# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S406
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

406

MERCY

of LWR in the areas of emergency relief and sustainable
development to the attention of their members; and be it further
Resolved, That our Synod’s congregations and their leaders be
encouraged to avail themselves of the tools and resources that LWR
freely provide, in order to educate, to inspire, and to motivate their
members joyfully to affirm and support this same work with their
prayers, their hands, and their financial gifts; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention gives thanks to God for
the global work being done by LWR in the name of our
compassionate Savior, Jesus Christ, and that the Synod delegates
rise and sing the common doxology in thanksgiving for LWR.
Redeemer, Fort Collins, CO; St. Andrew, Silver Spring, MD;
Trinity, Lisle, IL
Ov. 3-10

To Support the Well-being of All the Church’s
Workers and Church Worker Families
WHEREAS, The well-being of the church’s workers is vital to the
ministry and mission of the church; and
WHEREAS, Those who are called to serve the church in various
capacities are well advised to care for themselves and for their
families so that they can carry out their work to the best of their
ability; and
WHEREAS, Congregations, schools, and other agencies are vital
to the well-being of their church workers as they support those
workers in pursuit of their well-being; and
WHEREAS, Major challenges to the well-being of the church’s
workers are known and documented, such as depression, addiction,
marital strife, and burnout, etc.; and
WHEREAS, There are effective strategies to deal with those
challenges to enhance their well-being; therefore be it
Resolved, That the English District in convention express its
support for all efforts of congregations, schools, and agencies to
care for our workers and support them and their families in their
well-being, including the following components of holistic wellbeing: spiritual, financial, vocational, intellectual, relational,
emotional, and physical; and be it further
Resolved, That our congregations, schools, and agencies be
encouraged to do all they can to support the holistic well-being of
their church workers, focusing on intentional, strategic, practical
efforts at preventing problems before they develop and resolving
them before they become crises; and be it further
Resolved, That our congregations, schools, and agencies be
encouraged to support the holistic well-being of all their workers’
families as well; and be it further
Resolved, That the church’s workers of the English District be
encouraged to care for themselves in every aspect of holistic wellbeing so that they can continue to serve to the best of their ability
with the gifts and strength that God supplies; and be it further
Resolved, That the district in convention publicly recognize and
show appreciation for the district Ministerial Health Commission
for all of the work it does; and be it finally
Resolved, That the district in convention memorialize The 67th
Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
(2019) to encourage the care and well-being of church workers and
their families throughout the Synod.
English District
2019 Convention Workbook

Ov. 3-11

To Promote Worker Wellness
WHEREAS, The Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures
are clear about God’s concern for the well-being of those who serve
His people as when Hezekiah speaking for the Lord admonished the
people of Israel living in Jerusalem to “give [from the firstfruits of
the harvests] the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they
might give themselves to the Law of the Lord …” (2 Chron. 31:4–
10); and again in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, “We ask
you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over
you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly
in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12); and
WHEREAS, The 2017 worker wellness survey of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod Church (with 917 completed surveys
from ordained and commissioned ministers and their spouses)
reveals a great deal of joy, but also a significant challenge to wellbeing among its 13,000 rostered workers; and
WHEREAS, The same survey notes that although workers
recognize their needs in all seven areas of well-being (spiritual,
physical, emotional, relational, vocational, financial, and
intellectual), some of the most noteworthy include:
• 45 percent of ordained and 34 percent commissioned
ministers do not believe they have anyone to provide them
with pastoral care;
• 33 percent of all ministers admit having a struggle with
compulsive behaviors (food, alcohol, pornography, etc.);
• over half (54 percent) of the spouses say they do not have
anyone they call their pastor or spiritual companion, and 30
percent say they do not have anyone they trust with personal
matters;
• workers’ families are forced to make many sacrifices as they
struggle under low incomes. Many are searching for
additional sources of income, with 20–30 percent recently
considering leaving ministry for economic reasons;
• our workers suffer from being overweight or obese at about
the same rates as the American population, with 75 percent
having a body mass index ratio that is above normal, and
nearly 50 percent having been told by a doctor that they are
overweight or obese;
and
WHEREAS, The church worker wellness survey identifies two
clusters of obstacles that get in the way of church workers and
spouses seeking the help they need: (1) lack of time, energy, and
money; and (2) some combination of shame, worry, and fear of
unfavorable repercussions in the exercise of ecclesiastical
supervision; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention encourage all rostered
and non-rostered church workers to engage the services of a faithful
pastor as their father confessor in order to receive pastoral care,
counsel from God’s Word and the ministry of individual confession
and absolution; and be it further
Resolved, That the Office of National Mission (ONM) work with
the districts of the Synod to develop materials to use in a Synodwide
effort to catechize our workers and congregations concerning the
importance and salutary benefits of individual confession and
absolution for ongoing spiritual health and the protection of our
workers in spiritual warfare; and be it further