by Lutherans for Racial Justice I August 18, 2022

The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) operates 1,885 early childhood and K-12 schools, making it the largest Protestant School System in the country. While Lutherans of color comprise approximately 5% of LCMS church membership, Lutheran school enrollment has grown markedly more diverse. A decade ago, students of color made up 18% of enrollment, but that number has since risen to 24%.

As Lutheran schools explore how they might better serve increasingly diverse student populations, the LCMS finds itself embroiled in conflict over the matter.

These tensions have revealed themselves in the contentious and compelling events that have recently occurred on two campuses of the Concordia University System (CUS), a network of six higher ed institutions that operate under the governance of the LCMS.

CONCORDIA WISCONSIN: A PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

When Rev. Dr. Patrick Ferry, the president of Concordia University Wisconsin-Ann Arbor (CUWAA), retired in June 2021, the institution’s Board of Regents began what would become a contentious presidential search process.

In his thirty years of service at CUWAA, President Ferry oversaw the school’s growth into “a top-tier, nationally ranked university” and became aware of the challenges that underserved students face.

“The highest educational priority for the next five years must be to expand access to higher education,” Ferry shared with The Milwaukee Biz Times in 2016. “[Concordia Wisconsin] prioritizes access, success, affordability and attainment for a diverse student population.”

Following Ferry’s retirement, CUWAA’s Presidential Search Committee set out to draw a pool of candidates who would continue to elevate the university’s profile and “embrace and advance Christian values for diversity and belonging.”

As stated in the 8-page prospectus created by the search committee:

“Concordia is a community and an increasingly diverse one. The next president will promote and embody our value for Christian unity and belonging. The president will successfully engage all members of the community in the critical work of affirming the worth and dignity of every person. The president will take an active, vocal, and vital role in shaping and sharing a distinctive Lutheran approach to diversity, resulting in a community where Christ is Lord and all are loved.”

Per LCMS bylaws, Concordia Presidential candidates must be approved by the Prior Approval Panel, a three-person committee made up of the President of the Synod, the district president serving on the institution’s board, and the CUS chair. In October 2021, this panel approved only 11 presidential candidates of the original 38 submitted by CUWAA’s Board of Regents. Three months later, the Board determined that the panel-approved nominees did not “meet the requirements of the job of President of CUWAA as described in the Presidential Prospectus.” In addition to the above values for diversity and belonging, the Prospectus included measurable professional qualifications such as “experience as a senior officer of a large, complex, multi-geographical organization with many different publics or constituencies and a budget in excess of $100M.”

Rev. Dr. Gregory Schulz, a CUWAA professor of philosophy, was one of the 11 nominees approved by the panel. In February, Schulz wrote an article titled “Woke Dysphoria at Concordia,” which criticized the Board for the prospectus’ language about diversity. Schulz cited these qualifications as “aggressive-progressive Woke mantras,” and called inclusion an “aggressive, almost violent version of what used to be known as affirmative action.”

“The fact that including us is a threat, in of itself, to whatever system he's believing in, is a problem to me,” said De’Shawn Ford, a student leader from CUWAA’s Black Student Union.

Interim President, Dr. William Cario, requested a meeting with Professor Schulz, who allegedly refused to meet. It was then that the school suspended Schulz with full pay while the matter was resolved. The suspension led to a petition with over 6,000 signatures, which called for the professor’s reinstatement. Others, including some members of the Black Student Union, called for his termination.

Several weeks later, LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison led a visitation team to CUWAA to interview faculty, staff, and students. In May, President Harrison wrote to the CUWAA Board of Regents with a preview of the Synod’s full report (to our knowledge, and at the time of this story, that report has not been made public). In the letter, Harrison voiced concern for “the introduction of secular diversity, equity, and inclusion language and initiatives into the mission of the university.” He also condemned the Board for not using masculine pronouns in the prospectus, stating that “presidents of Concordia University Schools must be qualified men.”

Harrison put forward a short list of solutions, including the resignations of specific members of the Board of Regents. He also called for public accountability from CUWAA, instructing the Board to “demonstrate repentance for Bylaw violations and adoption of secular worldviews and agendas” and “acknowledge uncritical haste that occurred in adopting language of secular diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.” Harrison encouraged CUWAA to “reassert its Lutheran identity,” and to “consider the example of Grove City College,” a Christian academic institution that recently took action to limit opportunities for students to participate in conversations about racial justice.

Following the letter, the South Wisconsin District passed resolutions calling on the LCMS to strengthen its control over the Concordias. If passed by Synod, these measures would give the church body’s leadership sole authority to appoint university board members, would empower District Presidents to take action against Board members who “fail to abide by the Synod’s bylaws,” and would shift the voting power for appointing presidents to the Synod’s favor.

Last week, the Board of Regents voted to invite three candidates to campus for in-person interviews. Per the update on CUWAA’s official website, all three candidates were recently approved by the Prior Approval Panel.

CONCORDIA CHICAGO: PROTESTS & TOWN HALL

While CUWAA’s efforts have been criticized by LCMS leadership, Concordia University Chicago (CUC)’s response to diversity has led to an outcry from students themselves.

This spring, CUC students organized protests to call out “what they say is a culture of racism and homophobia on campus.” Students said they’ve “long felt the environment at Concordia is unwelcoming,” but decided to organize when a professor was banned from campus after voicing concerns about allegations of racism at CUC.

