served during these 2 years also as a member of
Committee 2 (organization, policy, and personnel) of the
Board of Directors, the committee for the selection of an
Administrative Officer, the Committee on Organization (Mil-
waukee Res. 5-11, 5-09, 4-47. etc.), and the Committee on
Adjudication Procedures (Milwaukee Res. 5-14).

He was appointed as one of the Synod’s representatives
to the annual meeting of the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A.
At that time he was also elected to the Executive Committee
of the Council and more recently as Vice-President of the
Council. Immediately following the Milwaukee convention
he became one of the three Missouri Synod members of the
Interchurch Committee to Evaluate LCUSA (Mil. Res. 3-12)
and later was appointed to the ongoing Consultation on Lu-
theran Unity requested by the Lutheran Church in America
and the American Lutheran Church.

This service with the Lutheran Council prompted the