LCMS Board of Directors members Dr. Jesse Yow, Dr. Jan Lohmeyer, Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president, Rev. Dr. Michael Kumm, chairman, Mr. Christian Preus, Rev. Dr. John Sias, secretary; Rev. Peter Lange, first vice-president; Mr. Rick Stathakis, Mr. Ed Everts, Mr. Larry Harrington, Rev. Josemon Hoem, Mr. Andrew Grams. Missing: Mr. Keith Frndak.

LCMS Board of Directors members — Front row, from left to right: Dr. Jesse Yow; Dr. Jan Lohmeyer; Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president; Rev. Dr. Michael Kumm, chairman; Mr. Christian Preus; Rev. Dr. John Sias, secretary. Back row: Rev. Peter Lange, first vice-president; Mr. Rick Stathakis; Mr. Ed Everts; Mr. Larry Harrington; Rev. Josemon Hoem; and Mr. Andrew Grams. Missing: Mr. Keith Frndak.

Board of Directors

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The Board of Directors (BOD) is the legal representative of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. It is the custodian of all the property of the Synod — directly or by its delegation of such authority to an agency of the Synod.

The BOD exercises supervision over all the property and business affairs of the Synod, except in those areas where it has delegated such authority to an agency of the Synod or where the voting members of the Synod, through the adoption of bylaws or by other convention action, have assigned specific areas of responsibility to separate corporate or trust entities.

In such circumstances, the BOD retains general oversight responsibility as defined in Synod Bylaws.

 

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Official notice: CUS governance model proposal — Draft accreditation standards

LCMS CrossAt its Feb. 19 meeting, the LCMS Board of Directors approved dissemination of the initial governance model proposal developed over the prior 15 months by the 2019 Resolution 7-03 committee.

Prominent in the proposed structure are “Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards,” ultimately to be adopted by the proposed Commission for University Education (CUE) as the basis of the ecclesiastical accreditation process. The initial governance model proposal was released in March. Now an initial draft of accreditation standards is also available for review and comment.

Read Official Notice

• Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcomes Standards with Evaluation Tool: An Introduction

• Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards with Evaluation Tool

Initial proposed governance model for the Concordia University System

LCMS CrossAt its Feb. 19 meeting, the LCMS Board of Directors approved dissemination of the initial governance model proposal developed by the 2019 Res. 7-03 committee to strengthen Concordia University System (CUS) institutions’ "connection to the Synod” and “confessional Lutheran identity.” Below, read an Official Notice with more information about the proposal from the LCMS Office of the Secretary.

Read Official Notice

• Download CUS governance proposal     • Download 2019 Res. 7-03

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Minutes of previous meetings are available upon request by contacting the LCMS Chief Administrative Office.


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Handbook background

At its triennial conventions, the Synod endeavors to structure its walk and work together by adjusting its Constitution and Bylaws to enable it to carry out its mission statement most effectively:

“In grateful response to God’s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacraments, the mission of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is vigorously to make known the love of Christ by word and deed within our churches, communities, and world.”

The Commission on Handbook consults with the Commission on Constitutional Matters in the revision of the Handbook of the Synod following each national convention to bring it into harmony with convention actions.

2019 Handbook

The 2019 Handbook of the Synod (as approved by the Commission on Handbook, having consulted with the Commission on Constitutional Matters) has been published electronically, as of November 13, 2019, as the “November 2019” edition. As of the same date, print production and distribution are commencing.

The Handbook, with its growing index, is available in Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word versions. It is accompanied by an “update” edition, indicating all the changes made since the previously-released 2016 Handbook.

The electronic edition found here may be updated periodically as the Commission on Handbook incorporates minor corrections and other non-substantive changes as part of its responsibility for the ongoing maintenance and management of the Handbook.

Please report suggestions for correction or improvement, particularly regarding the new index, to the Office of the Secretary.

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Policy Manual


Desired Outcome Policy of the Board of Directors

The Board serves to provide leadership in achieving the objectives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as stated in Article III of its Constitution and Bylaws so that Christ’s name may be glorified among all people throughout the world by serving each other in Christ’s name, reaching our communities with Christ’s love and claiming the world for Christ’s kingdom.

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The criteria for membership on the Board of Directors is outlined in the LCMS Handbook (Bylaw 3.3.4.1).

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As our churches and schools come under increased scrutiny, the LCMS is dedicated to helping pastors, church workers, church administrators, lay leaders and others learn how to better protect their church or school from potential legal challenges.

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Amicus Briefs

From time to time The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod joins amicus briefs for Supreme Court cases in which the outcome is likely to affect the church. Browse a listing of briefs to which the LCMS has joined. In most cases, the text of the entire brief is available.

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The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Inc., including Mission Central (in Mapleton, Iowa), is an IRS registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity.

A contribution designated (restricted) for a specific purpose, when accepted, will be used only to fund expenses related to that purpose. Occasionally, we may receive more in contributions for a particular purpose than can be wisely applied to it in the foreseeable future or the purpose may cease to be feasible. In these situations, the LCMS will make reasonable attempts to contact contributors to apply their contribution toward another aspect of ministry that aligns closely the contributor’s goals and values. If a contributor cannot be contacted, the LCMS will use the gift to meet a similar pressing need that most closely matches the contributor's original intent.

Consistent with Synod Board policy and in recognition of a more challenging economic and philanthropic/fundraising environment due to inflationary pressure, not more than 12.5 percent of any charitable contribution will be allocated to administering gifts and communicating with contributors (compared to a not-more-than ceiling of 10.5 percent the previous fiscal year). Contributions received and accepted by the LCMS are deemed to be in agreement with this statement.

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