# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1983_S52
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

52 MINUTES OF THE CONVENTION

and because of fact that many of the same situations
would apply to other institutions.

Recognition

At the request of the Floor Committee on Profes-
sional Education, presidents of the colleges and semi-
naries of the Synod were presented to the convention
delegates. Following their appearance on the platform,
the delegates adopted Res. 6-18 (TB 152), in which
special recognition was given to Dr. Paul Zimmerman
for his 39 years of ministry. In the resolution, the
convention also thanked and commended Dr. Zimmer-
man and assured him and Mrs. Zimmerman of their
continued gratitude, prayers, and best wishes. The
delegates expressed their approval of the resolution by
rising and joining in singing a stanza of the hymn,
“Praise to the Lord.” After expressing his thanks to all
of the presidents for their support, Dr. Walter Rosin,
executive secretary of the Board for Professional Edu-
cation Services, presented Dr. Zimmerman with a set of
inscribed bookend plaques. Dr. Zimmerman, who has
served as president of three of the colleges of the Synod,
expressed his thanks to the convention and to God for
the opportunity to serve in this special way during the
past years. He concluded his remarks by urging the
convention to support the colleges and seminaries of the
Synod, which provide the pastors, teachers, and other
church workers for the Synod.

Following his remarks, President Bohlmann intro-
duced each of the presidents of the higher education
institutions of the Synod, expressing appreciation for
their dedication and unselfish service to the church.

With the adoption of Res. 6-18, the work of Commit-
tee 6 was declared completed.

Closing Devotion

Closing devotion for the afternoon session was led
by Dr. Robert Sauer, First Vice-President of the Synod.

Session 12

Thursday, July 14, Evening
Opening Devotion

Beginning the special evening session which had
been agreed to earlier in the day, the delegates were led
in prayer by Dr. Robert Sauer, First Vice-President of
the Synod.

Missions, Evangelism, and Social Ministry

Before beginning the discussion of new resolutions
presented by the Floor Committee on Missions, Evan-
gelism, and Social Ministry, Chairman Marcis called
the attention of the delegates to a recommended reword-
ing of the fourth resolve for Res. 1-04 (TB 38). Since the
recommended rewording was in keeping with the inten-
tion of the delegate who had offered an amendment and
was also the understanding of the convention, the
rewording found on page 299 of Today’s Business was
accepted by common consent. The rewording is as

follows, “Resolved, That home congregations of stu-
dents be asked to (1) notify the LCMS congregations
near the campus where the students are enrolled, and (2)
notify the students of the presence of LCMS congre-
gations near the campus where the students are en-
rolled so that a contact can be made.”

The delegates began consideration of Res. 1-15A(TB
169), which referred the subject matter of Overture 1-22
(CW 33), that of church growth, to the Council of °
Administrators for the purpose of coordinating church |
growth programs so that the appropriate aspects of that
program would be best utilized by the boards, Districts,
and congregations of the Synod. After brief discussion -
the overture was adopted as presented. The convention
also adopted Res. 1-16 (7B 45) encouraging each District
during the next triennium to arrange for one or more -
Witness Workshops for pastors only, asking the Board
for Evangelism Services to provide resource materials
and recommend leaders for such workshops, and en-
couraging the whole church to pray for the Holy Spirit’s 4
blessings on these gatherings. By adopting Res. 1-17
(TB 45) the delegates encouraged congregations to
continue to support the ministry to the Armed Forces by
prayer and faithful contributions, and to fully utilize the
services of the Ministry to the Armed Forces by forward-
ing the names of all military members to its Ministry-
by-Mail office and by establishing their own program of
ministry to members in the military. They also encour-
aged congregations whose pastors are members of the
military reserves to facilitate their pastors’ participa-
tion in and fulfillment of the requirements placed upon |
them as members of our nation’s military forces.

Point of Privilege

Responding to a point of privilege, a delegate intro-
duced a resolution calling for the presentation of re-
maining resolutions by title and number only. This
resolution was adopted by the convention with the
understanding that the floor committees might read
resolutions in their entirety if, in the judgment of the
committee, it was felt to be necessary. Responding to a
division of the house, it was determined by a rising vote
that the delegates had agreed to this procedure. When
the decision of the Chair was challenged, the conven:
tion determined that it did not desire a division of the
house by delegate count and sustained the decision of
the Chair. :

Missions, Evangelism, and Social Ministry

Continuing consideration of resolutions in the area
of Missions, Evangelism, and Social Ministry, the
delegates adopted Res. 1-18 (7B 46) urging the President
of the Synod to consider an emphasis on the mission
the church to the growing ethnic population of the
nation as the theme of the 1986 convention of the Synod.
This action was taken after the delegates had declined
to add an amendment as a last resolve which would
state, “Resolved, That the Synod continue to implement
the ‘moving into the ’80s’ goals set for ethnic ministry.
development at the 1979 synodical convention.” They