Hartwig announces regionally-nominated candidates for boards

Synod Secretary Rev. Dr. Raymond L. Hartwig has released the names of the candidates nominated by congregations from their regions for the LCMS Board of Directors and the Boards for National and International Mission.

Those ballots are for elections by delegates at the Synod’s 66th Regular Convention, which meets July 9-14 at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.

On the ballots for the Board of Directors will be the names of the candidates nominated by the Committee for Convention Nominations — announced in an official notice March 2 — and those just announced who were nominated by congregations from their regions.

Except for the Synod president or his representative, the members of the mission boards are candidates nominated by congregations from the five LCMS regions.

“Not all of the Board of Directors’ regional positions are up for election this year,” Hartwig explained, “due to staggered terms. In the case of the mission boards, all of the elected positions on the boards are up for election — with nominees to elect for three or six years, in order to create staggered terms for future elections.”

Hartwig also explained that for the three boards, “the five eligible persons who received the most nominating votes from the congregations of his or her region and who consented to serve if elected make up the slate of candidates for each board position. In the case of ties for final positions on slates of candidates, a random draw was used to determine the order in which contacts were made to learn of nominees’ willingness to serve. Contacts continued only until slates were complete.”

The following lists — each in alphabetical order — contain the names of the five candidates for each of the regional board-member positions to be filled by the LCMS convention.

LCMS Board of Directors (BOD)

BOD lay member: East-Southeast Region (six-year term)

Gilbert Brauch Jr., Hickory, N.C. (Southeastern District).

Keith Frndak, Cabot, Pa. (Eastern District).

Jean Hanson, Bronxville, N.Y. (Atlantic District).

Stuart Nichols, Charlotte, N.C. (Southeastern District).

Lloyd Wardley, Garden City, N.Y. (Atlantic District).

BOD lay member: Great Lakes Region (six-year term)

James Carter, Arlington Heights, Ill. (Northern Illinois District).

Willard Ducharme, Huntington Woods, Mich. (Michigan District).

Larry Loverude, Amery, Wis. (North Wisconsin District).

Craig Timm, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (North Wisconsin District).

Matt Voigt, Fremont, Wis. (North Wisconsin District).

BOD lay member: Great Plains Region (six-year term)

Tom Halvorson, Sidney, Mont. (Montana District).

Larry Harrington, Casper, Wyo. (Wyoming District).

John Riley, Willow City, N.D. (North Dakota District).

Robert Wurl, Hankinson, N.D. (North Dakota District).

Andy Zoeller, Billings, Mont. (Montana District).

LCMS Board for National Mission (BNM)

BNM ordained or commissioned member: Central Region (three-year term)

Rev. Douglas M. Christian, Monroeville, Ind.

Rev. Kenneth E. Lampe, Mount Vernon, Mo.

Martha J. Milas, Champaign, Ill.

Rev. Dr. Carl E. Rockrohr, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Rev. Alan R. Stahlecker, Lincolnville, Kan.

BNM ordained or commissioned member: East-Southeast Region (six-year term)

Rev. Timothy J. Droegemueller, Cummings, Ga.

Tina G. Jasion, Fallston, Md.

Rev. George E. Murdaugh, Douglasville, Ga.

Rev. Matthew L. Popovits, Rego Park, N.Y.

Rev. Dr. Dien A. Taylor, Bronxville, N.Y.

BNM ordained or commissioned member: Great Lakes Region (three-year term)

Rev. Peter C. Bender, Colgate, Wis.

Rev. David C. Fleming, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Rev. Christopher J. Neuendorf, Davenport, Iowa

Rev. Randolph H. Raasch, Cedarburg, Wis.

Rev. David P. Stechholz, Livonia, Mich.

BNM ordained or commissioned member: Great Plains Region (six-year term)

Rev. Aaron J. Asmus, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Rev. Steven C. Briel, Maple Grove, Minn.

Rev. Dennis L. Heiden, Mankato, Minn.

Rev. Christopher A. Maronde, Lincoln, Neb.

Rev. Russell L. Dewell, Columbus, Mont.

BNM ordained or commissioned member: West-Southwest Region (three-year term)

Anne E. Bopp, Pocatello, Idaho.

Rev. Samuel Cosby, Houston, Texas.

Rev. Dr. Alfonso O. Espinosa, Lake Forest, Calif.

Rev. Mark R. Junkans, Houston, Texas.

Rev. Anthony J. Schultz, Battle Ground, Wash.

BNM lay member: Central Region (six-year term)

John Frerking, Columbia, Mo.

Ernest Garbe, Dieterich, Ill.

Frederick Guengerich, Nashville, Tenn.

Louis Kastens, Edmond, Okla.

Sharon Rapp, Conway, Ark.

BNM lay member: East-Southeast Region (three-year term)

Eunice Bailey, Whitestone, N.Y.

Gilbert Brauch Jr., Hickory, N.C.

Julia Habrecht, Alexandria, Va.

Michael Killian, Mill Neck, N.Y.

Andrew Rullman, Linville N.C.