“Everybody has a story about the university and that’s alarming,” said CUC student DeJon McAdory. Students of color make up over half of undergraduate enrollment at CUC.

In response to protests, CUC President Russell Dawn hosted a campus-wide town hall (full video here), where questions were submitted and curated in advance. Dawn assured everyone that their concerns would be addressed, but after twenty minutes, the students in attendance grew frustrated. The town hall became contentious, as students took turns challenging the administration’s answers, questioning the removal of diversity language from the school’s mission statement, and bringing up specific allegations against school faculty, some of whom were in attendance. President Dawn continually encouraged students to “use the portal,” an online system for filing complaints with the university. Several students claimed they had used the portal, with little response from the institution or proactive steps to resolve matters.

“As the student body, we urge Concordia University Chicago administration to formally commit to serving its minority students," said America Sanchez, President of the Latino Student Union.

Sanchez, who eventually stepped forward to help guide the conversation. She also cited allegations that the school had removed culturally significant flags and Black Lives Matter signs that students had posted. 

“I just want to understand how we can’t put up our posters saying ‘Black Lives Matter’, but we can fund a pro-life march to Washington D.C.?” she said. “What is the difference between fighting for that life and fighting for Black life?”

“Black lives do matter,” said President Dawn. “We are committed to Black lives, to Black families, to you as an entire student body. The only reason there is any discomfort with the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ has to do with the organization by that name that has specifically anti-Christian roots, at least some specifically. It’s true. You can look it up.”

“Where is that coming from?” responded a student, amidst confused murmurs in the crowd.

This exchange underlines the apparent ideological divide between CUC administration and students, a disconnect that is further illustrated by what President Dawn has written on such topics in the past.

“Over the last century or so, progressivism has gradually emerged as America’s dominant belief system,” Dawn wrote for The Federalist in 2018. “Its manifestations are numerous: LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, third-wave feminism, socialism, the '“white privilege'” police, and so on…it is certainly true that progressivism’s influence is stronger in Chicago than Cheyenne, in Colorado than Kentucky.”

As the town hall concluded, students asked the school to commit to diversity training and the hiring of an equity director, among other measures.

"What you're seeing now is a lot of Black, Brown, and everybody else who are really upset...because they don't feel heard," said one CUC alum in attendance, who is now a graduate student. "We made a lot of decisions without hearing these kids out. We gotta hear these kids out and not hide behind Christianity as the reason [that we're not]."

Updates are expected as the fall semester approaches.

LOOKING BEYOND WISCONSIN & CHICAGO

The other Concordias have also experimented with responses to shifting demographics, finding varying degrees of success and backlash.

For any institution, changing course always comes with a myriad of challenges. In Concordia world, however, some challenges are unique and worth noting.

Concordia schools are managing sizable operating budgets, ranging from $50 million to $150 million-plus. Accumulating and appeasing donors, many of whom are LCMS members, is necessary in order to maintain revenue. This means that a university’s administration isn’t only beholden to their vision for the school, but the vision of their donors.

Some have suggested hiring leaders of color to help bridge divides between school leadership and students, but the official identity standards of the Synod require all Concordia governing board members and senior leadership to be active LCMS members. In a church body in which 5% are members of color, one can see how the odds are stacked against a Lutheran school raising up leaders who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).

These challenges exist alongside the cold reality that since 2018, three Concordias have closed: New York, Portland, and Alabama (the LCMS’ only Historically Black College, commonly known as Concordia Selma).

The stakes have never been higher, and no one wants to be next in line.

It is within this context that Concordia University Texas (CTX) has announced their intention to remain aligned with the LCMS in values, theology, and goals, but is considering stepping away from the church body’s governance:

“As the landscape of higher education changes, as the culture becomes more diverse and challenging, and as the church seeks new mission opportunities, the Board has recognized that the need for a system of governance that is local, responsive, and adaptive is more essential than ever for our university.”

FINDING CONCORDIA

Events at the collegiate level are more likely to make national news, but divided responses to shifting demographics are playing out in Lutheran schools all over the country.

This year, LCMS District Conventions passed several resolutions that will impact how Lutheran schools respond to racism, some of which are at odds with each other. The Northern Illinois District, where Concordia University Chicago is located, voted to assemble a task force to study the District’s “history of mission, ministry, and education within multiethnic communities” and will provide “tangible ways to move forward in our present and future outreach efforts in multiethnic communities.” Meanwhile, the Indiana District, home to one of the Synod’s two seminaries, passed a resolution that, according to LCMS Convention News, formally condemned “the false doctrine of diversity, equity and inclusion as understood outside of the church,” calling on the Synod to help Lutheran schools “resist this and remain steadfast to God’s Word."

Perhaps the dynamics on Concordia campuses are not just fodder for Synodical gossip and politicking. In fact, these events might serve as a window by which to see some of the challenges that face LCMS schools, and congregations, at large.

Wherever you fall on these issues, one thing is certain:

These conversations cannot be avoided.

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Lutherans for Racial Justice aims to encourage these conversations, especially when they respect and center the voices of students, who are among those our synod is called to serve. We look forward to sharing more on these matters in the coming days. If you have insights related to the above story, please email: info@lutheransforracialjustice.com.

For more information and resources to be used in educational settings, please visit LRJ’s School & Home Resources page.

Lutherans for Racial Justice (LRJ) is a grassroots coalition committed to fostering multiethnic church and school cultures as we pursue racial equity, justice, and healing within the communities of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). Learn more.