Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 118

2026 Convention Workbook
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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
CUS, in partnership with Set Apart to Serve, held its first ad-
missions summit at Concordia University Chicago in October. This 
event was grant-funded and brought together representatives from 
all the CUS schools and both seminaries. This event was highly 
productive and demonstrated the importance of the CUS operating 
more as a system rather than as a collection of independent univer-
sities in affiliation. Many great ideas and next steps emerged from 
the summit, and we will follow up on them. 
We continue to find ways to sponsor church events to gain rec-
ognition and build partnerships. CUS is now a sponsor of KFUO 
Radio’s The Coffee Hour, the Higher Things summer youth con-
ferences, various district youth conferences, and the theological 
symposia at both of our seminaries. These sponsorships provide us 
with visibility among youth, pastors, and members of our beloved 
Synod. This has been a very successful endeavor. We look forward 
to the opportunities ahead in the coming triennium. We are working 
with all the universities on the CUS exhibit area for the Synod con-
vention. Delegates and guests are invited to visit us.
CUS has held discussions and conducted district visits to ex-
plore micro-campus options for church worker preparation. This is 
a district initiative through which we serve as a conduit for coop-
eration with the universities. We have worked with the Iowa East, 
Mid-South, Southern, and Southeastern districts to investigate sites 
and partnerships. This initiative is progressing well, and opportu-
nities are increasing. We are focusing specifically on the “desert” 
areas of the country where we have no university campuses. 
Representatives from CUS met with Luther Classical College 
officials and the Wyoming district president to continue discussions 
on a potential partnership and CUS membership. Currently, Luther 
Classical College has articulation agreements with two of the five 
Concordia universities, allowing graduates to complete their edu-
cation and certification at a CUS school. We are encouraging them 
to sign agreements with all CUS schools. CUS staff have also met 
with other independent educational start-ups to encourage adher -
ence to the Synod’s biblical and confessional standards and engage-
ment with the Synod’s existing system of universities and seminar-
ies for the education of our rostered church workers.
Since the 2023 restructuring, renewed collaboration and part-
nerships between CUS and the university presidents have emerged. 
Our presence on campus, through visits and participation in 
meetings and events, has produced significant results in relation -
ship-building and the growth of trust. The new visitation process 
is fully implemented, and we are already seeing positive results.
A. Convention Actions
A.1. Res. 7-03, “To Call Concordia University 
Texas Leadership to Repentance”
The CUS Board of Directors sent a letter to President Donald 
Christian on September 19, 2024, reiterating Resolution 7-03 and 
calling on Concordia University Texas “to reverse course and undo 
the damage it has done to itself and the countless faithful individ -
uals and congregations that founded, prayed for, attended, and 
selflessly supported the school over these many years” and to “be 
reconciled to the church that mothered, nurtured and sustained you 
for so many years.” No response was received.
CUS President Jamison Hardy has met with Texas District Pres-
ident Jon Braunersreuther to discuss the matter and seek ways to 
diffuse the situation.
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Concordia University System
Established by the 1992 Synod convention, the Concordia Uni-
versity System (CUS) unifies the universities of the Synod around 
our central mission to educate students for godly vocations in the 
Church and the world, with a biblical foundation and the Luther -
an confession of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The 2023 convention 
further refined this role by relieving CUS of operational responsi-
bilities, allowing us to focus on our universities’ Lutheran identity 
and mission. CUS, under the leadership of its board of directors and 
new staff, has taken up the challenge of this mission and made great 
strides toward an established, lasting approach that implements the 
Synod’s convention decisions while honoring the academic free-
dom and autonomy of our institutions. CUS, as a synodwide cor -
porate entity, serves as a buffer between corporate Synod and the 
five Synod universities, implementing the directions of the Synod’s 
conventions while maintaining the degree of separation required by 
national accrediting boards for our institutions.
CUS accomplishes this delicate task through a system of visi-
tation in accordance with Synod Bylaws and the best practices of 
the Lutheran educational tradition. Under the direction of our board 
of directors, the CUS staff has diligently maintained open lines of 
communication with our institutions and demonstrated the Synod’s 
care for our universities through extensive visits and financial sup-
port. Throughout our history, the Synod has entrusted us with the 
stewardship of a large endowment comprising many funds to sup-
port our institutions and student scholarships. The CUS staff also 
facilitates coordinated efforts among our universities to promote 
Lutheran higher education, recruit students, and drive collaborative 
improvement.
CUS maintains a small staff to handle assigned tasks. The Rev. 
Dr. Dean O. Wenthe retired after ten years of service to CUS in 
2024. Following the restructuring after the 2023 Synod convention, 
the CUS Board of Directors called the Rev. Dr. Jamison Hardy to 
serve as president, the Rev. Dr. Douglas Spittel to serve as vice-pres-
ident, and the Rev. Dr. Paul Philp to serve as executive director of 
Concordia University System Education Network (CUEnet).
CUS has completed the formal visitations to the universities. All 
have received the highest affirmation that CUS can give its schools. 
This first round of formal visitations has gone very well, and our 
schools are in a strong place regarding the Lutheran Identity and 
Mission Outcome Standards (LIMOS).
In 2024, we overhauled our website, cus.edu. Visitors to the site 
now have access to information about all our universities; links to 
admissions departments; protocols, policies, and procedures gov-
erning our work; news from across the system; scholarship applica-
tions; and a donor portal. This report references several documents 
available on the website. Readers are encouraged to visit the site.
CUS has successfully awarded 120 $5,000 scholarships to 
LCMS church work students in 2025. This effort has been an excel-
lent new step towards funding church work education throughout 
the system. We are also seeking to expand our endowment funds 
to increase the number of scholarships we award. CUS staff have 
completed a new asset allocation across the portfolio with the 
LCMS Foundation to maximize returns on endowment funds. We 
are now working with the LCMS Foundation to expand our asset 
class and investment opportunities.