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Accountability and Transparency

For contributors to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod


The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod provides this page with documents and resources intended to serve the needs of contributors and the public for transparency.

The matter of transparency is largely subjective, meaning it is observer-relative. What may satisfy the desire of one person for transparency may not satisfy the needs and desires of someone else. Likewise, a person may not know how or where to access information intended to provide transparency, and, once located, a person may not know how to interpret that information. To complicate matters, the definition of transparency is not well-defined.

For these reasons, the LCMS chooses to benchmark itself against rigorous standards established by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, and those standards are applied equitably to organizations across the entire nonprofit sector. The LCMS is subject to an annual audit against those standards and has earned BBB’s “Accredited Charity Status.”

The resources and links below are intended to open a dialog between the LCMS and the person seeking information about how the LCMS International Center manages it personnel, resources, and programs. It is not intended to be an all-exhaustive resource; rather it attempts to provide those resources and items that are requested most often or designed to answer questions asked most often. Due to recent budget reductions, updating certain resources has become more challenging and time-consuming. Delays in updating resources are not desired or intentional, but they are more likely.

Please contact us if you cannot find the information you need on this page or on its linked pages, and let us know if you have questions about any of the resources on these pages. As President Harrison wrote in a recent letter to contributors, “Ask questions and expect honest, forthright, and transparent answers.”

We pray that, working together, this transparency resource page is refined over time to satisfy the needs and expectations of most, if not all, of our treasured friends seeking assurance that the LCMS is well-managed, focused on meaningful mission, and willing to subject itself to close scrutiny. Our goal is nothing less than to carry out our assigned work in complete accord with God’s Word.

In service to our Lord Jesus, and to you,

Mark Hofman, CFRE, MBA
Executive Director, LCMS Mission Advancement
Toll free telephone: 888-930-4438
Email: mission.advancement@lcms.org


IRS Verification of 501(c)(3) Status Letter and Group Exemption

There is one letter for corporate Synod and a second letter, a blanket exemption verification, for qualifying groups.

Download letters (PDF)


Are you looking for our Federal Form 990 or Form 990N?

Section 6033 of the Internal Revenue Code excuses certain organizations from filing Form 990, the information return generally required to be filed by tax-exempt organizations. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Inc. is exempt from filing Form 990/990N under this section of the code, and therefore does not file an annual Form 990 with the IRS. The information typically found on a Form 990 can be accessed publicly through resources on this page or by contacting LCMS Mission Advancement.


 


Annual Reports for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

This mission and ministry report from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod contains important audited financial information from the fiscal year and general information about Synod work.

Access reports

 

Financial Information — Fiscal Year July 1 through June 30

Audited financial statements for most recent fiscal year:

Prior years’ audited financial statements:

Summary of operational budget for current fiscal year:

Prior years’ budget summary documents:

Annual Notice of Executive Compensation:

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Officers, boards, commissions and councils

Elected officers

Other officers

  • Chief Mission Officer (appointed by president) — Rev. Kevin D. Robson
  • Chief Financial Officer (appointed by board of directors) — Nathan Haak
  • Chief Administrative Officer (appointed by board of directors) — Felix Loc

LCMS Board of Directors

Board for International Mission

Board for National Mission

Commissions and Councils

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Fundraising and Contributor Rights

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

    A donation designated (restricted) for a specific position (missionaries), program or project when accepted, will be used only to fund expenses related to that position, program or project*. Consistent with Synod Board policy, no more than 12.5 percent of a charitable contribution may be applied to administering gifts and communicating with contributors. This limitation is reviewed and may be adjusted annually using performance data from the Synod’s audited financial statements over the previous three fiscal years.

    Occasionally, a planned (budgeted) position, program or project may receive more in contributions than can be wisely applied to that position, program or project in the foreseeable future. Alternately, a position, program or project itself may cease to be feasible or cannot be started for reasons outside the control of the LCMS after a donation has been received. In these situations, the LCMS will make reasonable attempts to contact contributors whose gifts may constitute an unplanned, unusable surplus to determine how they want their donations administered. 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.

    Contributions received and accepted by the LCMS are deemed to be in agreement with this statement.

    Questions? Please contact LCMS Mission Advancement.

    * This complies with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Statement No. 116. Under no circumstances will the LCMS expend a designated (restricted) gift for a purpose completely unrelated to the contributor’s intent.

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Special Appeals Reports

LCMS Disaster Response

  • Full Fiscal Year Financial Report — FY2021
  • Full Fiscal Year Financial Report — FY2020
  • Full Fiscal Year Financial Report — FY2019
  • Full Fiscal Year Financial Report — FY2018

International Mission

  • Missionary Funding and Deployment Status Report (Updated version is coming soon)

LCMS Global Seminary Initiative

LCMS Joint Seminary Fund

National Offering

Mail Appeals

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Ministry and Organizational Information

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Visiting the LCMS International Center

  • Contributor briefings and tours
  • Group and school tours
  • Mission meetings (focused discussion with specific departments or employees)

Get information about visiting the LCMS International Center, and complete the online reservation form before you visit.

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External Sources

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Join us on the journey

 Facebook   Twitter    Instagram    YouTube   Vimeo   LinkedIn

Mission and Vision

Seven Mission Priorities

The Lutheran Witness Magazine

Lutheran Witness February 2024

MDFL Resource Center

Making Disciples for Life - Resource Center

Million Dollar Life Match

Ready to expland your congrgation's pro-life ministry? Apply now for the Million Dollar Life Match.

Church Work Recruitment Initiative

Set Apart to Serve

Caring for Ukraine

Ukraine Support

Contact Us
 

  Email us
 

  Church Info Center: 888-843-5267
  Staff Switchboard: 800-248-1930
  Donor Care Line: 888-930-4438
 

 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7226

 

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Auxiliaries and Seminaries

 

Partners

 


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 13.5 percent of any charitable contribution will be allocated to administering gifts and communicating with contributors. Contributions received and accepted by the LCMS are deemed to be in agreement with this statement.

Donor Transparency Resources


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