Who Should Be Nominated For LCMS Synodical President?

[Mike Gehlhausen]

The ballots for nomination of President, First Vice President, and Second Through Fifth Vice Presidents have been sent to congregations. If you have not received yours yet, you should soon.

They are due back by February 20.

Who should be nominated? I have listed some prominent names and have also perhaps forgotten one or two. I will revise the poll early on if I have forgotten someone that really needs to be listed.

Mike

[Donald_Kirchner]

Well, I guess one can vote for oneself.... 

[J. Eriksson]

Does this mean that LCMS has to constitutionally have more than 2 names on the ballot?   That LCMS has to find one or more sacrificial names for ballot fodder?  I guess ballot fodder is better than cannon fodder. 

IIRC this group had great fun teasing Dan Gard last time....I'm looking forward to something just as entertaining.

[Buckeye Deaconess]

IIRC this group had great fun teasing Dan Gard last time....I'm looking forward to something just as entertaining.

Me, too.  Hopefully at his expense again. 

[Mike Gehlhausen]

Does this mean that LCMS has to constitutionally have more than 2 names on the ballot?   That LCMS has to find one or more sacrificial names for ballot fodder?  I guess ballot fodder is better than cannon fodder. 

Yep, I believe that bylaws require five candidates to be listed on the election ballot given the convention.

With all of the declinations last year in support of Dr. Harrison (and Dr. Kieschnick), I believe that the list got down to 3 ballot nominations before Dr. Fickenscher and Chaplain Gard accepted the nomination to end the seeking of candidates.   I heard some discussion then about accepting only those candidates nominated over a certain level of say 50 or even 10 up to the first five. 

That would have left us with Harrison, Kieschnick, and Diekelman (it seems since each congregation gets two nominations; the First VP is often nominated when the incumbent president is nominated and then the nominations switched for First VP).

IIRC this group had great fun teasing Dan Gard last time....I'm looking forward to something just as entertaining.

All kidding aside, based on his Lutheran Witness candidate Q & A responses, I believe Chaplain Gard would make an excellent president.  I believe that it was after those responses that a lot of the ribbing took place because the idea that he was a viable candidate was strengthened somewhat. 

Of course, I believe that Chaplain Gard's support of Dr. Harrison over himself and knowledge that Dr. Harrison was the consensus candidate against Dr. Kieschnick led him to a a freeness of candor that candidates truly invested in being elected usually find politically unwise.

Mike

[Mike Gehlhausen]

Correction.  It was Rev. Herbert Mueller, Jr. who received the third presidential nomination and not Dr. Diekelman.

Of those receiving the highest number of nominating votes for the office of President, the following have given their consent to serve if elected:

* Matthew Harrison -- 1,332
* Gerald Kieschnick -- 755
* Herbert Mueller Jr. -- 503
* Carl Fickenscher II -- 5
* Daniel Gard -- 3

Mike

[Jeremy Loesch]

I think Dcs. Schave should be nominated for president!  It is about time we lived up to our name as The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Missouri, O-H-I-O, and Other States Even Including That Mis-Shapen State Located To The North of Ohio.  Who better to serve the church than a servant of the church?  And when that is combined with someone who lives in Ohio and has connections to The Ohio State University, all that is to the better.  Besides, which Div. 1 university has TLH 166 as the tune for their school song? 

Dcs. Schave in 2013!

Jeremy

[Buckeye Deaconess]

I would have to get on the fast track to ordination.   

[Dave Likeness]

While Jeremy Loesch has his calendar mixed up,
it is November 1, not April 1. The humor is greatly
appreciated and I would second the nomination
of Kim.

The reality is that Pastor Matthew Harrison faces
no opposition for a second term. He is a slam-dunk
to continue as President of the LCMS in  2013.

The last 4 LCMS Presidents have averaged about
10 years in office:  Preus (12 years) Bohlmann (11)
Barry (9) and Kieschnick (9)

[Buckeye Deaconess]

. . . and I'd have to grow a mustache.

[Mike Gehlhausen]

While Jeremy Loesch has his calendar mixed up,
it is November 1, not April 1. The humor is greatly
appreciated and I would second the nomination
of Kim.

I'd support Dcs. Schave as well.

Perhaps more seriously to the point, this brings up the often-debated but rarely seriously engaged question of whether the synodical and district presidents in the LCMS should be seen as called ministers or elected administrators.

I think most agree that a synodical or district president should be theologically gifted.  But are they called?  Do they need to be ordained to perform their administrative duties within the LCMS and to represent the LCMS to those outside it?

Right now, the synodical president must by bylaw be an ordained minister.  Must this be?

Mike

[Dave Likeness]

The last Synodical President to wear a mustache
was Rev. H.C. Schwan who served from 1878 to
l899.  This raises the question: "Why was there
no Synodical President in the 20th century who
wore a mustache?"

Perhaps the wives of our Synodical Presidents
after Schwan preferred clean shaven men.  It
should be noted that Schwan also had a full
untrimmed beard.  It is not a pretty picture for
the archives of the LCMS.

[Keith Falk]

Why - if being a district or synodical president is NOT a call - can't a non-ordained person serve in that position?

[Mike Gehlhausen]

Why - if being a district or synodical president is NOT a call - can't a non-ordained person serve in that position?

Because of bylaws right now.

Your question is the question which needs to be addressed in determining whether the bylaw has any theological foundation to it.

Mike

[swbohler]

Why - if being a district or synodical president is NOT a call - can't a non-ordained person serve in that position?

Because the Constitution of the LCMS says that the President, Vice Presidents, and Secretary of the Synod must all be ordained.    

Seriously, just because these offices are not called does not mean that they do not require a certain degree of theological training.  Some churchly offices are filled by calls because they involve the public exercising of the Office of the Keys.  Other churchly offices are filled in other ways -- such as elections or appointments or even applications/interviews/hiring -- because they do not publicly exercise the Keys.

As far as Mr. Gehlhausen's post immediately before this one, please note that it is the Constitution and not simply the bylaws that requires these offices to be held by ordained men (bylaws are much easier to change).