COP and BOD hold last meetings of triennium

Council of Presidents (April 25–30)

On April 25, the first day of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Council of President (COP) spring meeting, COP Chairman Rev. Brady Finnern welcomed Missouri District President Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan back to the COP following an extended leave of absence for illness. After the group gave Hagan a hearty round of applause, Pacific Southwest District President Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson led a devotion based on Psalm 78, which is also the basis for the 2026–2029 National Offering, “Christ Is Risen! Tell the Next Generation.”

The COP welcomed placement personnel from the two LCMS seminaries: the Rev. Timothy Scharr and the Rev. Joel Fritsche from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), and the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Pulse and the Rev. Dr. Todd Peperkorn from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW). Pulse, who is retiring after 14 years as placement director and 21 years on the CTSFW faculty, received a round of applause in recognition of his service.

The COP approved calls and assignments, with each district president reading the names of the individuals in his district. Of 157 LCMS congregations submitting calls for a candidate, 79 received candidates and 78 calls went unfilled. The COP also received the following vacancy report:

Number of districts reporting: 35

Calling for sole pastor: 439

Calling for senior pastor: 55

Calling for associate or assistant pastor: 65

Total calling congregations: 559

Congregations being served part-time: 695

New starts: 4

Congregations closed since last meeting: 11

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison presented the first part of his report, beginning with an overview of preparations for the 2026 Synod convention. He gave a wide-ranging update on work going on in the Offices of National and International Mission as well as Church Relations, particularly noting the efforts of Church Relations Director Rev. Dr. Jonathan Shaw and Deputy Director Rev. Michael Frese in cultivating ongoing and regular communication with the Synod’s international church partners: “What they’ve done is extraordinary, just extraordinary.”

LCMS First Vice-President Rev. Peter Lange gave his report, which included updates on the status of pastoral and commissioned colloquy applications in process and a discussion of LCMS Bylaw 2.5.2, which addresses to whom congregations of the Synod may issue a pastoral call. Lange invited discussion on the implications of the bylaw and appropriate measures for the district president to take in situations where it is discovered that a man seeking colloquy is already serving in some capacity in a congregation.

Placement Committee Chairman Lange gave a report from the committee, inviting COP members to offer input on the placement process as it is currently being carried out. Discussion touched on the desire to improve communication with the seminary placement and vicarage offices and to achieve an appropriate balance, during the process, between the preferences of candidates and the needs of the church. Lange agreed to prepare an outline for the council to discuss in the future.

COP on the road

As the COP continued its nearly weeklong meeting, it gathered, in turn, at both LCMS seminaries to meet with seminary faculty and attend call and assignment services. The topic of discussion during the joint meetings was 2023 Synod Resolution 5-09, “To Review Guidance on Admission to the Lord’s Supper,” which states: “Resolved, That the Synod President and the Council of Presidents in consultation with our Synod’s seminary faculties re-evaluate the specific language of earlier Communion resolutions regarding extraordinary circumstances, providing case studies and examples for study and discussion to be shared within our districts.” During the meetings, papers were presented by representatives from both the COP and each seminary faculty, after which there was time for questions and discussion.

In other business, the COP:

Heard a report from LCMS Secretary Rev. Dr. John Sias, who, among other items, shared pertinent information about the convention as well as about work being done to provide more context to the statistics regarding vacancies;

Heard the second part of Harrison’s report, which included updates on the Concordia University System and the work of the Pastoral Formation Committee;

Approved changes to the SMP Exception Request Protocol;

Heard a presentation on the Concordia Retirement System from Kevin Herweck, who recently became chief executive officer of Concordia Plan Services upon the retirement of previous CEO Jim Sanft; and

Approved a resolution requesting the Clergy, Call and Roster Committee, as part of its work maintaining the COP manual, to reduce to the extent possible the percentage of the manual marked “confidential,” while maintaining confidentiality where appropriate.

“The Council of Presidents continues to return to the basics: studying the Scriptures and the Book of Concord, placing new workers into the harvest, receiving counsel from President Harrison, and walking together in prayer as we seek the Lord’s wisdom to faithfully serving our congregations and schools,” said Finnern.

