To Provide Comment to 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee concerning CUS Governance Model Proposal

WHEREAS, The 67th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) adopted 2019 Resolution 7-03, “To Direct a Collaborative Process to Propose a New Governance Plan with respect to University Education” (2019 Proceedings, 171–72); and

WHEREAS, 2019 Res. 7-03 resolved: That the proposed new governance plan specifically address the objectives of 2013 Res. 5-01A and 2016 Res. 7-02B by continuing to:

• strengthen all Concordia University System (CUS) institutions’ connection to the Synod;

• strengthen the confessional Lutheran identity of all CUS institutions;

• review the composition, size, and selection of boards of regents;

• review the process for selecting presidents of institutions;

• review the overall governance of CUS and the boards of regents of the CUS institutions;

• review the financial models for the institutions; and

WHEREAS, 2019 Res. 7-03 further resolved “That a report on the initial governance model proposals be disseminated to the Synod for a six-month period of comment commencing not later than 15 months prior to the start of the 2022 convention of the Synod; and

WHEREAS, At the Feb. 19, 2021, meeting of the LCMS Board of Directors (BOD) the Board approved dissemination of the initial governance model proposal, “setting the stage” for the “built-in six- month period of comment by the Synod’s congregations, districts and circuits, the universities themselves, and others” (Reporter, March 8, 2021); and

WHEREAS, The Texas District in convention adopted Res. 02-07- 21a, “To Provide Comment to the LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee Concerning the CUSGovernance Model Proposal”; and

WHEREAS, Res. 02-07-21a directed the Texas District Board of Directors to “provide additional comments to the LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee as necessary, with any additional comments to be submitted as an overture to the 2023 LCMS convention to further study and/or amend the LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 CUS Governance Model Proposal”; and

WHEREAS, The Texas District Board of Directors has further reviewed the proposal, the Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards (LIMOS), the affirmations, concerns, and questions from Texas District Res. 02-07-21a, and feedback from the Concordia University presidents and boards of regents; and

WHEREAS, The Texas District Board of Directors has additional concerns about the level of control exercised by the Synod in university governance, the complexity of these bylaw changes, the ambiguity and vagueness prevalent in the bylaw changes, the potentially onerous burden on both universities and the Commission on University Education from the LIMOS, and unresolved financial questions; and

WHEREAS, To date there have been no other resolutions set forth on this subject by any other district conventions, giving anecdotal evidence that there has not been synodwide feedback to the LCMS

Resolved, That the Texas District Board of Directors affirms the affirmations, concerns, and questions outlined in Res. 02-07-21a adopted by the Texas District convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the Texas District Board of Directors requests the LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee withhold any resolutions to the CUS Governance Model Proposal until there is extensive synodwide dialogue and feedback given; and be it further

Resolved, That the Texas District Board of Directors request the LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 Committee publish through the appropriate Synod publications and the LCMS website the feedback they have formally received and the committee’s disposition of those recommendations, questions, and concerns, and that all of this information would be made available to all delegates to the 2023 Synod convention through the convention workbook; and be it further

Resolved, That the Texas District Board of Directors recommends to the Res. 7-03 Committee that a process for synod wide introduction to,discussion of, and consensus concerning these significant changes be designed and implemented by the Synod Board of Directors, with the concurrence of the Council of Presidents, to be completed no later than six months prior to the convention of the Synod during which these proposals will be considered, using the regional conferences held by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance as a model; and be it finally

Resolved, That Texas District Board of Directors memorialize the Synod in convention in 2023 with these requests and recommendations to further study and amend the LCMS 2019 Res. 7-03 CUS Governance Model Proposal.