Retiring LSS President Carl Rausch

Honored by Concordia Seminary

For 22 Years of Service to Older Adults

During Concordia Seminary’s 168th Commencement Exercises May 18, Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) President Carl Rausch received the Christus Vivit Award, the highest honor the institution bestows upon a layperson.

Presented for “a lifetime of dedicated and distinguished service,” the Christus Vivit serves as a fitting capstone for Rausch’s career with Lutheran Senior Services, as he prepares to retire after 22 years as president.

Rausch served as the guiding force behind two decades of unprecedented growth and prosperity for LSS.

 

Ever in pursuit of “providing Christ-like care for older adults,” he oversaw the transformation of a single retirement community into the nation’s tenth largest not-for-profit long-term care network.

“To be recognized for distinguished service by Concordia Seminary is indeed an honor,” said Rausch. “Being a life-long Lutheran, I have seen many examples of their Christ-centered service to the church and the world. This has been such a humbling experience, and one I could never have expected when I first began my time with LSS.”

Rausch’s tenure began in 1985, when he was brought on as CEO of the Lutheran Health Care Association. In 1996, the Webster Groves-based organization merged with the Lutheran Altenheim Society to become Lutheran Senior Services. With Rausch at the helm, LSS expanded its presence throughout St. Louis and into central Missouri and Illinois.

Today, the organization operates with a $125 million budget. It owns or manages 19 locations, providing care for more than 6,000 seniors (an increase of some 2,000% from the LHCA years). Along the way, it has grown its Pastoral Care department to include 14 chaplains and a Clinical Pastoral Education program to train the next generation of church workers.

A graduate of Louisiana State University, Rausch came to Lutheran Senior Services as a partner in the national accounting firm Ernst & Young. While his financial background helped ensure LSS’ prosperity, he stresses that the organization’s success is the direct result of its constant focus on the Cross of Jesus Christ. He helped to draft LSS’ Christian Mission, “Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest,” and has been its most vocal proponent in the years since.

“On his or her first day at LSS, every employee is introduced to our Christian Mission,” said Rausch. “It is an important reminder that the care we provide is not a job—it is a calling. It is a vital expression of our faith and our commitment to the seniors in our community.”

A tireless worker for quality senior care, Rausch has been a board member for more than a dozen civic organizations, including his home congregation of Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood. In 1993, he was named Businessperson of the Year by the Webster Groves Chamber of Commerce. He has received the Faith in Action Award from Lutheran Family and Children’s Services and the E. Willis Piehl Award from the Missouri Association of Homes for the Aging.

Lutheran Senior Services is now in the final stages of selecting Rausch’s successor. However, says LSS Board Chairman Dr. Micheal Chehval, there is no one who could claim to serve as his ‘replacement.’ “Carl is more than a CEO,” he said. “He’s a true Christian leader. Everyone at LSS wishes him the very best in the years to come. After providing so many with the means to live life to the fullest, no one is more deserving of the same than Carl Rausch.”

 

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