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Ov. 7-12

To Encourage Licensed Counselors Serving Recognized Service Organizations to Complete Director of Family Life Ministry Colloquy Program Preamble This overture encourages Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW s) serving in recognized service organizations (RSO s) of the Synod to complete the Director of Family Life Ministry (DFLM) c olloquy program, so that they may be called and rostered as distinctly Lutheran counselors, uniting professional licensure with ecclesial recognition and providing b iblically sound, Christ-centered counseling care.

WHEREAS, RSOs of the Synod are called to extend the mercy of Christ through faithful service, and counseling ministries are a vital means by which the church bears witness to the Gospel in word and deed; and

WHEREAS, LMHCs and LCSWs serving within RSOs provide care to individuals and families who are often burdened by grief, trauma, relational conflict, and emotional distress, and are at times asked to address doctrinal issues related to faith and life; and

WHEREAS, The integration of biblical truth with clinical excellence ensures that counseling services offered in RSOs are both Christ-centered and professionally effective, pointing clients to the comfort, peace, and hope found in Jesus Christ; and

WHEREAS, The DFLM colloquy program equips candidates with theological formation rooted in the Lutheran Confessions, preparing them to serve as rostered workers who embody a distinctly Lutheran identity in their vocation; and

WHEREAS, Never before in the history of the Synod has there been an opportunity for licensed Lutheran counselors to be formally called and rostered to serve within the Synod; and

WHEREAS, This unprecedented opportunity is now available, opening the way for counselors to serve the church in a distinctly Lutheran capacity, uniting professional licensure with ecclesial recognition; and

WHEREAS, Encouraging LMHCs and LCSWs to complete the DFLM colloquy program strengthens the church’s witness by raising up counselors who are not only clinically licensed but also ecclesially recognized, thereby uniting professional practice with confessional fidelity; and

WHEREAS, Such preparation ensures that counseling ministries within RSOs remain accountable to the doctrine and mission of the church, while also meeting the highest standards of Christ-centered and distinctly Lutheran counseling care; and

WHEREAS, In September 2025, the Concordia University System approved that LMHCs and LCSWs meet the prerequisite requirements for admission to the DFLM colloquy program at Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia University Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, RSOs of the Synod are required and expected to align in doctrine and practice with the Synod, ensuring that their programs and activities are in harmony with the mission and ministry of the church; and

WHEREAS, RSOs, while structurally independent, must agree to respect and not act contrary to the doctrine and practice of the Synod, fostering the mission and ministry of the church through their service; and

WHEREAS, The granting of RSO status signifies that an organization, though self -governed, extends the mission and ministry of the Synod, operates in accordance with Synod Bylaws and policies, and remains accountable to the theological and missional integrity of the Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That LMHCs and LCSWs serving in RSOs be highly encouraged to complete the DFLM colloquy program, so that they may be called and rostered to serve as distinctly Lutheran counselors, providing b iblically sound and clinically effective Christ-centered counseling services to the glory of God and the blessing of His people.

Board of Regents Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor

Ov. 7-13

To Ask That Concordia University Nebraska Local Regents Be Appointed Preamble In its governing documents, Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE) is required to have university regents who reside in Seward County, Nebraska. Elections for such local regents took place at previous Synod conventions. However, this meant that those nominating individuals for the CUNE regents were only able to recommend a very small number of nominees. This overture asks that the elected CUNE regents appoint those local regents instead of having them be elected at Synod or Nebraska D istrict conventions.

WHEREAS, 1 Cor inthians 14:40 states that “all things should be done decently and in order”; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.10.6.2 (2) reads “If any board is required by its governing documents to include one or more persons holding residence or church membership in a specific locality, the institution is responsible for ensuring (including by appointment, if necessary)

that individual(s ) meeting such requirements are included among those persons serving on such board, and no such geographic restriction shall apply to Synod-elected regents”; and

WHEREAS, CUNE’s governing documents require a certain number of university regents to reside in Seward County, Nebraska;

and

WHEREAS, Elections for these local CUNE regents have taken place at several previous Synod conventions; and

WHEREAS, Electing local regents at either Synod or Nebraska District conventions would limit the number of potential nominees to a very small number; and

WHEREAS, Others in the Synod might be willing to serve as CUNE regents who have previously been unable to due to not residing in Seward County, Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, Local regents for Synod universities can be appointed by the university’s b oard of regents according to Bylaw 3.10.6. 2 (3); therefore be it

Resolved, That CUNE no longer have elections for regents living in Seward County at Synod conventions in accordance with Bylaw 3.10.6.2 (2), so that “no such geographic restriction … apply to Synod-elected regents”; and be it further 2026 Convention Workbook

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