Restructuring Update: Survey Results Released

by William Ney

Dear Members of LCC:

In keeping with our plan of implementation for the restructuring of Lutheran Church-Canada (LCC) as requested of by the three Districts of LCC, the Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure (CCMS) is moving ahead quickly to share the results of the National Survey on Restructuring. The Survey was a huge success as 2,049 participants filled out the survey either online or in paper form. What was surprising and also exciting was that the respondents took the time to send us almost 20,000 written comments filling nearly 900 pages. At this time of year our pastors are very busy in Lenten and Easter planning but 73 % of them filled out a survey. Thus Stage One of the restructuring process was, under God’s blessing, a great success!

In order to keep the whole church fully informed and to continue our efforts to prevent this process from being a top down endeavor, we are putting the full results of the Survey—with all answers to all 60 statements in the Survey and nearly 20,000 comments over 860 pages—online here. Everyone is welcome to view these results at any time. You can also read an analysis of the survey results by the CCMS online here, along with “Nine Insights for Discussion Based on the Survey” that they hope will inform ongoing discussions on restructuring.

Please keep the CCMS and the Board of Directors of Synod in your prayers as we move ahead with Stage 2 of the restructuring process, which involves multiple meetings with District Boards of Directors, Seminaries, Circuit Counselors, Circuits, and Church Worker Conferences in all three Districts. The purpose of these meetings is to add personal input from individuals—lay, clergy, and deacon—across Canada. These comments, along with the survey, will aid the CCMS in preparing proposals for the restructuring of Synod, proposals which will be initially presented to LCC’s Board of Directors at the end of June.

Once Stage 2 has been completed, we will then take the proposals for restructuring which the Board of Directors has initially agreed to and present them to the people of LCC for their input and ideas once more. That input will feed into the final recommendations of the CCMS, which will be presented for the consideration of the 2017 National Convention.

The CCMS is very grateful and sincerely thanks everyone who took the time to respond to the National Survey. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership in the Gospel and in planning how best to deliver that Gospel to our fractured and broken world as we move ahead into the future serving our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

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Rev. William Ney is Chairman of Lutheran Church-Canada’s Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure.

Download the Comment Responses to the Survey here.

Download the CCMS’ Analysis of Survey Responses here.