Concordia University System regents gather for training

The Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe, outgoing president of the Concordia University System (CUS), is recognized during the CUS boards of regents training event held at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis on June 18. The members of the boards of regents of all the CUS universities attended the training, along with the boards of directors for the CUS and the LCMS. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

By Megan K. Mertz

Over the last decade, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has adopted, in convention, a number of resolutions aimed at continuing to strengthen the Synod’s Concordia University System (CUS) — from adopting a Lutheran identity statement (2016), to calling for a new governance plan for the CUS (2019), to revising the Synod Bylaws to renew the relationship of the universities with the LCMS (2023).

On June 18–19, the Synod took another important step in this convention-mandated process by holding a training session for the members of the universities’ boards of regents. Over the course of two days, the regents from Concordia University Chicago, Irvine, Nebraska, St. Paul, and Wisconsin/Ann Arbor — joined by LCMS Board of Directors (BOD) members, CUS Board of Directors members and Synod staff — gathered at the LCMS International Center in St. Louis to learn, share their experiences and spend time in fellowship.

“We are incredibly blessed as a Synod to have top-quality regents at our universities who are fervent about serving their respective universities. Their leadership is going to be an important component as we walk together as a Synod. With the adoption of 7-04B coming from the Synod in convention, we took a big step in implementing those Bylaws,” said LCMS Chief Administrative Officer Felix Loc, who was responsible for organizing the event. Loc also serves as an advisory member of the CUS Board of Directors.

During the training, regents received an overview in Synod structure, relevant portions of the LCMS Constitution and Bylaws, and their responsibilities to their institution and the Synod.

LCMS BOD Chairman Christian Preus opened the first session with a brief history of the CUS, which was established by the Synod in convention in 1992. He explained that the Concordia universities were originally created to educate and train church workers for the Synod’s congregations, and the Synod used to provide much of the funding needed to operate the schools. Over time, direct funding from the Synod decreased, and the universities expanded their educational offerings as well as their sources of funding. But even as the universities expanded, their original and primary purpose of educating church workers has continued. As higher education became more and more complex, the CUS was first established to oversee the various Concordia universities on behalf of the Synod’s members. Now, by action of the Synod in convention, the CUS’ role has been adjusted to deal with right-hand kingdom matters with its adoption of the Lutheran identity standards and its ecclesiastical visitation of each of the universities.

Preus also touched on the relationship between the BOD and the CUS and its institutions. He explained that “the Synod Board of Directors has responsibility over left-hand kingdom matters and is committed to working with each university to carry out [its] responsibilities. … We will have challenges in the future, and we want to be able to address those in a proactive and productive manner.”

LCMS Chief Financial Officer Nathan Haak then took to the podium to explain how he interacts with the CUS institutions as well as to talk to the regents about their fiduciary duties to their institution. He presented a case study of a private, non-LCMS school in New York that filed for bankruptcy in 2022, and warned how its board is being sued for failing in their fiduciary duties.

“Take these duties seriously,” he counseled. “I don’t think they are all that difficult to fulfill, but make sure you get the training you need and are comfortable fulfilling these duties.”

LCMS Secretary Rev. Dr. John W. Sias also touched on some of these legal and fiduciary responsibilities in his review of the sections of the LCMS Constitution and Bylaws most pertinent to the regents. “You are responsible for the spiritual, academic and financial health of the institution,” Sias said, noting that “the [Synod in] convention gives us not only a what, but a how — how [the congregations] want it governed.” This responsibility is not only to minimize business or legal risks to the institution, but to further the spiritual mission for which it has been founded.

During his presentation, Sias explained the boards’ core powers and duties, as well as their task of supervising the mission and the spiritual head of the institution, as laid out in the LCMS Constitution and Bylaws. He also gave examples of the types of issues that a university’s board of regents needs to bring to the attention of the LCMS BOD.

Following Sias’ presentation, the Rev. Andrew Herzberg, a member of the Concordia University, St. Paul, Board of Regents, commented: “It’s been good to get a better understanding of the changes in the recent Bylaws. That’s been a big topic of conversation on our board.”

The regents also heard from CUS staff and board members, who helped to clarify the relationship between the CUS and the individual institutions. CUS Board Chairman Rev. Mark Braden explained the roles of the CUS BOD and Institution Advisory Council, as well as the process for both formal and informal visitation of each university. Then outgoing CUS President Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe went through the Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards (LIMOS), which are the “standards for ecclesiastical visitation and affirmation of institutions and of programs leading to candidacy for commissioned ministry or to preparedness for seminary study” (Bylaw 3.6.6.4).

During a break, Trudy Meyer, who serves on the Concordia University, Nebraska, Board of Regents, said she appreciated “having a better understanding of the CUS, … what their role is and how that works with the LIMOS.”

Regents also had the opportunity to hear from LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, who spoke on the Synod president’s role in ecclesiastical supervision and gave the closing devotion, as well as the Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy, who will begin serving as CUS president on July 15.

Hardy introduced himself and talked about his background as a pastor and president of the LCMS English District. “I am a product of the LCMS school system,” he said. “I am truly a lover and supporter of our system, and I want to thank you all for your faithful and diligent service.”

The two-day training event was sponsored by Lutheran Church Extension Fund.

Posted on July 5, 2024