LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 138

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138 ADMINISTRATION

duties with respect to the new process of nominating for Presi-
dent and First Vice-President.

The Secretary was once again appointed to serve as chair-
man of the Division of Church Government, a position which has
always been filled by one of the elected officers of the Synod.
Included in this division at the present time are the Council
of Presidents, the Commission on Constitutional Matters, the
Commission of Adjudication, the Board of Appeals, the Synodi-
cal Service Commission, the Board of Doctrinal Review, the
Committee for Convention Nominations. and since 1973 the
Concordia Historical Institute and Archives Department of the
Synod.

The New Orleans convention decided that a Committee on
Organization should again be appointed but renamed it the
Committee for Reorganization. The undersigned was appointed
to that committee once again and in its first meeting was elected
as its chairman. Subsequently the Board of Directors decided
that this same committee should also serve as the Constitutional
Review Committee created by the New Orleans convention.

Another action of the 1973 convention created a special
Convention Format Committee. Among the provisions of that
resolution was one which provided that the Secretary of the
Synod was to be a member of it.

He continues as one of the four LCMS participants in the
ongoing Consultation on Lutheran Unity requested by the
Lutheran Church in America and The American Lutheran
Church. He was appointed one of the Missouri Synod repre-
sentatives to the annual meeting of the Lutheran Council in
the U.S.A. in both of these years. In each instance he was also
elected vice-president of the council and a member of its execu-
tive committee.

As a result of such service the board has asked the Secretary
to continue to prepare for each meeting a digest of the minutes
of the various standing committees of the divisions of LCUSA,
so that the board might be kept abreast.

The Secretary was asked to serve as a member of the task
force which made an in-depth study of Concordia Historical
Institute. He is also a member of the Historical Studies Com-
mittee, which stands in an advisory relationship to the Institute.

During the past biennium a major project involving a search
for policy statements was completed. These statements have
now been reviewed. rewritten. or replaced by action of the
Board of Directors and issued in the form of a policy book to
all boards and commissions of the Synod. An update is necessary
after almost every meeting of the board.

In the fall of 1973 and in January of 1974 the undersigned
was asked to make two trips to Brazil in the interest of the
synodical investment in a limestone mine and also to deal with
some of the internal problems of the District in behalf of the
Board of Directors and the President of the Synod.

He participated in the meetings of the so-called “Committee
of 20" and in special task forces related to the position of director
of Christian education. the status of teachers (especially women
teachers), and election and nominating procedures. He was re-
quested to serve as a member of the LCUSA forum to react to
the proposed position paper on “Ministry in the Church.” It
was also his privilege to be an invited participant in the joint
meeting of District and synodical Presidents of the three Lu-
theran church bodies.

The past biennium has been a difficult one for all concerned
members of the Synod and especially for those who live day by
day in what someone has referred to as “the eye of the hurri-
cane.’ We continue to look to Him who is our shelter from the
storm.

Herbert Mueller. Secretary

4-04

Report of Synod’s Board of Directors
I. Administration

During the past biennium the Board of Directors as usual met
every other month.

At its first meeting after the New Orleans convention the
board elected President J. A. O. Preus as chairman and Mr.
Harry Barr as vice-chairman. The Secretary of the Synod,
Herbert Mueller, also serves ex officio as secretary of the Board
of Directors.

The board adopted the same internal committee structure
as in the last few biennia and made the following committee
assignments:

1. Committee on Program and Project Evaluation: Alvin
Mueller, Walter Hinck, Walter Maier, Gus Melde, Theodore
Nickel, Walter Steinberg.

2. Committee on General Administration and Personnel:
Harry Barr, Gerhardt Nitz, W. Harry Krieger (replaced later
by August Bernthal), Rupert Dunklau, Ernst Stahlke, Herbert
Mueller.

3. Committee on Financial Management: Carl Muhlenbruch,
Milton Carpenter, Guido Merkens, Robert Hirsch, Edwin
Weber, William Zehnder Jr.

4. Executive Committee: J. A. O. Preus, Herbert Mueller,
Milton Carpenter, Alvin Mueller, Harry Barr, Carl Muhlen-
bruch.

The board reappointed Mr. John Schuelke as Administrative
Officer, such appointment to run from Jan. 1, 1974, to Dec. 31,
1977. The board also appointed Mr. Norman Sell toward the
end of 1974 to serve until Dec. 31, 1977, as successor to Mr.
Erwin Wesche, who was retiring as Assistant Treasurer.

The board made, ratified, or concurred in (depending on the
specific Handbook requirements) a long list of other appoint-
ments, which are detailed in an appendix to this report (see
Appendix A).

For the first time under new Bylaws adopted in Milwaukee
the officers of the Synod were installed on Sept. 25, 1973, in
a special service at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, St. Louis.

Shortly before the New Orleans convention the headquarters
were moved from the 210 North Broadway building to rented
quarters in the 500 North Broadway building in St. Louis. By
this time all departments have “settled in’ to their new sur-
roundings. The board is convinced that there has been a marked
increase in efficiency as a result of this move.

The headquarters staff has been reduced by about 40, quite
evenly divided between clerical and professional. The board
recognized as a major responsibility the necessity to offer both
professional and clerical staff salaries and wages commensurate
not only with their responsibilities but also with the rising cost of
living. Several significant forward steps were taken during the
past biennium in this respect.

II. New Orleans Convention Directives

The convention of the Synod in New Orleans gave the Board
of Directors quite a number of instructions and directives.
Actions taken are reported below.

A. Million Dollar Effort in Behalf of World Hunger (Res. 9-03).
It was decided to create an advisory committee including rep-
resentatives of Stewardship, Missions, World Hunger, Youth,
LWML, and other groups; to study and develop alternate
methods of fund raising that will not affect our ongoing world
relief contributions or the synodical budget: to secure a knowl-
edgeable project director on a part-time basis and a part-time
person to perform detail work: to keep administrative costs and
promotion to 5% or $25,000 per year for the 2 years, the expenses
to be taken from the offering.

B. Possible Restructuring of the Synod'’s System of Higher
Education ‘Res. 6-30). The board assisted the Board for Higher
Education in appointing the task force called for by this resolu-
tion. The task force itself is to report directly to the convention.

C. Convention Format ‘Res. 5-04). The three members of the
Board of Directors, as called for by this resolution, appointed to
the committee to study the format of conventions were Rupert
Dunklau, Robert Hirsch, and Walter Hinck. The President and
the Secretary of the Synod were also members under the terms
of the resolution. That committee will offer a separate report to
the convention.

D. Support of Hispanic Ministries ‘Res. 6-22). The board
resolved to encourage the Board for Higher Education to pro-
vide support for qualified Spanish-speaking people who wish
to enter the ministry of the Synod with scholarship funds up to
$50,000 or as much thereof as is necessary according to this
resolution. It also asked the Board for Higher Education to
conduct a complete study including consideration of the alterna-
tive of special seminary training.

E. Sao Paulo Brazil Campus (Res. 6-32). The board approved
the appointment by the Board for Higher Education of Rev.