Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 132

2026 Convention Workbook
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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
eighth grade religion curriculum, Enduring Faith, is now used by 
a vast majority of Synod schools. We continue to supplement this 
curriculum with online resources that provide additional value and 
meet unique needs.
Our support of Lutheran schools is not limited to classroom 
curriculum. In this “golden era” of Lutheran education, a signifi-
cant challenge to the growth of our schools is the lack of rostered 
teachers to fill the classrooms. We are excited for the April 2026 
launch of Lutheran Educator Academy, a video-based resource for 
use by Lutheran school administrators as they navigate the reali -
ty of nonrostered and often non-LCMS faculty and staff. We have 
designed this tool especially with those teachers in mind. It com-
plements other efforts to serve those teachers who choose not to or 
have not yet completed colloquy by equipping them to understand 
the Lutheran setting in which they are teaching and introducing 
them to its opportunities, ways of thinking, expectations, and com-
mon language. An experienced mix of pastors and Lutheran educa-
tors have contributed to this.
During the COVID-19 era, our churches and schools recog-
nized rapidly rising rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and 
other mental health issues among our youth. In response, CPH 
introduced Resilient Minds, a mental health curriculum for grades 
5 through high school for use in our schools, and with additional 
support materials for the home.
CPH is further serving families and children in an exciting way 
through the launch of Words of Worship, a new program funded 
through a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., within 
their Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. In 
partnership with the Missouri and Northern Illinois Districts, CPH 
has formed three cohorts of congregations to advise on and test out 
a suite of resources related to Lutheran Service Book (LSB). As LSB 
has been adopted by more than 90 percent of LCMS congregations, 
we are optimistic about providing the full set of resources to the 
whole Synod. The Words of Worship resources will be geared for 
passing along the faith to children ages 0–8 and will release in mul-
tiple waves, beginning in 2027.
Providing faithful and accessible resources for children, par -
ents, and other caregivers is also otherwise a high priority at CPH. 
We are giving attention to the special needs of our time and the 
particular challenges that families face. Children’s picture books on 
the Nicene Creed and Baptism are recent releases, and an innova-
tive new series called Bedtime Bible Journeys aims to help families 
dig deeply into the Scriptures and recognize both Law and Gospel 
as they do.
Another major initiative launched this triennium has been the 
Arch
® Book food bank program. CPH sends the books to LCMS 
congregations and other organizations that sponsor food banks/pan-
tries so that the families they serve can be fed both physically and 
spiritually. Currently, over 10,000 books are distributed each week 
through this initiative.
Academic publishing is a further ongoing focus for CPH. We 
have published 50 volumes of the Concordia Commentary series. 
We have increased the frequency with which these are released 
and have also begun supplementing them for congregational us-
age with the Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series. Luther’ s 
Works volumes continue to release as well. In the spirit of offering 
resources by academics but not only for academics, contributions 
in our new Apropos series by the best scholars in the Synod address 
important but carefully defined topics with clarity and depth. Initial 
•	 our partnerships in advancing Book of Concord Lutheranism 
outside of North America continue to expand.
At the same time, we remain mindful that these resources are 
not ends in themselves. In a world increasingly indifferent to the 
faithful preservation of history, the Church’s historical treasures 
must be actively placed in service of Christ’s work in our history 
and ongoing promises. Our prayer and purpose: that more within 
the Missouri Synod would come to treasure and trumpet Christ’ s 
redeeming work as it has been lived out in the life of the Lutheran 
Church. 
Every document preserved, every church record safeguarded, 
every photograph digitized, every exhibit opened, and every stu-
dent whose Lutheran identity is clarified and strengthened through 
archival research bears witness to the faithfulness of our crucified 
and risen Lord—who has sustained His Church in the age of Luther 
and the age of Walther, Wyneken, and Pieper.
These responsibilities call for sustained focus as we press on to 
increase value while reducing risk. With the continued support of 
the Synod and CHI’s membership, CHI is committed to
•	 continuing the organization and cataloging of materials to 
improve discoverability;
•	 further ensuring the long-term preservation and safekeeping 
of irreplaceable treasures;
•	 expanding accessibility—both digitally and in person—for 
those engaged in historical research;
•	 fostering deeper gratitude for our distinctive Lutheran heri-
tage among the saints today—for the sake of the saints who 
will follow us; and
•	 increasing long-term financial sustainability.
We meet these opportunities and challenges confident in the 
steadfast promises of our crucified and risen Lord. As we treasure 
and trumpet His work in the faith and life of the Missouri Synod, we 
honor the saints who have gone before us, that we may inspire the 
saints now and into the future.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of 
witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which 
clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that 
is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of 
our faith. (Heb. 12:1–2a)
In thanksgiving for the blessings over the last three years, CHI 
asks for your continued prayers and financial support as we press on 
to further the redeemed history of our merciful Redeemer among us.
Daniel N. Harmelink, Executive Director
R16
Concordia Publishing House
The world we live in today is constantly changing, often in di-
rections contrary to our faith. But we know that the Word of the 
Lord endures forever (1 Peter 1:25). Concordia Publishing House 
(CPH) is proud to serve as the official publishing arm of the Synod. 
It is our privilege to provide resources that equip congregations, 
schools, and families to effectively share and teach God’s enduring 
Word in a changing world.
From the days of CPH’s founding, equipping schools with re-
sources to teach our children has been a priority. Our pre-K through