Suggested Candidates for Office in the LCMS
The March 24th deadline is here. Each congregation must register their pastor and a designated lay person with the Synod for them to be eligible to cast their congregation’s two votes in this June’s Synodical Presidential election! Are your congregation’s electors registered?
Nomination results for Synod President have just been announced. Fewer than half of the nominations submitted by congregations supported Matt Harrison for re-election, despite his unconstitutional postcard advice to pastors. A strong majority of the nominations called for new leadership: either Pastor David Maier or Pastor Timothy Klinkenberg.
In a welcome speech intended to energize his supporters and gain nominations at the Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne (CTSFW) Symposia Series, President Matthew Harrison raised the fears of his audience with the specter of Fort Wayne being “on the ropes” in the near future without him as Synod President. Really? Nothing could be further from the truth.
On late Friday afternoon, February 8, 2019, Matthew C. Harrison publicly admitted interfering in Synod’s Presidential nomination process. What did Harrison do wrong? He tainted Synod’s nomination process by giving wrong advice to pastors about who could nominate him, and he did so at Synod expense.
President Harrison sent handwritten postcards on January 3rd and 4th from the President’s Office at Synod expense to the pastors of select congregations. Because he advised them to circumvent their Voter’s Assemblies if they could, are his nominations valid?
Many observe that the LCMS experiences polar swings in leadership each decade. We need a leader who will bring unity to our Synod by fully embracing both our confessional and our missional values.
In an address delivered in August in Chicago to national leaders, Pastor Timothy Klinkenberg gave a positive message for our Synod answered with a standing ovation. Tim Klinkenberg is a leader for our Synod’s future.
In October each LCMS congregation received a nomination packet containing official ballots from Synod. What we do next is important.
Either we will nominate those who will centralize power in Synod — or new leadership will serve congregations and the mission of Christ’s Church. It’s time for a change…and nominations start our needed change.
Congregations Matter has searched Synod, seeking Godly men ready and able to lead our beloved Church. We are excited to start introducing these men to you, beginning with Pastor David Maier. A proven leader regionally and nationally, Congregations Matter believes he is one such man prepared by God to lead the LCMS as Synod President.
After consulting with hundreds of lay and clergy leaders across the LCMS, Congregations Matter proposes candidates for First Vice President and Regional Vice Presidents. They are proven leaders with experience — servants determined to lead us forward again into a congregation-serving, Gospel- and mission-focused Synod.