“We give thanks to the Lord of the harvest for the laborers He has sent, and we continue to pray earnestly for more workers as pastoral vacancies increase. As we met with the seminary faculties to study the Scriptures concerning the faithful administration of the Lord’s Supper, we are prayerfully now preparing case studies for the church so that we walk together as faithful stewards of Christ’s mysteries. To Him be all the glory.”

Board of Directors (May 14–16)

On the second day of the May meeting of the LCMS Board of Directors (BOD), board members attended daily chapel at the LCMS International Center (IC) in St. Louis. Following the service, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison asked BOD Chairman Christian Preus, who is wrapping up his service on the board, to come forward and be recognized.

“Christian has spent purgatorial terms on the Board of Directors,” Harrison said to a laugh from the assembly, adding that Preus has served on the BOD for “25 years … in various iterations. Since this is the last time in this office that you’ll address this group of people, why don’t you say something to us?”

Taking the microphone, Preus thanked Harrison for the “advance notice,” garnering another laugh.

“I served two sentences on the Board of Directors,” Preus began, “and then I had time off, and then I served two more sentences.” He described the challenge, before retiring from a career as an attorney, of working “in a profession that, as I see it, has been going … further and further away from the basic ideals and morals that we have as Christians.”

Preus continued: “And then I was able on a regular basis … to come here and to serve with the individuals I have [served with], some of them here today, and to attend worship services here. It is unbelievably rewarding. … Maybe I’ve done some positive things along the way, but if I have, I’ve received far more.”

After a standing ovation for Preus, the assembly joined in the Common Doxology.

A packed meeting

Over the course of the BOD’s three-day meeting, the board finalized preparations for its own work at the 2026 Synod convention; heard a series of budget presentations from leaders of Synod ministries and offices; discussed several issues that continue to be significant items of conversation in the Synod at large (such as pastoral formation); and adopted a budget for Fiscal Year 2026–2027.

The Rev. Daniel Galchutt, then interim (now permanent) LCMS chief mission officer, updated the board on continuing work on the IC’s CRM (constituent relationship management) and website projects. In response to a board member’s question about vacant positions at the national Synod office, Galchutt noted a mixture of factors that impact hiring, including broader public trends as well as realities specific to filling “complex and nuanced” roles in a nonprofit like the LCMS, which needs people with not only the right skills but, in many positions, people with theological training and/or ministry experience.

During Q&A with Harrison, in response to a board member’s question about measures being taken to ensure safety and security at the upcoming Synod convention, it was noted that coordination is being handled by a contracted third party and that Concordia Plan Services is helping provide heat education as well as cooling kits and stations for delegates.

The board discussed Overture 9-06, which is now Resolution 9-11, “To Amend Bylaw Section 1.5, etc., to Unify in the Bylaws and Revise Corporate Formation 2 Requirements for Instrumental Entities of Corporate Synod and Agencies of the Synod.” In particular, the BOD considered the administrative impact that would accompany the resolution if adopted.

Chief Financial Officer Nathan Haak, who announced in early May that he had accepted a position with another organization but would remain as the Synod’s CFO through floor committee weekend, reported on third-quarter financials and giving trends and, later in the meeting, presented a proposed budget for FY27.

In a letter shared with IC staff announcing his departure, Haak wrote, “It has been a unique honor and joy to serve with you in this capacity over the last four and half years, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together. … Thank you all for your unwavering commitment to serving our Lord and His church, and I pray that He will bless your future endeavors in this service.”

Among other action items, the board:

Made several regular appointments to Lutheran Church Extension Fund;

Concurred in the Synod president’s appointment of the Rev. Daniel Galchutt as permanent LCMS chief mission officer;

Approved the adoption of a FY27 capital budget request totaling $1,341,356; and

Approved the adoption of a FY27 mission and ministry operating budget request totaling $90,087,000.

Full BOD minutes may be found at lcms.org/bod.

Posted July 17, 2026