The Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick (Jan. 29, 1943-) is the current president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. He was first elected in July 2001 and reelected in July 2004. Kieschnick and his wife, Terry, have two grown children and two grandchildren, all of whom live in Texas.

Early career

Born in Houston, Texas on January 29th, 1943, Kieschnick attended Texas A&M University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in 1964. He is a 1970 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois (currently in Fort Wayne, Indiana), obtained his M.Div. degree in 1977 at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1996 from Concordia University, Austin, Texas.

After his ordination in 1970, Kieschnick served as pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Biloxi, Mississippi until 1973; at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Beaumont, Texas from 1973-81; and at Faith Lutheran Church in Georgetown, Texas from 1981-1986.

He served the Missouri Synod's Texas district as a circuit counselor from 1978-81 and as director of public relations from 1977-86. Kieschnick was director of development at Lutheran Foundation of Texas from 1986-88 and then served as its executive director from 1988-91. In 1991, Kieschnick was elected president of the Missouri Synod's Texas district and served in that position until 2001. Under Kieschnick’s lead, membership in the LCMS Texas district grew by approximately 12 percent, even as LCMS membership numbers slipped nationally.

LCMS presidential election and first term

At the LCMS’s 2001 convention in St. Louis, Kieschnick was elected to his first three-year term as president of the 2.6-million-member church body. He won by a mere 18 votes (out of 1,182 total) in the fourth round of balloting, defeating three conservative candidates and one fellow moderate, although one of his leading conservative opponents, Daniel Preus , went on to win the position of first vice president. The three conservative presidential candidates were supporters of the previous president Alvin L. Barry , who had died in office several months earlier. The election of a moderate such as Kieschnick was a surprise to many, since the LCMS’s conservative wing won many other battles at the 2001 convention, including the adoption of a declaration that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was not an "orthodox Lutheran church body".

After his election, Kieschnick named reaching out to Hispanics, Asians, and other U.S. cultural minorities as one of his top priorities. He explained: "I envision a church that is not just piously involved in worship, … but also significantly and actively involved in work and demonstration of that faith life in their relationships with people, in the community and neighborhood and home and their families." On doctrinal issues, Kieschnick claimed that he wanted "frank, honest, and straightforward" discussions, promising that members wouldn't be silenced for bringing up controversial theological questions, a common complaint of moderates under the Barry administration. However, when such controversial questions did arise resulting in the creation of a study document entitled "That They May Be One", President Kieschnick rapidly responded by calling for ecclesiastical discipline to be exercised by the Council of Presidents, which the council dismissed.

Kieschnick's first presidential term was stormy. On many matters, he faced the opposition of more conservative opponents within the church hierarchy, including four out of the five vice presidents and a majority on the Board of Directors. In addition, he spent much of his time in office under fire for his support of Atlantic District President David Benke . In September 2001, Benke had taken part in an inter-faith prayer event at Yankee Stadium to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack on New York. Daniel Preus and others in the Synod's more conservative camp argued that Benke, by participating in a prayer event alongside non-Lutheran clergy and leaders of non-Christian faiths, had engaged in practices that the Synod condemns as "syncretism" and "unionism." Meanwhile, Kieschnick and his supporters in the Synod's liberal wing replied that Benke had given a minimal Christian witness in a permissible manner, and that the event was not a religious service. Along the way, several LCMS ministers moved to have Kieschnick removed as LCMS president. Kieschnick survived the ouster attempt when the Commission on Constutional Matters, whose member are appointed by the President, ruled that he was exempt from such charges. Charges were then filed against Rev.Benke. The initial investigation found him guilty of syncretism and unionism in violation of Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, but on appeal the CCM ruled that since he had permission from the Synodical President, he was exempt from charges.

In response to Kieschnick having used the LCMS's Committee on Constitutional Matters (CCM) to overrule them on several occasions in relation to business matters in the LCMS, the LCMS Board of Directors hired a law firm in early 2004 to determine its authority within the church under the laws governing not-for-profit entities in the State of Missouri. The Synod's liberal wing responded by engaging its own legal counsel. Several on the Board of Directors considered filing action against the Synod in civil court as a way to re-assert their authority within the church. The liberal political machine, Jesus First, mobilized against the Board of Directors to elect more liberal representatives to the Board, but failed in the attempt.

In the lead up to the 2004 convention, many districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod submitted overtures to restrict the authority of the CCM, to address the issue of participation in multi-faith gatherings with a religious dimension, the accountability of the President, and many other issues brought to a head by these events. However, the various floor committes, appointed by the President, held close to his agenda and these items were not brought before the convention of 2004 despite the desires of the districts of the LCMS.

Reelection and second term

During Kieschnick's first term in office, conservative opponents organized diligently, hoping to remove him from the presidency at the 2004 convention in St. Louis. Conservatives charged that Kieschnick's emphasis on mission work and church growth was merely a smokescreen for the loosening of church doctrine, including perhaps the eventual ordination of women or ecumenical fellowship with the ELCA. His supporters, rallying under the action group "Jesus First" engaged in a major effort to bear influence upon the delegate selection for the 2004 convention and the subsequent elections.

The efforts of "Jesus First" enabled Kieschnick to win with a narrow majority in a re-match with first vice-president Daniel Preus , winning 53 percent of the vote. Release of delegate information though has indicated that the sitting President authorized numerous exemptions to delegate requirements enabling more representatives to be present from those districts of the church which supported him. Without these authorizations, it is not certain Kieschnick could have won re-election.

Oklahoma District President William R. Diekelman , was elected as First Vice-President. Although Kieschnick's allies won control of four out of the five vice-presidential slots, the Board of Directors remained narrowly in the control of Synod conservatives. An amendment to the LCMS constitution clarifying ambiguous passages on the Board's authority in an attempt to limit the Board's authority and increase the authority of the President and the Commission on Constitutional Matters, whose members are appointed by the President. However, this amendment failed to receive the necessary votes for ratification from the member congregations of the LCMS.

Kieschnick's re-election and the 2004 convention in general, remain a source of controversy within the LCMS. The convention approved a major mission and evangelism outreach program called "Ablaze", focusing on large scale ministries and mega-churches. However, there are many in the LCMS who fear that Kieschnick and his supporters are setting the synodical union ablaze by pushing for an agenda that appears to be dividing rather than uniting.

Sources

Newspaper articles

• Patricia Rice, "Missouri Synod Elects Moderate as President," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 16 July 2001.
• "Houston native takes synod helm," Houston Chronicle, 21 July 2001.
• Tom Heinen, "Lutherans' doctrinal clash builds," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 July 2001.
• Tim Townsend, "Church leader faces reelection fight," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11 July 2004.
• Adam Jadhav, "Embattled Lutheran president wins vote," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 21 July 2004.
• "Amendment A falls short of affirmation" Reporter, March, 2005.

External websites

• Official biography from the LCMS website

LCMS homepage

Summary of the controversy under the Kieschnick administration of the LCMS