Our most critical investment has been in the people who work to serve the ministries of the church. LCEF is continually recognized as a St. Louis Top Workplace. Employees see their daily vocation aligned with our mission and the higher purpose of the organization. They have managed change well. They have stepped up and gone above and beyond. Our success is due to their commitment to the ministries we serve.

Beginning in October of 2023, the LCEF Board of Directors engaged in conversations around strengthening and expanding the “financial resources and related services for ministry, witness, and outreach of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod” (LCMS Handbook 3.6.4). Those conversations led the Board to reconsider the mission, core values, global ends policies, and key performance indicators that anchor this plan in our purpose, while focusing on people, partnerships, platforms, products, and profitability that will frame and focus our work over the coming years.

The Board believes they, and the organization, have a role and responsibility in growing the church. That is accomplished through the objectives and duties of the church extension fund within the Synod. Yet those “financial resources and related services” must never become static and stagnant. LCEF must be responsive to the needs and opportunities before the church as she engages the world with the Gospel.

The new plan is aspirational while tracking quantitative key performance indicators. We measure what matters. That begins with new global ends policies adopted by the Board of Directors.

1. LCEF exists so that financial resources and related services are available within and beyond the Synod.
   • This occurs when investors receive a reasonable rate of return and borrowers pay a reasonable rate of interest, when related services foster ministry, innovation and growth, and when customer satisfaction is a priority.
2. LCEF exists so that ministries grow through existing and new partnerships.

• • This occurs when collaborative relationships align with our strategic goals.

From these the rest of the plan aligns ultimately cascading down through corporate, division, and individual goals that come alive in the Annual Ministry and Business Plan.

LCEF strengthened our teams to assist ministries in clarifying their vision, overcoming obstacles, and achieving long-term growth. Similarly, we are well positioned to guide LCMS ministries with effective feasibility studies, expansions, and excess real estate solutions.

As we reflect on the successes of the past five years, we are humbled by our Lord’s faithfulness that guided our journey through the uncertainty and challenges of COVID, rapidly rising interest rates, stock market volatility, and the uncertainty of how to effectively provide impactful solutions in this increasingly secular, volatile, and polarizing world in which we serve.

As we look to the coming three years of this new Strategic Plan, we realize LCEF is at an important inflection point. We are confident we are prepared to serve our Synod well. As a result of our successful five-year strategic journey, LCEF has evolved from primarily being a reactive organization to becoming a proactive catalyst for future ministry. We intend to leverage what we learned, ensure the foundation remains firm, and continue to invest in people, processes, and technology.

Historically, LCEF has excelled in primarily being a provider of loans to our congregations, schools and universities, Recognized Service Organizations, and church workers. While this will continue to be our core, LCEF is now well-positioned to assist our partners in navigating an increasingly complex external operating environment that virtually all of our ministries are experiencing.

Through the expertise of our teams, working in partnership with those we serve, congregations can grow sustainably and maximize their real estate, schools can flourish and expand, and Recognized Service Organizations can serve new populations. Together, we will develop customized strategies that strengthen mission clarity and drive successful capital campaigns.

This is the overarching purpose of LCEF’s new three-year Strategic Plan. While we describe it through the iterative use of the six “P’s” – Purpose, People, Partnerships, Platforms, Products, and Profitability, what truly excites us about our mission going forward is the privilege of working in partnership with you as together we are called to spread the saving Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.