# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2010_S2
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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SYNOD
SYNODREPORTS
REPORTS

Ablaze! or Fan into Flame. Some have cited theological objections,
others more practical matters, as their reasons for nonparticipation. I
have listened to these concerns and have deep respect for those who
have expressed them.
For several years, written theological responses to the theological
objections have been publicized by the Board for Mission Services.
One very good resource is “Ablaze!: Strategy and Structure” written by Dr. Daniel L. Mattson, Associate Executive Director, LCMS
World Mission. One portion of Dr. Mattson’s document is particularly noteworthy:
Not only did the 2004 convention accept the goal of attempting to
touch the lives of 100 million people with the good news of Jesus, but it
took upon itself additional goals of establishing 2,000 new LCMS congregations by 2017 (2004 Resolution 1-05A) to expand cross-cultural
work at home and abroad (2004 Resolution 1-01A) and to raise $100
million to enable the LCMS to carry out the mission work it needed to
do (2004 Resolution 1-04). Perhaps the most significant goal of all was
the convention’s resolution that every LCMS congregation and institution should grow in its understanding of itself as a mission outpost, as
a community of believers in the midst of a wilderness of unbelief, prepared to go out into that wilderness to share the life-giving Good News
of Jesus. (2004 Resolution 1-02)

In 2007, I asked four Synod leaders to review Ablaze! materials
and to share their perspectives with the Synod. Here is their statement:

We are committed to and engaged in mission and outreach and
are eager to be a resource for the entire church in sharing the Gospel.
Following a review of the Ablaze! initiative we do not find anything in
it to be inconsistent with the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
To be sure, while some might raise legitimate questions about certain
points not included in this initiative, as well as about certain exegetical
details, we feel that the materials prepared by the Board for Missions
sufficiently answer these concerns.—Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, Dr.
Dale A. Meyer, Dr. Samuel H. Nafzger, Dr. Dean O. Wenthe

One fairly common practical objection is to the suggestion that
LCMS and our partner church folks should go to the Ablaze! Web site
and record the Gospel witness given. Over 10 million people have
already actually done so! However, since the movement’s inception,
I have expressed my own feeling that this process is cumbersome
and that most evangelical, confessional, Lutheran people who share
the Gospel with someone else are not generally in the habit of telling
about it. On the other hand, there are some very moving and exciting stories submitted by ordinary people who have had extraordinary
experiences in verbalizing their faith!
With all this in mind, I have asked the executive director of the
Board for Mission Services to address the concerns of those who are
not involved in Ablaze! or Fan into Flame in an effort to invite sincerely and encourage evangelically broader participation in these
efforts.
In the meantime, the goals of Ablaze! remain on target for the
future mission of the LCMS. Sharing the Gospel, planting new
churches, and revitalizing existing congregations to be mission outposts are foundational for our mission to the world. Pledges and
contributions to the Fan into Flame campaign in support of these
goals have exceeded $55 million at the time this report is being written. The extension of the duration of this campaign being requested
at this convention by the Board for Mission Services will help ensure
that we are putting forth our best effort for the extension of kingdom work.
Critical Targets for Synod
This past biennium I worked with Synod leaders to establish targets for our working together on behalf of and for the good of the
Synod. The following memorandum to the Synod released January

28, 2009, provides the details of this cooperative and collaborative
working agreement.
Memorandum
To: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
From: Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, LCMS President
Date: January 28, 2009
Re: Mission and Ministry Emphases
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,
through whom alone we have forgiveness of sins, life, and
salvation!
The purpose of this memorandum is to announce three mission and ministry emphases that will serve as “critical targets”
guiding the work of the national church boards, commissions,
departments, and Synod-wide corporate entities until the time of
the national Synod convention next year. These emphases are:
1. Revitalizing existing LCMS congregations;
2. Planting new mission congregations; and
3.	Enhanced focus on stewardship of time, talent, and
treasure.
These emphases have been developed through a collegial and collaborative process involving the Synod’s Senior Leadership Forum (the
executive directors and presidents of the boards, commissions, departments, and Synod-wide corporate entities), the Council of Presidents,
and the Synod’s Board of Directors. Although all of these targets have
already been addressed by units of our national church offices in St.
Louis in notable ways, in order to enhance and focus these efforts, crossunit work teams are being formed to address these emphases in even
more significant ways between now and June 30, 2010.
While not neglecting other areas of responsibility, the boards, commissions, departments, and Synod-wide corporate entities are being
asked to give substantive attention to these targets and to prioritize precious human and fiscal resources to address these important ministry
emphases. The LCMS Board of Directors has pledged to prioritize the
resources for which they are responsible to do the same. The work teams
in each of these areas will be held accountable for progress in addressing these targets over the next sixteen months.
Special thanks are due to all who have been and will be involved
in this multilateral process. By God’s grace, we are taking another
important step forward as One People, engaging in the One Mission of
reaching people with the One Message that Jesus Christ is the only way
to eternal salvation.
May God’s grace, mercy, and peace be with you.

Same-Sex “Marriage”
During the past triennium in our country, a number of incidents
occurred related to our biblical and traditional understanding of marriage. In a number of states, proposals were offered that were designed
to legalize same-sex marriage. As a result of significant effort and
hard work on the part of many Christian individuals and groups in
our nation, including the author of this report and others within the
LCMS, those challenges to traditional marriage were defeated. To this
very day, appeals are in process to overturn decisions made by voters
in a number of states in support of traditional marriage.
Included in this report are two statements I issued on this topic,
related to same-sex marriage activity in the states of California and
Iowa:
Statement from the President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod in Response to California Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex
“Marriage” June 24, 2008
The recent decision of the California Supreme Court legalizing
same-sex “marriage” highlights the downward spiral of moral values
that is becoming so prevalent in our culture. This most recent action

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