Elections: Which list to listen to, the United List or the “Our Future” list? (by Pr. Charles Henrickson)

Two kinds of business: elections and resolutions. That’s what conventions do. That’s what the LCMS National Convention will do this next week. We’ve already talked about the proposed resolutions (“Recapping the Resolutions: One Thing to Pool Them All“). Now it’s time to talk about the elections. In some ways, elections are just as important as resolutions, if not more so. The persons we place in office are responsible for implementing the will and work of the synod, and they can try to “steer the ship” either with or against the navigation course that has been set out. And there are some critical elections coming up at this convention, e.g., the VPs, the LCMS BOD, the BORs of the universities and seminaries. The nominees are listed in Biographical Synopses & Statements of Nominees.

Two kinds of voting lists: conservative/confessional and liberal/church growth. That’s what we have at every convention, including this one. The conservative/confessional list is the United List (UL), which has done a very good job over the years in recommending good candidates. The liberal/church growth voting list this time is being called the “Our Future” list (OFL). (The “Jesus First” label is in mothballs, since it became a losing brand in 2010.) Basically, I would suggest that delegates listen to the United List, and not the “Our Future” list. Reality tells us that almost always the person who ends up getting elected will be a candidate from one of the two lists, and I live in Realville.

Now a word of caution. If you compare the United List and the “Our Future” list, you will find that in a few cases both lists recommend the same person for the same office. This happens at every convention. So don’t be alarmed if you see a few UL recommendations appearing also on the OFL. Just go with the United List, and you won’t have a problem.

One more thing. The liberals will tell you, “Don’t vote for floor nominees! Trust the work of the nominating committee!” A few DPs have already said this to their delegates. But don’t listen to them. Floor nominations are perfectly OK, an acceptable procedure at conventions. And often, floor nominees have been elected at our conventions. I’m not saying that in every case a floor nominee ought to be elected, but just the fact that it’s a floor nomination should not automatically disqualify someone from consideration.

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