Official notice: CUS governance model proposal — draft accreditation standards

Comment on 2019 Resolution 7-03 Concordia University System (CUS) governance model proposal due Sept. 30, 2021; draft accreditation standards now available

At its Feb. 19 meeting, the LCMS Board of Directors (BOD) approved dissemination of the initial governance model proposal developed over the prior 15 months by the 2019 Resolution 7-03 committee to “strengthen all CUS institutions’ connection to the Synod” and to “strengthen [their] confessional Lutheran identity.” A six-month period for comment from the members, officers, boards, commissions and other agencies of the Synod, initiated March 12, is scheduled to conclude Sept. 30. The proposal and initial request for comment remain available on the Synod website.

Prominent in the proposed structure are “Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards,” ultimately to be adopted by the proposed Commission for University Education (CUE) as the basis of the ecclesiastical accreditation process that is intended to “strengthen all CUS institutions’ connection to the Synod” and to “strengthen the confessional Lutheran identity of all CUS institutions.”

Given the importance of these standards and related processes to the strength of the model as proposed, the 2019 Res. 7-03 committee requested that the CUS Board of Directors produce an initial draft of standards suitable for circulation and review along with the proposed governance model. A detailed draft has been produced by a committee appointed for this purpose, and the draft has now been approved by the CUS board for circulation as part of this request for comment. The 2019 Res. 7-03 committee is now pleased to share this draft for the Synod’s review. It is available below, along with a cover letter prepared by the drafting committee.

Members, officers, boards, commissions and other agencies of the Synod are requested to continue to give careful attention to the proposal, now with the added context of these draft standards, and to forward comments, to arrive no later than Sept. 30, 2021, via:

Email to the Office of the Secretary at lcmssecretary@lcms.org; or

U.S. mail to the Office of the Secretary, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7595.

Rev. Dr. John W. Sias

Secretary, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Download 2019 Res. 7–03 (previously circulated)

Download governance proposal (previously circulated)

Download standards drafting committee cover letter (NEW)

Download Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards draft (NEW)

Posted Aug. 5, 2021