The final report of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance is available on the LCMS Web site at www.lcms.org/lcmsfuture. The report, titled “Congregations Walking in Mission,” was delivered to the Office of the President before the Oct. 15 deadline and then underwent editing prior to publication and posting to the site.
The 50-page report contains two recommendations for clarifying confessional and congregational mission, and an additional 19 recommendations on the relationships between congregations and districts, including consideration of the number of districts; relationships between congregations and the national Synod, including the number of boards and commissions and national staff; congregational representation at district and national conventions; and frequency and function of district and national conventions.
The report’s recommendations are the result of more than four years of study, feedback, and evaluation, and will be presented for consideration at the 2010 Synod convention July 10-17 in Houston. With the completion of the report, the task force was disbanded.
Delegates to the convention will have the opportunity to discuss the task force proposals, ask questions, and make recommendations to the convention floor committee chairman, Pacific Southwest District President Larry Stoterau, at regional gatherings scheduled for December, January, and February. Dates and locations of the gatherings are listed at www.lcms.org/lcmsfuture.
Also invited to the gatherings is a cross-section of convention advisory delegates, including district presidents and a number of commissioned ministers, plus district vice presidents and five members of each district board of directors.
Questions or comments about the report may be submitted via e-mail to infocenter@lcms.org.
Posted Oct. 28, 2009
