On Dec. 15-16, 2004, a Transition Review Team from the Board for Pastoral Education (BPE) of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) met with individuals and groups at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, to assess the Seminary’s strengths and weaknesses as it seeks to call its 10^th president. Transition Review Team members included John M. Behrendt, chairman of the BPE; Dr.Jon T. Diefenthaler, president of the Southeastern District of the LCMS; Dr. David Eggebrecht, professor of English and drama at Concordia University Wisconsin; and Dr. L. Dean Hemplemann, director of pastoral education for the LCMS

The BPE stipulates that a transition review report be prepared during the initial period of the election process for a new president. Concordia Seminary’s former president, Dr. John F. Johnson, accepted a call to serve as president of Concordia University, River Forest,Ill., in November 2004. Dr. Dale A. Meyer currently serves as interim president of the Seminary.

Following the Transition Review Team’s visit, the Seminary’s Board of Regents, with the approval of the BPE, issued a call for nomination of candidates for the Seminary’s presidency which was published in the January 2005 issue of the Reporter. Duties and responsibilities of the president are outlined in the Synodical Handbook. Candidates for the presidency may be nominated by congregations of the LCMS, the Synod’s BPE, the Seminary’s Board of Regents and its faculty. Nominations must be submitted before March 1, 2005, to James F. Ralls Jr., Chairman, Concordia Seminary Board of Regents, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105. More information about the presidential search can be found on the Seminary’s Web site (https://www.csl.edu/NewPresident.htm).