BNM lay member: Great Lakes Region (six-year term)

Robert Knox, Geneva, Ill.

Crysten Sanchez, Solon, Iowa.

Matt Voigt, Fremont, Wis.

Allan Voss, Sheboygan, Wis.

Joyce M. Voss, Eleva, Wis.

BNM lay member: Great Plains Region (three-year term)

Michael Borg, Carpenter, Wyo.

Carla M. Claussen, New Brighton, Minn.

Robert E. Dunker, Dakota Dunes, S.D.

Thomas R. Halvorson, Sidney, Mont.

Jack H. Hildner, Riverton Wyo.

BNM lay member: West-Southwest Region (six-year term)

Jeff Arthurs, Osburn, Idaho.

James Cullen, Aloha, Ore.

Carol Hack Broome, Santa Clara, Calif.

Linda Stoterau, Orange, Calif.

Damon Tobias, Cedar Crest, N.M.

LCMS Board for International Mission (BIM)

BIM ordained or commissioned member: Central Region (six-year term)

Rev. Peter N. Kirby, St. Louis, Mo.

Martha J. Milas, Champaign, Ill.

Rev. David A Mommens, Columbia City, Ind.

Rev. Dr. Carl E. Rockrohr, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Rev. John F. Temple, St. Charles, Mo.

BIM ordained or commissioned member: East-Southeast Region (three-year term)

Rev. Juan A. Gonzalez, Lehigh Acres, Fla.

Tina G. Jasion, Fallston, Md.

Rev. Dr. Gerhard C. Michael Jr., Cumming, Ga.

Rev. Dr. Johnson E. Rethinasamy, Whitestone, N.Y.

Rev. Roberto E. Rojas, Gotha, Fla.

BIM ordained or commissioned member: Great Lakes Region (six-year term)

Rev. Jesse A. Burns, Ventura, Iowa.

Rev. Jeffrey W. Pautz, Muscatine, Iowa.

Rev. Randolph H. Raasch, Cedarburg, Wis.

Rev. Dr. Edward A. Sikora, Lansing, Mich.

Rev. Dr. David P. Stechholz, Livonia, Mich.

BIM ordained or commissioned member: Great Plains Region (three-year term)

Rev. Bruce H. Lesemann, Storm Lake, Iowa.

Fungchatou T. Lo, Brooklyn Center, Minn.

Rev. Gerald A. Paul, Great Falls, Mont.

Rev. Bernhard M. Seter, Grafton, N.D.

Rev. Kenneth H. Zoeller, Billings, Mont.

BIM ordained or commissioned member: West-Southwest Region (six-year term)

Rev. Ronald D. Burcham, Sun Lakes, Ariz.

Rev. Samuel Cosby, Houston, Texas.

Rev. Jonathan J. Coyne, Menlo Park, Calif.

Rev. Dr. Michael E. Gibson, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Rev. Dr. Jeffrey E. Shearier, Beaverton, Ore.

BIM lay member: Central Region (three-year term)

Kristine Bruss, Topeka, Kan.

Marguerite Christman, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Jerry M. Frese, Lansing, Kan.

Eric Gates, St. Louis, Mo.

Dean Graumann, Granite, Okla.

BIM lay member: East-Southeast Region (six-year term)

Kermit Almstedt, Weeki Wachee, Fla.

Michael Killian, Mill Neck, N.Y.

Stuart Nichols, Charlotte, N.C.

Clarence Riley, Warner Robbins, Ga.

James Wolf, McMurray, Pa.

BIM lay member: Great Lakes Region (three-year term)

Robert Knox, Geneva, Ill.

George Neuberger Jr., Watertown, Wis.

Mary Rinda, Elmhurst, Ill.

Matt Voigt, Fremont, Wis.

Allan Voss, Sheboygan, Wis.

BIM lay member: Great Plains Region (six-year term)

Krista Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Michael Onnen, Davenport, Iowa.

Ron Rathe, Tecumseh, Neb.

Kirk Rosin, Casselton, N.D.

Robert Van Gundy, St. Paul, Minn.

BIM lay member: West-Southwest Region (three-year term)

Jeff Arthurs, Osburn, Idaho.

Jim Cullen, Aloha, Ore.

Terrence Lung, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Lois Peacock, San Francisco, Calif.

Ray Tacquard Jr., The Woodlands, Texas.

Hartwig indicated that the regionally-nominated slates of candidates “cannot be altered by nominations from the floor of the convention. Should a candidate be unable to leave his or her name on one of the lists, the next person or persons on the list of nominees will be contacted until there are again five candidates to be considered by the convention.”

He said that a more extensive report with the names and tallies of all nominees who received at least one nominating vote will be provided in the Biographical Synopses & Statements of Nominees booklet that will accompany the Convention Workbook. Those two volumes are scheduled to be on the convention website on April 16.

To see a map with the five regions of the Synod, click here.

For more information about the 2016 LCMS convention, visit lcms.org/convention.

Posted March 28, 2016 / Updated March 29 and April 4, 2016