Board of Directors To Address Kieschnick's Travel Expenses

By: Rev. Jack Cascione
Reclaim News has been informed that the next meeting of the LCMS Board of Directors will address questions raised about President and Mrs. Kieschnick's travel expenses.

The most recently published statement on travel policy (effective 9/1/02) contained in the LCMS General Services Policy Manual provides:

"E. Spousal Travel It is the general policy of the IC [International Center] organizations not to pay for or reimburse the traveler for any expenses incurred by the spouse of the traveler.  This includes meals, airfares, and hotel accommodations.

Exceptions may be made from time-to-time when travel of a spouse serves the interest of the organization and is within the business nature of the travel."

Note, that this policy is subject to broad interpretation.

Total daily expenses for air travel, limonene service, car rental, nice hotels or motels, and restaurants usually cost $300.00 a day and can run much higher in expensive areas or over seas.  The price of Mrs. Kieschnick's unauthorized expenses for 180 to 270 days a year, (as stated by President Kieschnick) though less than her husbands, could easily exceed the expenses for one full-time missionary.

Kieschnick writes: "It is important for the President of the Synod to be out in the church among the pastors, educators and people of our Synod, especially in times when the church is troubled, conflicted and controverter."

Jesus Christ didn't travel more than 200 miles from His home.  The Kieschnick's are hardly on a Pauline missionary journey.  Luther spent most of his time in Wittenberg, wrote books that are worth reading, and supervised an entire Reformation.

One might think that a salary of $130,000.00 plus benefits, a car, and lots of frequent flyer miles would be enough for President Kieschnick to cover his wife's travel expenses.

Rare is the American corporation that pays for the wife to accompany her husband unless the executive owns the corporation.

President Kieschnick writes: "Terry is a tremendous helpmeet to me and a very fine model to the church of a pastor's wife."

President Kieschnick should be commended for taking his wife, and from all reports, an excellent wife, with him as often as possible, but not at the expense of the Synod.  My own congregation pays for my wife's motel bill for one three-day conference a year.  Anything else is at my own expense.

It has been many years since President Kieschnick has served as a pastor. How could Mrs. Kieschnick be a fine example of a pastor's wife?  Rather, she is a fine example of an executive's wife, which scarcely relates to parish life.

Unless the Synod wants to create a position for Mrs. Kieschnick, she currently has no elected office, assignment, or position that holds her up as an example for any other pastor's wife.

Frankly, my wife would be more effective in such a role as Kieschnick describes for his wife.

My wife is a full-time LCMS Kindergarten teacher, rehearses and directs the children's Sunday School Christmas Service with 60 children, Preschool-Kindergarten Christmas Service with 126 children, 80 Preschool and Kindergarten Children singing in the Palm Sunday Service, Vacation Bible School Music Program with 220 children, volunteers for the church choir and ladies' society, hosts parties for members in our home and endlessly advises mothers about their children while receiving half the salary of a public school teacher, with no benefits.  This is parish life.

One would have hoped that the Kieschnick's would have made public protest over the outrageous events at the recent Kansas District Pastors' Conference where the Kieschnick's and the pastors' wives were also present.

It appears that part of President Kieschnick's response to the removal of 28 LCMS Missionaries is to increase the size of his personal staff and spend more money traveling around the Synod.

President Kieschnick writes: "Our pastors and people appreciate the opportunity to have their questions addressed personally, directly and frankly by the President of the Synod.  I believe that is part of my responsibility and am more than happy to do so."

It is this writer's understanding that when President Kieschnick addresses a pastors' conference, all the questions must be written on cards and the District President or a moderator screens the questions, hardly an opportunity as he describes.

Again Kieschnick writes that he wants to address the, "unofficial electronic communications". . . "many of which, sadly and unfortunately, include inaccurate information, innuendos, half-truths and non-truths."  In other words, he needs to travel to refute what is published in ReclaimNews@earthlink.net and other sources that are "critical of the travels of the President."

The more we write, the more he has to travel.

January 15, 2002