# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2023_S106
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

106

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Advanced Development sessions that will cover a host of
topics such as Elder Training, Discipleship Program Development, Stewardship and Finance, Outreach Ministry,
Understanding Your Demographics, Next Gen Ministries,
Ethnic and Mission Starts, etc.

It is recognized that congregations will need continued support
and encouragement throughout this planning process. As a result,
a NJ District coaching network has been developed to aid pastors
and congregations as they do the work of IMD. Each congregation
that completes any phase of IMD is offered an NJ District coach to
assist them through challenges and hold them accountable to their
stated desires. In addition, annual Renewal Sessions will be offered
to help congregations evaluate and update their ministry plans.
Helping our district to more closely reflect the ethnic diversity
of our state is also a part of the NJ District’s plans.
•

Our African American congregation meets in Newark.

•

Our Hispanic congregation meets at multiple sites and is
seeking to add additional sites while training leaders.

•

Our Korean ministry is seeking a site to start an educational/
Gospel ministry.

•

Our new Jewish ministry in conjunction with Apple of His
Eye Missions is beginning work in the northeast section of
New Jersey.

To address the pastor shortage our Synod is experiencing, the NJ
District has been assisting and encouraging congregations, where
practical and advantageous, to enter into ministry sharing situations
where a pastor is shared between congregations. In addition, the
district has started recruiting efforts and anticipates being involved
with Set Apart to Serve. As always, pastor retention is a key part of
the equation, so pastor and church worker well-being receive high
priority in the ministry plans and actions of the NJ District.
May our triune God be honored in all we do.
Stephen A. Gewecke, President
R40

North Dakota District
Due to COVID-19, the North Dakota District’s January 2020
convention was postponed until January 2021. The theme of the
convention was “Rejoice in the Lord Always! Rejoice!” from Philippians 4:4–9.
When I hear the words of Philippians 4, I think of “rejoicing in
music!” This love of music and hymns in church has caused me to
do a study on songs versus hymns in the LCMS churches of North
Dakota. The study was done on 414 songs used in the North Dakota District churches in comparison to 414 hymns from Lutheran
Service Book.
To do this, I asked pastors for the lyrics of the songs they were
using from other sources than the hymnal, and the hymns were chosen randomly. I would take two and skip one throughout the whole
hymnal so that I would not be picking only the hymns I wanted or
liked. When I had these 414 songs and 414 hymns, I would read the
text of the song or hymn and ask of each one 48 questions and score
or grade them. Now, I can’t sing or read a hymn or song without
running 48 questions through my mind.
One of the questions was, Does the song or hymn text men2023 Convention Workbook

tion heaven? One of the tendencies of Lutheran hymnody is that
we contemplate our death and give thanks for the victory over sin,
death, and the grave through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself teaches us
that we are to be ready for the end of life, for we do not know the
day or hour (Mark 13:32–33). We long for our real home, heaven,
which was given to us when our names were written in the Book of
Life through the waters of Holy Baptism connecting us to the death
and resurrection of Jesus.
Heaven was revealed 74 times in the texts of songs, although
51 of those times there was only a desire, never assurance, and
without using the word! That leaves 23 times the word heaven was
actually used.
With the hymns, the word heaven or assurance of heaven was
given 332 times in the 414 hymns scored. That is 80 percent. Of
the 332 times heaven was mentioned, 272 times it was in the last or
second-to-last verse of the hymn. When it was in the second-to-last
verse, it was there because the last verse ended with the triune God
Doxology. Therefore, we rejoice in our rich hymns reminding us
of the joy of heaven that has been won for us by Christ crucified.
The North Dakota District adopted a new model for funding the
missions of the district. This model was first implemented in the
English District in June 2018 and commended to all districts by
the Synod in convention of July 2019 (Res. 8-02). It is called 1.1.1.
Every baptized member of the Body of Christ in the congregation
(from the newest baby baptized to the oldest member) is involved
by giving one dollar every week. It demonstrates the power of the
Body of Christ working together, prompted by faith, with many
giving a little regularly. COVID-19 came along and slowed this
model, so an effort is underway now to reinvigorate this 1.1.1 mission model.
The district missions are annual support of $10,000 for “Christ
Care for Children-Kenya”; $20,000 a year in mission support of the
Maule Region of the Iglesia Luterana Confessional de Chile; support of a full-time campus pastor at the Wittenberg Chapel located
at the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks; and
$5,000 a year for Shepherd’s Hill at the Crossroads Camp, which
is a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS found in the
Turtle Mountains of North Dakota.
A few of the Synod resolutions the ND District has worked on
are 2019 Res. 3-04A, 4-11A, and 5-09A.
Res. 3-04A: To Encourage Training of Our Pastors, Church
Workers, and Congregations to Recognize and Provide Pastoral Care for Those Suffering from Clinical Depression, Mental
Illness, and Other Mental Disorders. The district is in a process
of pursuing working with the Recognized Service Organization of
Lutheran Family Service of Iowa to assist our pastors and the members of the churches that they serve to recognize and assist those
with these sin-fallen-world sufferings.
Res. 4-11A: To Encourage the Study of the Doctrine of
Close(d) Communion and Faithful Practice in All Congregations has been attempted with a North Dakota District guidebook
on the practices of the district in different areas including close/
closed Communion with a Communion statement that could and is
encouraged to be used by all for a common practice.
Resolution 5-09A: To Confess the Biblical Six-Day Creation,
to Encourage Pastoral Conferences to Study Our Synod’s Statements on Creation, and to Help Congregations Concertedly
Address Issues Related to the Intersections of Faith and Science is being accomplished through continued pastors conferences