The 65 th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod will convene at the America’s Center in St. Louis on Saturday , July 20, 2013. Open hearings for all floor committees (8:30 a.m. – noon) and an all - delegate orientation session (1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) and dinner (5:30 p.m.) will precede the Opening Convention Worship Celebration with Holy Communion (7:00 p.m.). A Sunday morning worship service ( 8:00 a.m. ) will immediately precede the first business session of the convention.

The 2013 Convention Workbook containing the reports and overtures to be considered by the convention was posted on the Synod’s Web site in mid-April and mailed to all delegates, alternate de legates, officers of the Synod, and members of boards, commissions, and councils at the end of April. Comments to floor committees regarding any of the content of the workbook may be submitted to the Office of the Secretary prior to the committees’ May 17–20 meetings. Personal appearances before the committees at these initial meetings will only be by request of a floor committee chairman.

In early June, the first issue of Today’s Business containing the proposed resolutions drafted by the floor committees during their initial me etings will be posted on the Synod’s Web site and mailed to all registered delegates of the convention and all officers of the Synod and members of boards, commissions, and councils. Delegates are encouraged to learn the sentiments of those whom they will be representing at the convention by a rranging meetings to discuss the proposed resolutions.

Reactions to the resolutions should be addressed in writing directly to the chairmen of the floor committees at least one week prior to the convention for consideration during July 19 committee meetings. Opportunity to address the floor committees personally will be provided during the July 20 (9:0 0 a.m. – noon) open hearings. Changes made to the proposed resolutions will be reported in subsequent daily issues of Today’s Business, distrib uted to delegates prior to the morning sessions of the convention.

For more information, go to the convention Web site at www.lcms.org/convention.

Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The official nominating ballots for the offices of President, First Vice-President, regional Vice-Presidents, and regional LCMS Board of Directors layperson positions (Central and West/Southwest regions only) have been mailed to every member congregation of the Synod according to the list of member congregations maintained by the Synod’s Department of Rosters and Statistics. If an eligible congregation, including a congregation received into membership during the year 2012, has not received its ballots, the Office of the Secretary of the Synod should be notified immediately.

Congregations are reminded that February 20, 2013, will be the absolute deadline for the receipt of these nominating ballots. Only official ballots that are properly signed and received by that date will be honored.

Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The deadline established by bylaw for the submission of reports and overtures to the 2013 convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is March 2, 2013.

Boards and commissions of the Synod are asked to submit their reports to the convention by February 1, 2013, to facilitate their inclusion in the Convention Workbook. Because of printing timetable requirements, the same early deadline, February 1, is also recommended for the submission of overtures. While all overtures submitted by the official March 2 deadline will be forwarded to floor committees of the convention, overtures that are submitted by the earlier date are more certain to be printed in the Convention Workbook.

Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Synod bylaw provisions require the Secretary of the Synod to solicit on behalf of the Committee for Convention Nominations nominees for the various positions for which the committee must provide slates of candidates for convention elections. General solicitation for such names is to begin 18 months prior to the conventions of the Synod.

Suggestions for names are therefore being solicited at this time for the positions listed below. All terms are for six years except the position of Secretary of the Synod, LCEF Board of Directors, and members of boards of regents, which are three-year terms. Not included are positions that will require regional nominations, such opportunity to be provided at a later time. Names should be submitted as soon as possible, preferably by August 1, 2012 to allow time for the gathering of necessary information and evaluations. However, names will be accepted for consideration until the deadline set by the Bylaws of the Synod, October 20, 2012.

Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

To be Elected by the 2013 Convention:

• Secretary: One (1) Minister of Religion—Ordained
• LCMS Board of Directors: One (1) Minister of Religion—Commissioned, One (1) Layperson
• Concordia Historical Institute Board of Governors: Two (2) Ministers of Religion—Ordained, One (1) Layperson
• Concordia University System Board of Directors: One (1) Minister of Religion—Ordained
• Concordia Publishing House Board of Directors: Four (4) Laypersons
• LCEF Board of Directors: One (1) Minister of Religion—Ordained or ―Commissioned, Two (2) Laypersons
• LCMS Foundation Board of Trustees: One (1) Minister of Religion—Ordained, One (1) Layperson
• Commission on Theology and Church Relations: One (1) Minister of Religion—Ordained, One (1) Layperson
• Seminary Boards of Regents (2): Two (2) Ministers of Religion—Ordained, One (1) Minister of Religion—Commissioned, One (1) Layperson
• College/University Boards of Regents (10): One (1) Minister of Religion—Ordained, One (1) Minister of Religion—Commissioned, Two (2) Laypersons

The nominating form is available on Synod’s Web site: www.lcms.org/convention/2013nominationform. If you do not have access to a computer, you may use the following form, making copies as necessary.

Send nominations to:

Committee for Convention Nominations
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod 
1333 South Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122-7295

Bylaw 3.3.3.1 (c) calls upon the Secretary of the Synod to “publish the names of the members of the Committee for Convention Nominations (CCN) in an official periodical of the Synod as soon as possible after they have been elected.”  

All districts have elected members of the Committee for Convention Nominations.  As instructed by the bylaw, the following list of members is provided:

• Eastern – Mr. Walter Grzyb
• English – Rev. Jonathon T. Krenz 
• Iowa East – Dr. Carl Egger  
• Kansas – Rev. Justin A. Panzer
• Michigan – Mr. David Vallie
• Mid-South – Rev. Kenneth E. Lampe
• Minnesota North – Mrs. Kari Anderson
• Montana – Rev. Dr. John W. Sias
• New England – Mr. Alvin Macke
• New Jersey – Rev. Paul R. Huneke
• North Dakota – Mr. Robert Bauer
• Ohio – Rev. Dr. John C. Davidson
• Rocky Mountain – Mr. Tim Williams
• South Wisconsin – Rev. Thomas E. Chryst
• Southeastern – Mrs. Janis McDaniels
• Pacific Southwest – Rev. Dr. Loren T. Kramer
• Southern Illinois – Mrs. Leslie Sramek
• Texas Rev. Walter E. Waiser

Raymond L. Hartwig, Secretary
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod