# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1983_S79 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) peared in the December 1982 issue of the Saturday yening Post. More than 500,000 copies of reprints of st-article have been purchased by synodical congre- tions for distribution to others. 15. Unfinished Tasks. Because of inadequate time, " or funding, a number of projects could not be mplished during the biennium. These include visits our partner churches, increased involvement in vict activities, and the regular publication of a ergy newsletter. B. A Church in Mission The activities of the past biennium have underscored nat we are in fact living in “the time of the parenthesis,” eriod between the known past and the unknown ire, a time of change and questioning. Such a time n indeed bring uncertainty and even fear, but it can 6 be a period of exceptional creativity, movement, d: progress—‘“‘a fantastic time to be alive,” to quote hn Naisbitt, “if we can only get a clear sense, a clear jonception, a clear vision, of the road ahead” (Mega- pends, p. 252). ow are we in The Lutheran Church—Missouri tynod handling this time of change and opportunity? at-kind of church body are we and do we want to be? e we content to be an ecclesiastical organization that noves steadily onward, doing things very much the we have always done them, but somewhat timorous nthe face of change? Or do we perhaps have a deeper ense of being Christ’s church in mission, a body of el vers with a challenging and exciting task to carry ut for our Lord and the resources from Him to accom- ish that task? My strong conviction—and I say it with ,enthusiasm based on meeting tens of thousands of ur.members throughout our church body—is that the ple of the LCMS are eager to be involved in the gssibilities and challenges confronting our church jody. Many of us sense that the Lord of the church has aced us where we are in our various communities, in ur nations, in our world, for just such a time as this. any factors in our life together support that ptimistic reading of the Synod: vIn the year 1982 we began 102 new ministries, 80 of i:them congregations—more than all other American ‘Lutheran church bodies combined. last year, a year in which most church bodies declined in membership, we registered a small gain. For the second year in a row, our Sunday school and Bible class participation increased; not very much, to .be sure, but our trend line is moving in the right direction. Our synodical elementary and high school enroll- ments are at an all-time high. According to published national reports, our total ‘congregational, District, and church body giving for ‘all purposes increased 13 percent last year, one of the ‘top three figures for all American church bodies. So far in the 1980s, we have begun work in five new ‘countries, and our partner churches in Korea, Brazil, PRESIDENT’S REPORT 79 and other lands are experiencing many blessings in growth and outreach. ¢ Our 16 seminaries and colleges in North America have outstanding enrollments of dedicated young men and women preparing for full-time service in the church. e The International Lutheran Laymen’s League and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, our men’s and women’s auxiliaries, report many heartwarming stories of commitment and dedication to the Lord’s work; their conventions this summer have both emphasized their deep dedication to the mission of the church. e Our $1 million loan commitment to the Nehemiah Project in Brooklyn, New York, has given strong encouragement to other groups to join in a major redevelopment effort to provide 5,000 homes and countless opportunities to share the Good News. e@ Our Lutheran Church Extension Fund has prospered beyond our fondest expectations, with national and District resources well in excess of $300 million for the building of new church properties and the extension of Christ’s kingdom. e Our Forward in Remembrance effort continues to provide funding for badly needed work at our colleges and seminaries and the expansion of our mission efforts at home and abroad as the people of this church body continue to contribute generously toward the $75 million we pledged—almost double our goal. e More than 3,500 of our congregations now have chapters of Lutheran Youth Fellowship, our new organization for synodical young people, and many other signs indicate a revitalization of youth ministry throughout the Synod. e In District after District, exciting new ministries are started and continued each year, providing care for people in institutions, spiritual resources for thou- sands of young men and women on college and university campuses, and encouragement and nurture to new congregations of God’s people. Such a list could go on endlessly, particularly if we were to include all the heartwarming stories of faithful pastors and teachers serving their congregations through Word and Sacraments, and of faithful congre- gations simply doing what the Lord has asked them to do. Such activities may seem ordinary, but they are the backbone of this great church body. They illustrate the continuing power of God’s Word and Sacraments in the lives of His people and His people’s response to His love in those countless ways that keep the church moving forward in this world with the precious message of life and salvation through Him whom we proclaim. But you and I know very well, indeed, that there are counterindicators of our organizational and ecclesiasti- cal health—suggestions that in many areas of our synodical life and work we have not yet caught the vision of what all we might be and do for the sake of our Lord and His precious Gospel. Whether we look at national, District, or local programs, must we not confess a frequent preoccupation with the following?