Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 78

2026 Convention Workbook
43
OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
region, together with the President and/or the First Vice-President, 
as travel schedules allow. At these conventions, the President and/ 
or vice-presidents preach at the primary worship service, report on 
the state of the Synod, observe convention sessions, visit with at-
tendees, and install the district president. 
During this triennium, President Harrison attended all or part 
of 25 district conventions, and various vice-presidents attended a 
total of 33 district conventions. Of the 35 district conventions, 22 
of them took place during June 2025.
District Visitations
Another duty of the vice-presidents is to assist the President 
with district visitations as part of the President’s responsibility of 
ecclesiastical supervision (Bylaw 1.2.1 [j] and 2013 Res. 7-01A). In 
recent years, these visitations have mostly been with district boards 
of directors, though in the past, they have also focused on district 
pastors’ conferences, circuit visitors’ conferences, etc. During this 
triennium, over the course of all district visitations, the vice-pres -
idents were present 38 times (cumulatively). In some cases, two 
vice-presidents participated in the same visitation. In other cases, 
one vice-president alone conducted the visitation, representing the 
President. 
Board Appointments
Appointed membership to the boards of various agencies of 
the Synod is another way in which vice-presidents may serve. One 
vice-president is designated by the President of the Synod for each 
seminary board of regents (Bylaw 3.10.5.2 [2]). This triennium, 
•	 Vice-President Lange served as a regent for Concordia Sem-
inary, St. Louis (Bylaw 3.10.5.2 [2]);
•	 Vice-President Murray served as a regent for Concordia 
Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; he also chairs the board;
•	 Vice-President Ball was appointed by the Praesidium to 
serve as a regent for Concordia University, Nebraska (Bylaw 
3.10.6.2 [5]);
•	 Vice-President Esget concluded his service as a regent for 
Concordia College
—New York;
•	 Vice-President Wohlrabe continued his service as president 
of the Concordia Historical Institute Board of Governors and 
editor-in-chief of Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly; 
and 
•	 Vice-President Murray served as a member of the board of 
directors of the International Lutheran Society of Witten -
berg.
Appointments
Besides these regular and ongoing types of service, there are 
numerous occasional ways in which vice-presidents represent or 
assist the President at his request. During this triennium, various 
vice-presidents
•	 served on floor committees for the 2026 Synod convention 
(in some cases serving as chair or vice-chair);
•	 installed several district presidents;
•	 preached at numerous services and taught or presented in 
numerous venues;
•	 attended the inaugurations of one Synod seminary president 
and one Synod university president;
and agencies of our Synod may be given joyful hope for the future 
because Christ Is Risen Indeed!
Peter K. Lange, First Vice-President
Endnotes
1. There is no longer a parish assistant colloquy program, though parish 
assistants who were previously rostered retain that roster status. See later 
in this report for an explanation of director of family life ministry colloquy.
2. For teacher colloquy, there are two program specific courses, namely 
Lutheran Teacher I & II.
3. Fifteen individuals have inquired of the OFVP re. this (CCCM Policy 
4.4) process—all graduates of CTX. Ten of the 15 are currently in the pro-
cess, with seven certified to date: three teachers, two DCEs, and two DPMs.
4. As of this report date, the CUS, with the approval of the CCCM, has 
cleared the way for master’ s level DFLM programs at two of our CUS uni-
versities, which would, once again, make DFLM colloquy a possibility.
R3
Praesidium
The Presidium consists of the Synod President, the (full-time) 
First Vice-President, and five regional vice-presidents, each of 
whom represents the geographical region in which he lives. The 
five regional vice-presidents serve in a part-time capacity and, to-
gether with the First Vice-President, are responsible to the Presi-
dent for the performance of their duties (Bylaw 3.3.2.3). They are 
ranked by vote of the Synod convention to determine the order in 
which they would assume the presidency should that office be va-
cated (Constitution Article XI C 2; Bylaw 3.3.2.1). 
A listing of Praesidium members, regions, and ranking can be 
found in the Convention Workbook’s Directory—Officers, Boards, 
and Commissions of the Synod. Late in the triennium, after 18 and 
a half years of service to the Synod as a vice-president, Rev. Dr. 
John C. Wohlrabe Jr. moved out of the Great Lakes region and thus, 
according to the Bylaws, was no longer able to serve. In his place 
and in accordance with Bylaw 3.3.2.4, President Harrison appoint-
ed Rev. Eric Skovgaard. Two other vice-presidents, Rev. Dr. Scott 
Murray and Rev. Nabil Nour, retired from full-time parish ministry 
during the triennium but continued their duties as vice-presidents. 
After 16 years of service to the Synod as a vice-president, Dr. Mur-
ray has announced that he will not stand again for election.
Duties
The vice-presidents give counsel to the President and, upon his 
request, represent the President and assist him in discharging his 
responsibilities (Const. Art. XI C 1; Bylaw 3.3.2). 
The Council of Presidents
The Praesidium and the 35 district presidents comprise the 
Council of Presidents (COP), which, in recent years, has met four 
times per year for three and a half days each time to carry out the 
duties assigned in Bylaws 3.10.1.2–3.10.1.4. 
District Conventions
In addition to serving on the COP, the vice-presidents assist the 
President by attending district conventions to report and advise in 
fulfillment of Const. Art. XI B 6 and Bylaw 3.3.1.3 (a). Generally, 
the regional vice-presidents attend the district conventions in their