To Amend Bylaws to Coordinate Responsibilities of Chief Mission Officer with Other Synod Officers

Official Workbook overture source text

9-10 
To Amend Bylaws to Coordinate Responsibilities 
of Chief Mission Officer with Other Synod Officers 
Rationale 
The 2010 Synod convention made substantial changes to the 
structure and organization of the national Synod office that 
impacted significantly the mission operations of the Synod.  These 
changes included creating the Chief Mission Officer (CMO) 
position, eliminating the Synod’s Board for Mission Services, and 
creating the Board for National Mission (BNM) and the Board for 
International Mission (BIM).  The bylaws governing the CMO 
position have been in effect for 15 years, allowing time to assess 
their overall efficiency and effectiveness. 
The CMO is ultimately responsible to the President of the Synod. 
The CMO also has responsibilities that have significant impact on 
matters within the supervision and responsibility of the Synod’s 
Board of Directors (BOD) and must coordinate extensively with 
other officers of the Synod, some of whom report to the BOD. 
While the content of the Synod’s communications deals with 
doctrinal, practical, and programmatic material that belongs under 
the supervision of the President or the appointed officer reporting 
to him, namely the CMO, and while Synod’s fundraising certainl y 
relates to its programs, there are operational aspects of this work 
that the BOD suggests would benefit from closer coordination with 
other activities more operational than programmatic. Corporate 
Synod would benefit from an integrated treatment of its information 
systems. The BOD has made a significant ongoing investment in a 
constituent management system and a more comprehensive 
approach to information management, including building a team 
with the skills for internet and database development, is necess ary 
if rewards are to be reaped in better service to the Synod’s 
membership, enhanced presentation of its confession and mission 
in electronic platforms, and improved efficiency and capacity are to 
be realized. Likewise, the BOD is responsible for “providi ng 
operating and capital funds to carry out the work of the Synod” 
(Bylaw 3.3.4.5), but 2010 restructuring placed fundraising under the 
supervision of the President. While messaging and approach may 
shift with changes in presidential administrations, the fundamental 
communications and fundraising operations of the Synod should be 
provided for in a way that could survive such a transition. The 
change here proposed, to transfer these functions to reside under the 
board’s Chief Operating Officer, while retaining certain approvals 
to the President, therefore serves continuity as well as efficiency 
and effectiveness. 
It is desirable and would assist the overall coordination and 
efficiency of the work of the CMO, other Synod officers, and the 
BOD to realign certain responsibilities among the CMO and other 
Synod officers that relate to budgetary, property, financial, legal 
matters, and other left-hand kingdom responsibilities. 
Current Bylaw 3.10.4.6 provides that the CMO i s a member of the 
Pastoral Formation Committee. The CMO is otherwise accountable 
to and reports directly to the President of the Synod, and it is 
desirable that the President of the Synod have discretion as to 
whether to appoint the CMO or another person to serve as his 
representative on the Pastoral Formation Committee. 
Proposed Action 
Therefore be it 
Resolved, That to assist in the overall coordination and efficiency 
of the Synod’s mission operations and to assist the overall 
coordination and efficiency of the work of the CMO, other Synod 
officers, and the BOD, Bylaws 3.4.3.2, 3.4.3.4, and 3.10.4.6 be 
amended, Bylaws 3.4.3.6 and 3.4.3.8 be deleted, Bylaws 3.10.4.7, 
3.4.1.5, and 3.4.1.6 be added, and other renumbering of Bylaws be 
made as follows: 
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING 
Chief Mission Officer 
3.4.3 The Chief Mission Officer shall be responsible to the 
President of the Synod for the mission, ministry, and any 
programmatic and coordinative functions which are implemented 
according to the policies adopted by the Board for National Mission 
and the Board for International Mission. 
3.4.3.1 The Chief Mission Officer shall provide staff and other 
resource(s) to the Board for National Mission and the Board for 
International Mission. 
3.4.3.2 The Chief Mission Officer shall be an officer of the Synod 
and shall be appointed and subsequently reappointed by the 
President of the Synod following the President’s consultation with 
the Board for National Mission and the Board for International 
Mission and with the mutual concurrence of the Board of Directors 
and the concurrence of the Board for National Mission and the Board 
for International Mission acting jointly. The Chief Mission Officer 
may serve an unlimited number of terms. 
3.4.3.3 The Chief Mission Officer shall be a minister of religion—
ordained and shall serve a three- year renewable term of office and 
shall serve at the direction of the President of the Synod. 
3.4.3.4 The Chief Mission Officer shall meet regularly with the 
executive directors of the commissions (if any) and the chief 
executives of synodwide corporate entities as the liaison for and at 
the direction of the President of the Synod. In carrying out his 
responsibilities as described in Bylaw 3.4.3 as an aspect of the 
programmatic, administrative, and financial functions of the national 
Synod, the Chief Mission Officer He shall work together shall 
coordinate closely with the Chief FinancialOperating Officer and the 
Chief Administrative Officer in carrying out the programmatic, 
administrative, and financial functions of the national Synod  and 
shall meet regularly with the executive directors of the commissions 
(if any) and the chief executives of synodwide corporate entities as 
the liaison for and at the direction of the President of the Synod. 
3.4.3.5 The Chief Mission Officer shall, at the direction of the 
President, supervise the work of the Office of National Mission and 
the Office of International Mission. 
2026 Convention Workbook
470 STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION