Board of Directors

• Rev. Dr. Richard L. Thompson, Chairman (Billings, MT)
• David Schlachter, Secretary (Billings, MT)
• Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs (St. Louis, MO)
• Rev. Roger Krause (Parker, CO)
• Edith Block (Watertown, WI)
• Francis Taman (Calgary, Alberta- Canada)

Rev. Dr. Richard L Thompson was born May 8, 1939 in Lansing, Michigan. He graduated from Burbank High School in 1957. Dick enlisted in the United States Navy and was discharged in 1961. On November 14, 1958 he married Dianne L. Tuttle. Together they have two sons, one daughter and six grand children. Dick worked in the aerospace industry for eight years before entering Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois in 1969. He graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree in 1973. He also was granted a Masters of Divinity degree from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin in 1991. Dick has served parishes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Billings, Montana; and Watertown, Wisconsin. In 2001, he retired from parish ministry.

At the national level, Dick served the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on the Board of Managers for the Concordia Plans (1984-1986), the Board of Directors (1986-1998), the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (2000-2001), and on the Commission on Doctrinal Review (2001-present). He also has been on various boards and committees at the district level. Dick presently serves as 2nd Vice President of the Montana District.

David D. Schlachter serves as a Vice President for Peacemaker Ministries, overseeing the delivery of mediation and arbitration services for the resolution of conflicts and disputes, and the delivery of conciliator training provided by Peacemaker Ministries, including foundational training for conciliators and advanced training through the Certification Program. A Certified Christian Conciliator™ and University of Denver Law School graduate, David practiced law for 26 years in Denver, Colorado, specializing in business, real estate, and commercial litigation, before joining the Peacemaker Ministries staff. He has taught biblical peacemaking in his church, for Peacemaker Ministries, and internationally in Cambodia and Tanzania. David has served as a mediator and arbitrator in numerous cases through Peacemaker Ministries, and has served on numerous Boards of Directors for other non-profit organizations and ministries.

David is married and a father of three. He and his wife, Carol, have been married for 34 years and have three children; Nate – 29, Phillip – 24, and Bethany – 21. They lived in the southeast Denver metropolitan area and were active in their church, Peace With Christ Lutheran Church, before moving to Billings, Montana. Their family has been active in short-term mission work through their Church and Global Connection International. David spent his pre-college years in northeastern Colorado on a dairy, dry land & irrigated family farm. He remains involved as a member of the family owned farm, currently operated by his family.

Rev. Dr. Rick Marrs is a native of Kansas and serves as an Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri teaching pastoral counseling and education. He has been Director of Continuing Education and Parish Services at Concordia and serves as the varsity tennis coach. Since coming to Concordia in 2006, Rick has introduced biblical peacemaking into several courses and has been instrumental in developing a greater awareness of the need for pastoral training in reconciliation.

Rick received his M.S.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Kansas in 1985 while teaching at St. John's College, Winfield, Kansas where he served as an admissions counselor and taught psychology. He also taught psychology at Concordia University - Chicago from 1986-1998 and received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Loyola University, Chicago in 1994. While teaching at Concordia, Rick served as a psychotherapist on-campus and for several off-campus organizations. After attending Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Rick served six years as pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Junction City, Kansas.

Rick and his wife Laura have two daughters and live on the Concordia Seminary campus in St. Louis.

Roger Krause graduated in 1961 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University. In 1974, he graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, IL. And has served congregations in Montana and Colorado, and as a circuit counselor for ten years. He was the Rocky Mountain District President from 1993-2003. Retiring in 2003, Roger remains active in the ministry as a vacancy pastor, currently in Longmont, Colorado. In addition to serving as a board member for AoR, he has served on the board of directors of African Immigrant Mission Society for the past five years. Roger is also a Consecrated Stewards guest leader.

Roger has been married for 51 years. He and Bernice have three children and eleven grandchildren. They reside in Parker, Colorado.

Edith V. Block is a charter member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown, WI. She serves on the board of day school education, is a member of the choir, ushers, and teaches in vacation Bible school. From 1997 to 2007, she served in several different roles on the board of directors for Friends of Concordia University Wisconsin, including president for four years. Edith’s 36-year career at GE included positions in administration, product performance tracking, global allocation of CT tubes, allocation of proprietary software, and sourcing. She retired from GE in November, 2000.

Francis Taman is a partner with the Alberta law firm of Bishop & McKenzie LLP. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Francis received a B.A in 1987, a B. Ed (with distinction) in 1990 and an LL. B in 1996, all from the University of Calgary. He also holds Associate Diplomas in Speech from the University of Toronto and Mount Royal College. A registered Trusts and Estates Practitioner, Francis is a member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Alternative Dispute Resolution and Wills & Trusts Subsections of the Canadian Bar Association. His practice includes Wills & Estates, Trusts, Estate Planning & Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Christian Conciliation.

Francis currently serves on the Commission on Adjudication of Lutheran Church – Canada and the Reconciliation Committee of the Alberta – British Columbia District of Lutheran Church - Canada. He has also acted as legal counsel for a variety of businesses, churches and non-profit organizations.

This legal experience is backed up by nearly a decade of teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels. An experienced lecturer, Francis has spoken widely on a variety of legal, business, reconciliation and church related topics.

In his spare time, Francis enjoys golfing, fishing, camping, biking, directing and spending time with his extremely patient wife and daughters.