The Presidium consists of the Synod President, the (full-time) First Vice-President, and five regional vice-presidents, each of whom represents the geographical region in which he lives. The five regional vice-presidents serve in a part-time capacity and, together with the First Vice-President, are responsible to the President for the performance of their duties (Bylaw 3.3.2.3). They are ranked by vote of the Synod convention to determine the order in which they would assume the presidency should that office be vacated (Constitution Article XI C 2; Bylaw 3.3.2.1). A listing of Praesidium members, regions, and ranking can be found in the Convention Workbook’s Directory—Officers, Boards, and Commissions of the Synod. Late in the triennium, after 18 and a half years of service to the Synod as a vice-president, Rev. Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr. moved out of the Great Lakes region and thus, according to the Bylaws, was no longer able to serve. In his place and in accordance with Bylaw 3.3.2.4, President Harrison appointed Rev. Eric Skovgaard. Two other vice-presidents, Rev. Dr. Scott Murray and Rev. Nabil Nour, retired from full-time parish ministry during the triennium but continued their duties as vice-presidents. After 16 years of service to the Synod as a vice-president, Dr. Murray has announced that he will not stand again for election.
Duties The vice-presidents give counsel to the President and, upon his request, represent the President and assist him in discharging his responsibilities (Const. Art. XI C 1; Bylaw 3.3.2).
The Council of Presidents The Praesidium and the 35 district presidents comprise the Council of Presidents (COP), which, in recent years, has met four times per year for three and a half days each time to carry out the duties assigned in Bylaws 3.10.1.2–3.10.1.4.
District Conventions In addition to serving on the COP, the vice-presidents assist the President by attending district conventions to report and advise in fulfillment of Const. Art. XI B 6 and Bylaw 3.3.1.3 (a). Generally, the regional vice-presidents attend the district conventions in their
region, together with the President and/or the First Vice-President, as travel schedules allow. At these conventions, the President and/ or vice-presidents preach at the primary worship service, report on the state of the Synod, observe convention sessions, visit with attendees, and install the district president. During this triennium, President Harrison attended all or part of 25 district conventions, and various vice-presidents attended a total of 33 district conventions. Of the 35 district conventions, 22 of them took place during June 2025.
District Visitations Another duty of the vice-presidents is to assist the President with district visitations as part of the President’s responsibility of ecclesiastical supervision (Bylaw 1.2.1 [j] and 2013 Res. 7-01A). In recent years, these visitations have mostly been with district boards of directors, though in the past, they have also focused on district pastors’ conferences, circuit visitors’ conferences, etc. During this triennium, over the course of all district visitations, the vice-presidents were present 38 times (cumulatively). In some cases, two vice-presidents participated in the same visitation. In other cases, one vice-president alone conducted the visitation, representing the President.
Board Appointments Appointed membership to the boards of various agencies of the Synod is another way in which vice-presidents may serve. One vice-president is designated by the President of the Synod for each seminary board of regents (Bylaw 3.10.5.2 [2]). This triennium, • Vice-President Lange served as a regent for Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (Bylaw 3.10.5.2 [2]);
- Vice-President Murray served as a regent for Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; he also chairs the board;
- Vice-President Ball was appointed by the Praesidium to serve as a regent for Concordia University, Nebraska (Bylaw 3.10.6.2 [5]);
- Vice-President Esget concluded his service as a regent for Concordia College—New York;
- Vice-President Wohlrabe continued his service as president of the Concordia Historical Institute Board of Governors and editor-in-chief of Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly; and
- Vice-President Murray served as a member of the board of directors of the International Lutheran Society of Wittenberg.
Appointments Besides these regular and ongoing types of service, there are numerous occasional ways in which vice-presidents represent or assist the President at his request. During this triennium, various vice-presidents • served on floor committees for the 2026 Synod convention (in some cases serving as chair or vice-chair);
- installed several district presidents;
- preached at numerous services and taught or presented in numerous venues;
- attended the inaugurations of one Synod seminary president and one Synod university president;
- attended funerals for two former Synod vice-presidents, a retired district president, a sitting district president, and a former member of the Board of Directors, among others;
- attended regional meetings of district presidents;
- attended the October 2024 International Church Relations Conference in Wittenberg, Germany;
- participated in, and in some cases presented at, district pastors’ conferences;
- participated in the annual conversation between leaders of the LCMS, Wisconsin Synod, and Evangelical Lutheran Synod;
- participated in two mission trips to the Dominican Republic; and
- attended the 2025 March for Life in Washington, D.C., along with the district presidents (or their representatives) of every district; o
At least one vice-president attends the March for Life in Washington, D.C., annually, normally along with the Synod President.
Lastly, in addition to frequent communication via electronic means, the Praesidium strives to meet in conjunction with each COP meeting to give opportunity for the vice-presidents’ role as advisors to the President. When there are more urgent matters, the Praesidium has also met by internet conference. In all it does to assist the President, the Praesidium strives to keep at the forefront the pure proclamation of the Gospel—that Jesus Christ was crucified to make atonement for the sins of the world and that Christ Is Risen Indeed! Peter K. Lange, First Vice-President