The Politics of Balancing the LCMS Budget have Begun, by Pr. Rossow

President Harrison faces a huge deficit. Many people will be upset as he tries to balance the budget, including me I suppose. The memo below from Dr. Meyer looks like the first example of this.

Overall I trust Harrison’s judgment and encourage others to do so as well. President Meyer has what seems like a good point, that the gentlemen did not see this coming but, having witnessed lots of HR moves over the years here in white collar Naperville, Illinois, I can assure you this is typical and good practice. Do you really want to know six months ahead of time that your position is getting terminated?

Our synod bureaucracy is bloated to the point that we are ill. These things are necessary. There is no way to keep everybody happy. It is going to hurt, just like it is going to hurt when we start to clean up our Concordias. Kyrie Eleison.

To Regents, Faculty, Staff, and Students

I was informed late Friday morning that the President’s Office of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has terminated the Advisors for Personal Growth and Leadership Development at both seminaries. Rev. Mark Logid holds this position on our campus. Rev. Logid had not been prepared for this announcement; there was no prior consultation with the seminaries and no consultation with Rev. Glen Thomas of Pastoral Education in the International Center. Needless to say, eyes have been wide open in amazement.

I visited with Mark and Pat and assured them that the Seminary will be a safety net as they work through all the questions and implications of this announcement for their future. There is One who sees that future and He will keep His promise in Romans 8:28. On our side of heaven, however, the present is filled with a swirl of emotions and confusion. I know that Mark and Pat will have our demonstrations of the care and concern that make the Seminary a great community.

At present, Rev. Logid’s last day at work in his position is scheduled to be May 15th. Please continue to cooperate fully with him and, of course, remember Mark and Pat in your prayers and with your Christ-centered encouragement.

Dale A. Meyer
President, Concordia Seminary
801 Seminary Place

 

Here is the original announcement from Pastor Harrison:

April 15, 2011

Dear Friends and Co-Workers in the Lord:

Lenten greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the months since we communicated with you last fall about the reorganization of ministries based at the LCMS International Center (IC), the staff in the Office of the President has been working diligently, thoughtfully and prayerfully to consider all recommendations put forward by the Restructuring Work Group. At this time, I want to let you know that we have finalized a plan for restructuring which fulfills the requirements of Resolution 8-08A, the action adopted at the 2010 Synod Convention mandating reorganization.

As we worked to finalize this plan, it became clear that some additional staff positions would be eliminated. These eliminations have to do with the manner in which work will be realigned under the plan for the restructured national office operations. These decisions affect positions in the following current ministry units:

  • Pastoral Education
  • LCMS World Mission

It is with deep sadness that I must announce that four positions will be eliminated effective May 15. Today, representatives from the Department of Human Resources met with affected employees and shared this news on an individual basis. We thank God for these dear brothers and sisters in Christ and ask for your prayers as our colleagues absorb this news.

Starting the week of April 25, unit executives of the program areas will begin meeting with their staffs to go over the details of the reorganization plan. We are planning to hold larger employee forums for the entire building and other synodwide corporate entities in the very near future. Please watch for the announcement of those events. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Val Rhoden-Kimbrough, ext. 1360, or Barb Below, ext. 1413.

As this next chapter in the life of our Synod begins to unfold, please join me in praying for the blessing of our loving and merciful Lord God. He alone is the Rock on which we build and the Illuminator of our path as we walk toward our new future together.

Peace be yours in Christ Jesus,

Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, President

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