# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1981_S357 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 356 PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION parish stewardship leaders, in addition to other regular resources for parish leaders. Marcus Zill, Stewardship Counselor Recommendation 1 To Encourage Growth in the Grace of Giving WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its 1979 convention in St. Louis took action that its mission budget be increased 100% plus inflation during the decade of the 1980s; an WHEREAS, Other resolutions of the Synod call for upgrading the funding of the church and aiding members of congrega- tions to grow in the grace of giving; and WHEREAS, The membership of the church has been made aware of the many opportunities for proclaiming the Gospel through the educational and motivational phase of Forward in Remembrance; and WHEREAS, The people of God who comprise the parishes of the LCMS are ready and willing to heed this call to witness and give; therefore be it Resolved, That during the next biennium every congrega- tion in the LCMS be encouraged to contact every member (individually or in a group setting) for their stewardship commitment and response; and be it further Resolved, That during the next biennium all members of LCMS congregations be urged to give proportionately, moving toward or beyond tithing, by annually increasing their regular giving by 1% of their personal income; and be it finally Resolved, That congregations be urged to share their increase by annually increasing the percentage of given funds remitted to the District and Synod by 1% of the congregational receipts. Recommendation 2 To Encourage Participation in STEM Seminars WHEREAS, It is essential to gather and manage the resources that God has entrusted to His people to carry out the mission; and WHEREAS, Stewardship Training Enables Mission; and WHEREAS, The 131 STEM seminars conducted by the Stewardship Department in the 1979—80 season have provena blessing in training 7,991 parish stewardship leaders; and WHEREAS, There are still some 4,000 congregations that have not yet attended and also many parish leadership changes in congregations where new leaders have not yet attended; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod encourage attendance of congre- gational stewardship leaders at STEM (Stewardship Training Enables Missions) seminars in their areas; and be it further Resolved, That the Stewardship Department continue to offer the basic seminar during the coming biennium (1981—83). Recommendation 3 To Provide Professional Stewardship Leadership on District Levels WHEREAS, The Board of Directors’ 1980 stewardship study showed that the parishes and pastors look to the Synod to provide resource materials and look to the District to provide the personal onsite evaluation, planning, and guidance neces- sary to carry out a full stewardship program; and WHEREAS, The survey also showed that no District provided a stewardship counselor full time and that in only three Districts executives spend more than 50 percent of their timeon stewardship, while more than one-half of the District execu- tives spend no more than one-quarter of their time on steward- ship; and WHEREAS, One of the major objectives of the Forward in Remembrance effort was to discover and train leaders in “stewardship/fund-raising” for use by the LCMS in the decades ahead; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod encourage every District to provide its congregations with the assistance and counsel of full-time stewardship leadership; and be it further Resolved, That this be done by providing an executive secretary whois full time in the field of stewardship leadership or by sharing such expertise with the neighboring District or by entering into a relationship with the synodical Stewardship Department to provide such counsel with and for the District; and be it further Resolved, That the synodical Board of Stewardship upgrade the process of professional training of stewardship counselors on both the synodical and District levels and that the Synod provide regional stewardship counselors who will work closely with the Districts and with their Stewardship leadership; and be it further Resolved, That the Board of Stewardship be prepared, where mutually agreeable, to enter into an arrangement with the requesting District to provide stewardship leadership services on a full-time, short-term, or shared-time basis; and be it finally Resolved, That the Board of Stewardship take the leader- ship in working with Districts who now have less than full-time stewardship leadership to upgrade their services and their ministry to congregations. Recommendation 4 To Develop Stewardship Training at the Seminaries WHEREAS, Most pastors indicate that they have little or no stewardship, financial, and management training in their preparation for the parish ministry; and WHEREAS, Leadership and counseling in these areas is of utmost importance for the practical parish ministry; therefore be it Resolved, That the faculties of the three seminaries, in consultation with the Board of Stewardship and the Board for Higher Education, develop at least a one-quarter course for seminary students in the area of stewardship, financial plan- ning, and management to be introduced no later than the 1982—83 school year, utilizing as possible the services of experienced stewardship counselors. Recommendation 5 To Encourage STEP Practicums WHEREAS, The Board of Stewardship has field-tested STEP (Stewardship Training Enables Pastors) practicums (a three- day seminar in a retreat setting) for pastors who have entered the ministry in the last five years; and WHEREAS, The results in both the Minnesota North and Ontario Districts have been most encouraging, and much has been learned to improve future practicums; and WHEREAS, The need exists to aid younger pastors in their personal stewardship life, as well as to equip them for develop- ing proper stewardship attitudes in the parish; therefore be it Resolved, That the Districts of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod be encouraged to schedule STEP practicums for their younger pastors; and be it further Resolved, That the Board of Stewardship work with such Districts in scheduling such practicums so that each District can be thus served on a continuing basis once every five years; and be it finally Resolved, That the Board of Stewardship work with Districts who request similar services for more experienced pastors. J Recommendation 6 To Provide Speakers Corps WHEREAS, The Sunday morning service is the time at which the greatest number of members of the congregation gather together; and WHEREAS, The time-honored custom of Mission Sunday festivals is still fresh in the memories of most, even those who do not observe a regular Mission Sunday; and