Recently (as of July 9, 2025) quite the kerfuffle and consternation has erupted around certain RSO’s of the LCMS. Those who enjoy attacking the church have gleefully spread malicious and false misinformation, tricking faithful people into taking up their cause.
What is an RSO?
Definition:
An Recognized Service Organization is a separately incorporated, independent organization that:
Agrees to uphold the doctrine and practice of the LCMS,
Serves a mission or ministry purpose aligned with the Synod’s objectives (e.g., education, mercy, outreach, human care),
And has been formally recognized by the LCMS through an application and approval process.
Key Characteristics:
Not owned or operated by the LCMS but recognized as working in harmony with its goals.
Must operate in accordance with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.
Can include a wide variety of organizations: schools, social service agencies, mission societies, campus ministries, adoption agencies, pregnancy resource centers, elder care centers, and more.
Receive no money from the LCMS nor give/send money to the LCMS.
Benefits of RSO Status:
Official recognition by the LCMS.
Ability to call LCMS rostered church workers (e.g., deaconesses, DCE’s).
Listing in Synod directories.
Eligibility to participate in various Synod events and networks.
How an Organization Becomes an RSO:
Submit an application to the LCMS Office of National Mission.
Undergo review to verify doctrinal alignment and mission purpose.
Receive approval and recognition by the LCMS.
Theological and Missional Role:
RSO’s embody the LCMS's emphasis on ministry of Word and service to others: while the church proclaims the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, RSO’s often carry out specialized acts of mercy, education, and outreach that support the broader mission of the church.
Examples of RSOs:
History
Historically, many RSO’s were started with other church bodies as a cooperation in externals was not seen as a cooperation in doctrine and practice. Also historically, these church bodies were much more closely aligned in doctrine and practice with the LCMS. Many used to be a part of the General Synod. Recently, the LCMS has changed the rules for new RSO’s making one requirement be that all board members must be members of good standing in an LCMS congregation (or the LCMS itself for church workers).
What Is the Problem?
The world has changed. Many previous church bodies that were a part of these joint RSO’s are now a part of the ELCA. The ELCA has moved more and more liberal over the past decades since its inception in 1989. Concurrently, its leadership has become more hostile towards conservative Christianity (and confessional Lutheranism), including the LCMS in which bad blood remains (due to Seminex and the split of the 1970’s).
ELCA leadership has been waging a silent but increasing war on confessional Lutherans and congregations within its ranks. Conservative/Confessional students are purged from its seminaries. Conservative/Confessional churches are saddled with liberal pastors which promptly split the congregation.
For some RSO’s the local Synods of the ELCA (equivalent to a District in the LCMS) are able to appoint board chairs. The local ELCA bishops have been appointing more and more liberal board chairs that have pulled the RSO’s in liberal directions moving them to do and support unbiblical causes.
Noticing this, the LCMS began not renewing (and sometimes informing an RSO to not apply for renewal) of an organization’s RSO status a while ago. District Presidents also began requesting the LCMS to strip or not renew certain organization’s RSO status as well.
This has led to an acceleration. Some RSO’s, seeing the writing on the wall, have fully revealed the idols they support. The ELCA leadership is more than happy with this because they get to stick it in the eye of the LCMS while gaining full control of a social service organization that faithful Christians helped to build and support. Plus, they get the run the PR that they are the Lutherans that care - unlike those big meanie Confessional Lutherans over there.
While the LCMS has been (for a few years) and continues to drop the RSO status on these organizations, it does not make a big fanfare out of it. Instead it just happens. One day an organization is listed in the RSO directory and the next it is not.
Furthering the problem is bad faith unchristian actors that either do not know that the LCMS is currently dropping the RSO status of these organizations (because they are unfamiliar with the polity of Synod and how such things are done) or they simply do not care and wish to twist things in a malicious light. Due to social media being a means for anyone to say anything they want, these unchristian actors are able to deceive good and faithful Christians. The goal of these unchristian actors is to cause harm to the church, how much the better if they can get faithful Christians help them burn the whole thing down? These unchristian actors also gleefully realize that because the most visible criticism is coming from them the knee-jerk reaction of many will be to defend the RSO’s - giving them their proof of how “liberal” the LCMS really is (an utterly absurd position to take on the LCMS).
And while a whole book could be written about these unchristian actors and why they resent and blame the church for their own personal failings and firings exposing their true motives in all this - that is not a topic I wish cover. Instead, may those unhappy miserable people come to repentance and believe the gospel and so be saved.
Conclusion
Organizations that violate the doctrine and practice of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod must be removed from RSO status.
Grace and patience must be extended to those who are doing exactly that. Church workers will need help finding new calls and faithful laity will need help in finding new jobs. Legalities must be addressed in governing documents.
Action Steps
A respectful email or phone call to a district president’s office goes a long way. If a person is concerned about an organization they should talk with their pastor and send said email or make said phone call. The district president might give an update or might not and there are legitimate reasons for both reactions.