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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 491

congregations of the Synod, to which the board is ultimately 
responsible; 
(r4) ensure that all governing and other legal documents and 
policies of the institution conform to and are consistent with 
the Constitution, Bylaws, and resolutions of the Synod, and 
modify institutional governing documents only after proposed 
modifications have been approved by the Commission on 
Constitutional Matters and with at least 30 days advance 
notice to the Synod Board of Directors as custodian of Synod’s 
property; 
(l5) duly consider the common confession, mission, interest, 
and cooperative strength of the Synod, with its congregations, 
agencies, and other institutions, as it makes decisions with 
impact beyond its campus, especially as it plans new 
programs, discontinues existing programs, cooperates and 
consolidates operations with other Synod schools, operates in 
a worldwide online marketplace, cooperates with the Synod 
Board of Directors in the legal defense of the right to the free 
exercise of our confession, and interacts with the ministries 
and partner churches of the LCMS, domestically and 
internationally, in harmony with its programs and consistent 
with its protocol agreements; 
(i6) review and approve academic programs recommended by 
the administration and faculty, giving due consideration to the 
Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcomes Standards and 
coordination with other Synod colleges and universities; 
(h7) ensure the communication of board -approved strategic 
plan documents to the Concordia University System 
Institution Advisory Council; and 
(q8) exercise its exclusive duty of institutional governance in 
the interest of the Synod without abdicating its authority to, or 
commingling its authority with, that of others; 
(se) take the leadership in assuring the preservation and 
improvement of the assets of the institution and see to the 
acquisition, management, use, and disposal of the properties and 
equipment of the institution, including that the board shall:. 
(o1) maintain effective internal controls and operate with 
financial transparency, annually reviewing and approving the 
institutional budget and providing, within 30 days of board 
acceptance and final issuance of the institutional audit, audited 
financial statements and other information as specified in the 
policies of the Synod Board of Directors and to congregations 
of the Synod upon request; 
(t2) safeguard present and future assets of the institution, 
making every effort to ensure designation of gifts, whether to 
the university itself or to any associated foundation, so that 
they will continue to be available to higher education within 
the Synod in the event of the closure, divestiture, or separation 
of the institution; and 
(g3) maintain and approve an institutional master plan, any 
modifications to which shall be submitted to the Synod Board 
of Directors for its approval (Bylaw 3.3.4.5 [e]); 
(wf) effectively and intentionally govern the institution and its 
president so that administration and faculty carry out their 
management and educational responsibilities in a manner 
consistent with the foregoing, including that the board shall:; and 
(n1) develop detailed policies and procedures for governance 
of the institution, to include policies and procedures compliant   
(p) maintain policies and procedures for handling faculty 
complaints and dispute resolution in compliance with Bylaw 
3.10.6.9.6 for handling faculty complaints and dispute 
resolution; 
(x2) participate fully in the procedures for the selection and 
regular review of the president of the institution and of the 
major administrators; approve of the appointment of faculty 
members who meet the qualifications of their positions; 
approve sabbatical and study leaves; and encourage faculty 
development and research.; 
(u3) initiate a performance review of the institution’s 
president upon identification of significant operational 
deficiencies; and 
(v4) effect the removal from office of the institution’s 
president upon a finding, under the procedure of Bylaw 
3.10.6.8.3 or Bylaw 3.10.6.8.1 (e) or (f), that he is unfit to 
serve as the spiritual head of the college or university;. 
C. TO AMEND BYLAW 4.2.2 TO ALLOW FOR 
ELECTRONIC DISTRICT CONVENTION DELEGATE 
ACCREDITATION 
Rationale 
At the Synod level, pre-convention processes have made increasing 
use of electronic methods for official acts, such as reporting of 
circuit delegate and alternate elections and their certification by the 
district secretaries, registration of presidential v oters, nominations 
for President and vice-presidents, and the election of the President. 
Electronic means: 
allow more rapid turn- around without the uncertainty of mail 
delivery and delay. 
allow for more targeted reminders when individuals or 
congregations have not yet submitted, improving participation. 
avoid a data entry step involving reading of usually handwritten 
information, improving the reliability of information gathered. 
save mailing cost and inconvenience. 
allow increased automation of processes, saving staff time and 
money and improving service. 
The use of electronic means for these processes has been permitted 
gradually at the Synod level by a number of convention and 
commission actions, including: 
2010 Res. 4 -07, which replaced signatures for President/vice-
president nominating ballots with “a secure and verifiable method” 
to be provided by the Secretary of the Synod; 
2023 Res. 9- 02 [F], which made explicit the CCM’s opinion that 
provision of a “form” and corresponding “signatures” could be done 
electronically (Proceedings, 200–1; see also CCM Op. 20 -2930); 
and 
2023 Res. 9-02 [G], which did the same for the nomination ballots 
for regional vice-
president, completing the work, in this regard, of 
2010 Res. 4-07 (Proc., 201; see also CCM Op. 20-2930). 
The noted CCM opinion observed: 
Bylaw 3.12.2.3 (b), as so amended, simply states that the 
congregation shall present to the Secretary of the Synod “ a 
proper credentials form provided by the Secretary .” It does not 
specify how this form is to be distributed. It could be a paper 
form mailed to each congregation, or it could be an electronically 
fillable form accessible on the Synod website.  
The bylaw further specifies that this form must be signed by two 
of the congregation’s officers. This could be done via an 
electronic signature (which has come to be commonly 
understood— as in the case of Missouri contract law, for 
example, for fifteen years —not  necessarily to require a 
handwritten mark) before the form is electronically submitted to 
the Office of the Secretary. … 
Thus, the wording of Bylaw 3.12.2.3 (b) allows the Secretary of 
the Synod to use a “secure and verifiable method” for the 
2026 Convention Workbook
456 STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION