# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1989_S65 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) while encouraging more and more laity to carry out both full- and part-time ministries. By 1995, I believe our system of elementary and sec- ondary schools will be even stronger than it is today, ce ~ Jargely because of a stronger emphasis on evangelism and 8- ». the fact that a higher percentage of teachers will be syn- 38 * odically trained and certified. e By 1995 our Concordia Publishing House will be more ~ widely recognized as the premier religious publisher in the ~ nation because the materials produced there are both ped- ~ agogically and theologically superior. -. In short, by 1995, the LCMS will recognize itself—and be recognized by others—as a church body whose congre- 7 gations are not only strong and lively, but central to the - work of the Synod. wee eee 3. Theology By 1995, I believe The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod will continue to be the strongest confessional Lu- theran church body in the world, not only in terms of size, but in terms of the clarity and faithfulness of confessional witness. Discussions over the ministry of women, inter- Christian relationships, church and ministry, and other topics will have helped the Synod to achieve an even stronger theological consensus on the basis of the Word of God than that which characterizes us today, and to do so with a clear focus on the forgiveness of sins as the center of the Biblical Gospel. By 1995, our theological commitment will be expressed through a stronger International Lutheran Conference of confessional churches around the world, the publication of major theological works, and strong graduate schools of theology that equip many of the teachers of theology and religion in seminaries and colleges around the world. By 1995, Missouri’s conversations with other Lutherans will have brought about closer ties with the Wisconsin and Evangelical Lutheran Synods, and many in the ELCA, too, will look upon us and our position with increasing favor. In short, as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary in 1997, we will do so by praising God for the continuing strong theological convictions of our members. 4, Funding By 1995, the people of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod will be providing as much as one-third more finan- cial resources for the total work of the church at congre- gational, District, national, and international levels. Although a wide variety of successful stewardship pro- grams will be readily available to each congregation through the many networks and linkages that have been established by District and national offices, it will be rec- ognized that the key to better stewardship performance lies in the cultivation of the spiritual faith and life of every member of every congregation. Moreover, by 1995, I see every dimension of the Synod allocating financial resources in ways that reflect our mis- sion and nurture priorities. As more and more individual members have learned the joy of firstfruits giving, so more congregations, Districts, and the Synod itself have allo- cated their firstfruits for work beyond themselves. Bud- geting processes at congregational, District, and national REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT 65 levels will have learned to distinguish between mainte- nance items, such as necessary administrative costs, and mission and ministry items. By 1995 or sooner, necessary maintenance costs for the Synod and its Districts will be increasingly met by member congregations through a proportionate or “fair share” sys- tem, with the multiple mission and ministry challenges of the church at every level being met by voluntary cove- nanting for specific projects. Planned giving and special giving will continue to be a major element in our total stewardship effort, with the excellent efforts of the ’80s already providing substantial resources beyond the regu- lar Sunday offerings, thereby enabling the Synod to have its mission opportunities, as well as its colleges and sem- inaries, on a sound financial basis. In short, by 1995 we will have made substantial prog- ress both in giving more dollars for the Lord’s work and in spending them for high priority mission and ministry projects. 5. Organization and Leadership By 1995, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod will have made adjustments to its structure (without changing its basic polity) in order to provide for broad representative decision-making at every level, with decisions coming as close to the action as possible, and with widespread own- ership of the people in the process. Planning will be done in coordinated ways, with parallel structures existing be- tween national and District areas. Strong Districts will continue to have considerable autonomy in providing lead- ership within Districts, but the linkage between each Dis- trict and the rest of Synod will be equally strong—in both confessional and organizational solidarity. Synod’s tradi- tional polity, with its decentralized, democratic decision- making, will remain intact, but the national synodical of- fices and structure will have taken on new importance and appreciation for the entire Synod, not only because of the success of networking and other relational ways of serving congregations, but because Synod’s leaders exercise their responsibilities evangelically, fraternally, and with full and clear accountability to the congregations of the Synod. 6. Higher Education By the mid-’90s, the Synod’s colleges and seminaries will have begun to emerge from two decades of grave dif- ficulty caused by inadequate resources and declining pop- ulation growth. Solidly confessional seminaries will be clearly in tune with congregational needs and will receive more generous support from the synodical budget. By 1995, adequate scholarship resources will enable both colleges and seminaries to attract significantly more minority students to prepare for church-work careers. Seminaries will have completed a curriculum restudy and revision which rightly underscores their essential role as schools of theology, and not merely professional trade schools for the teaching of technical ministerial skills—but with greater attention to contemporary needs and oppor- tunities enabled by an improved financial base. Seminary faculty members, as servants of the Synod, will be seen as teachers, not only of tomorrow’s pastors, but of today’s—